# What’s your steering wheel style? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913 "2025-01-13T12:44:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/1 "2025-01-13T12:44:23Z")
I know that I was taught to keep my hands at 2 & 10, but I don’t do that anymore. Now it’s both hands at the top with thumbs braced along the wheel. It just feels comfortable. Do you stick to the o’clock system or are you a cool rebel? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/2 "2025-01-13T12:48:39Z")
My hands rest on the cross structure (not sure what to call it) that connects the wheel to the steering column. Three fingers rest on the cross bar and the pinkie is on the outside of the wheel. The only time I do 10 and 2 is in bad driving conditions when I feel like I need more control. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/3 "2025-01-13T12:52:28Z")
Generally somewhere between 10 & 2 and 9 & 3 for me. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/4 "2025-01-13T12:54:45Z")
In the city, my left is at 12 and my right is on the stick shift, unless I’m making a sharp turn and need both hands. On the motorway, my left is at 6, so my arm rests across my thigh, and my right is on my wife’s knee. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/5 "2025-01-13T12:56:07Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > On the motorway, my left is at 6, so my arm rests across my thigh, and my right is on my wife’s knee. What if your wife is not in the car? Does your right just hover awkwardly over the seat? 😁 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/6 "2025-01-13T12:58:13Z")
2&10 is no longer recommended. I believe 3&9 is now the recommendation from a ‘keep your thumbs when airbag deploys’ view. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/7 "2025-01-13T12:58:58Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I know that I was taught to keep my hands at 2 & 10, but I don’t do that anymore. Now it’s both hands at the top with thumbs braced along the wheel. If you are in a collision and your airbag goes off, you will likely break your wrists as the airbag drives them into your face. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/8 "2025-01-13T13:08:26Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > What if your wife is not in the car? When my wife is not in the car, my right hand is free to flash helpful instructional gestures at other drivers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/9 "2025-01-13T13:17:53Z")
To be honest, I wonder what an objective account of my hand positions would be, because I’m sure they switch around a lot. I was taught years ago to drive 9 and 3. The explanation wasn’t air bags – this was some sort of high speed driving enthusiast who was telling me that was the optimal positioning or some shit like that, and I believed him. To be honest, I default closer to 9 1/2 and 2 1/2 (or 9:30 and 2:30, but that implies a minute hand that is non-existent), so just as hair up from 9 and 3. And then sometimes I go 9 and 2 for reasons unknown to me. I do drive stick, and when I need to shift, I do generally keep my left somewhere from 9 to 11, depending on how I’m feeling, I guess. And, yeah, if I’m cruising along on an uneventful highway, I may find myself steering with my left hand on my lap at about 7 to 7 1/2. I don’t have my right hand on my wife’s (or anyone else’s) knee. My wife would think something was up with me, as that is not in my normal playbook. 🙂 And one-handed steering maneuvers start with palm on 12. ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/10 "2025-01-13T13:18:41Z")
Left at 11 o’clock; freeing right hand for shifting. As god intended. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/11 "2025-01-13T13:33:48Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > In the city, my left is at 12 > > On the motorway, my left is at 6 Alternating between 12 and 6 with my left hand is me as well. > [@Cervaise](#): > > When my wife is not in the car, my right hand is free to flash helpful instructional gestures at other drivers. I think I saw you in traffic the other day, giving me a helpful gesture! I wasn’t sure what it meant though-- you were pointing up toward the sky with your middle finger. Unfortunately I don’t understand sign language. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/12 "2025-01-13T13:57:59Z")
“You’re Number 1!” Or “You’re first on The List!” ---
**Author:** ![StringsandHammers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stringsandhammers/32/17933_2.png) [@StringsandHammers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StringsandHammers)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/13 "2025-01-13T14:23:26Z")
Usually one hand on the steering wheel and the other arm around the passenger seat… This is not really the safest technique but it sure is the coolest. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/14 "2025-01-13T14:47:40Z")
9 and 3 in the Cadillac (or not at all on the highway), 6 in my truck… ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/15 "2025-01-13T14:53:37Z")
Usually left hand at about 10 and right on the stick shift. Sometimes left hand gets to about 1. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/16 "2025-01-13T14:54:33Z")
I’m a classic 10& 2 girl. And I have had an airbag deploy before and suffered no ill effects on my hands/wrists from it. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/17 "2025-01-13T15:01:27Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I was taught years ago to drive 9 and 3. The explanation wasn’t air bags – this was some sort of high speed driving enthusiast who was telling me that was the optimal positioning or some shit like that, and I believed him. The fact that we are all throwing in opinions and anecdotes is part of the problem with driver training in the U.S., such as it is. And I suppose I’m part of the problem in that I don’t know what’s currently recommended. Unfortunately, once you have your driver’s license, and unless you’re required to undergo training because of accidents or tickets, it’s possible (and in most cases I’d guess likely) to go your entire life without any kind of recurrent driver training. Not even a little online course. There’s also the fact that driver requirements vary state to state. So even when I look up what’s recommended, there could be multiple answers. Around 40,000 people get killed in cars annually in the U.S. - maybe we should up our game on this a little. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/18 "2025-01-13T15:28:23Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > The fact that we are all throwing in opinions and anecdotes is part of the problem with driver training in the U.S., such as it is. Sorry – I should state that in driver’s ed I was taught 10 and 2, back in 1990. It was a few years later this guy who raced told me 9 and 3 is optimal, and looking up high performance driving schools, that does seem to be the recommendation. But that’s high performance. But now we also have air bags, which I guess 9 and 3 is also better for. As you can tell in my post, my hand position wavers all over the place. I caught myself today driving on the highway with my left elbow resting against the driver side armrest, and my right (shifting) hand at like 4-5 o’clock. Not ideal, but sometimes you just feel like resting your hands and/or arms. When I am driving very intentionally, it’s just a little above 9 and 3, where my wrist position feels natural. (At 9 and 3 it feels slightly supinated.) ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/19 "2025-01-13T15:48:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Sorry – I should state that in driver’s ed I was taught 10 and 2, back in 1990. I guess that’s my point - many of us are left with what we learned back in the day and haven’t been updated. That’s partly our own fault and partly due to lax licensing requirements. Another example would be anti-skid braking technique. My first couple of cars were not so equipped, and when I did get them they were on a car I bought used. Which means, nobody ever trained me to in the proper way to use anti-skid brakes. So I did what we all do - I listened to whomever gave me what sounded like good advice. More recently I’ve heard (again, informally) not make turns with hand-over-hand steering because an air bag deployment in that moment would break your arms. Sounds plausible, so I’ve tried to re-train myself not to do that. But this thread has inspired me to search around for some good, modern information on driving technique. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913/20 "2025-01-13T15:51:26Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > 2&10 is no longer recommended. I believe 3&9 is now the recommendation from a ‘keep your thumbs when airbag deploys’ view. The issue there is that my Honda has the wheel’s cross-supports at the 3 & 9, thus not allowing my fingers to close around the wheel. Race drivers are trained to let go of the wheel when a collision is imminent, note (crossing their arms across their chest since letting them dangle may also hurt). When racing on my PC I indeed do the 3 & 9. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-steering-wheel-style/1012913.md?page=2)