[align=center]Hi Duane, & Member's, thanks for your posts/comments.[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Below are two articles on hand position.[/align][align=center]First article from Racing, 2nd on Street.[/align][align=center]For your reading pleasure : )[/align][align=center][:-][/align]



[align=center]Driving Tips - Steering[/align]


The ability to steer a car with absolute precision for long periods of time at extremely high speed is absolutely critical to a race car driver's success. Of course, every driver knows how to steer, but the race car's steering is extremely sensitive -- less than a quarter turn of the wheel will make the race car turn as tightly as it can. It connects the driver's body directly with the ground -- few race cars have power steering. The race driver steers under high-g stresses, often for hours at a time.
Every race car driver knows the importance of hand position on the wheel and body position relative to the steering wheel. All too often, these basics are ignored by the passenger car driver, yet they're every bit as important, for safety, efficiency, comfort and reduction of fatigue.
Seat or body position first, the most overlooked factor in steering: short people, in particular, tend to sit close to the steering wheel in order to reach the car's pedals. This puts their forearms in a plane parallel to the wheel. It's impossible to steer accurately and smoothly this way. Further, given the way most passenger car restraint systems work, it's extremely dangerous. The arms should be comfortably extended to the steering wheel, with both upper arms and forearms at about a 45-degree angle, with the elbows bent at about 90 degrees.
The driver should be close enough to the wheel to reach any place on the wheel with either hand and without lifting back or shoulder blades off the seat, but no closer. If you have to get closer than that to your steering wheel in order to reach the car's pedals, you should consider getting extensions for the pedals. Held into your seat by your seat belts, you have no reason to hang onto the wheel for support or to grip it tightly, both of which will wear you out and cause you to over-steer the car.
The classic, standard hand position on your wheel is to put your hands at 10 and 2 o'clock. That old standard derives from a steering technique called "hand-over-hand" in which, in a large turn, the arms nearly cross and the driver releases and regrips the steering wheel if necessary. Since virtually all movement of the wheel is accomplished by the downward-pulling hand, the 10-2 position, which puts the palms downward, uses some of the arms' smaller muscles for steering.
A better steering technique is called "shuffle steering." In this method, the pulling hand and arm move the wheel while the other hand loosens its grip slightly to let the wheel slide through. If necessary in a large turn, hands can shuffle and steer alternately. The driver's hands, when not turning, are farther down, at 9 and 3 o'clock on the wheel. With palms turned more inward in this position, the driver uses larger arm muscles. This gives better control and produces less fatigue. The hands are always on the wheel, and the hand that's "shuffling" is ready to regrip the wheel to turn in the opposite direction instantly. Recent studies of airbag safety and internal injuries have indicated that perhaps the 8 and 4 o'clock hand positions are even better.
This 9-3 or 8-4 hand position also decreases the likelihood that the driver will over-steer the car. All unnecessary steering wheel movement should be eliminated from your driving, in the interests of efficiency, comfort and tire wear. Far too many drivers make tiny and unnecessary corrections to their car's direction constantly. They saw at the wheel, however slightly. Looking well ahead of the ca

 

Nice post there 'Space. I know I'm guilty of talking on my cell while driving, but I have a bluetooth headset now so it's back to both hands on the wheel[sm=gears.gif]

I think I have only texted once in my car, and I will never to that again. Found myself not looking at the road for a solid 2 minutes (good thing I knew the road)[sm=jawdrop.gif]

 

I use the "On star" telephone in my Monte, which is obviously hands free. I think any kind of cell phone communications where you have to actually dial a number and especially enter text should by completely banned. Trying to enter characters on a cell phone pad while operating the vehicle is totally stupid. There should be some kind of jamming device, where handheld cell phones simply will not work inside a vehicle.

What did we ever do before we hadcell phones. Boy that must have been the dark ages, when we were unable to get that totally useless, unimportant message outwhile we were driving.

 

I attached my Onstar Phone to my Cell Bill so Onstar uses my cel minutes. All verizon Customers can do that.

 

Before we had cell phones, people who talked to thin air were called crazy, and got sent to the loony bin. Now we call them businessmen.[sm=icon_rofl.gif]
A lot of people think that your licence plate number should be your cell number. So they can call you and tell you what a great driver they think you are. Personally, I say: forget that!

As for talking on a cell, I try to do the responsible things like pull over, or tell them I'll call them back. But more often than not, I'm having the conversation while driving in traffic.

Texting in traffic is a definite no. If you're going to do that, you might as well be doing a crossword puzzle. Both are just as ridiculously dangerous in my opinion.

 

Talking on a cell in the car, not any more distracting than talking to your passenger. What scares me is when people have to dial the thing. Absolutely right Taz, might as well be doing a crossword puzzel. The odd time when I have to drive to Toronto on the QEW, it's common to see people with a newspaper or book on there lap in the stop and go traffic. How do you make people understand that this kind of behaviour is dangerous, not only to themselves but all the rest of us on the road??

 

I use the hands free and voice dial but I hardly use the phone when I'm driving - like alot of people, I can't hear my phone ring becasue the stereo's too loud LOL! And I absolutly don't text at all!

 

the accidnets happen becuase people are paying more attention to the conversation than they are to the road in front of them.

EXACTLY!!!



Talking on a cell in the car, not any more distracting than talking to your passenger.

Who does that?

I too have the hand free calling in the '06 Monte. No texting but using the cell while driving I'm just as guilty of.



I attached my Onstar Phone to my Cell Bill so Onstar uses my cel minutes. All verizon Customers can do that.

COOL!!!!!!!

 

well space... all of what you said is well and good, but most of us don't drive race cars or race to work, school, or wherever we are going. New York was hte first state to pass laws requiring all cell phones to be hands free in order to drive with them. the difference in crashes: virtually none. accidents went down by not even half of a percent. maybe it did a little to help, but i say it was more of a coincidence. the accidents happen because people get so caught up in their conversations that they arne't paying attention to driving. their thinking more about what to say to the person they are talkign to than they are thinking about which lane to get into it, where their next turn is, or even to "Goose the light" or not.

 

I'll probably do it because L.A. County goes "hands-free" on July 1st.