I was a trifle disconcerted to see that Jason Plato on Five's 'Fifth Gear' the other night was driving the BMW from Spain to Blighty with only one hand on the steering wheel. This may have been an easier way when talking to camera but I got the impression, from his general demeanour, that he might be a serial one-hander driver except, of course, when he is using his doubtless skills on the track.
My parnter insists on driving her car with one hand on the steering wheel with the other varioulsy on the gear lever (horror of horrors - as was Jason!) or on her left leg. Where and why does this habit originate from?
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ooooooooooowwwweeerrrrrrr.....
One handed driving whilst phoning, eating a sarnie or an apple with the other have been held not to be in proper control.....
DVD
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What about steering with your knee whilst eating a big mac using both hands? ;-)
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I agree with HJ. Some of my most enjoyable driving experiences are when driving abroad, particularly in the Greek Islands. Given the unpredictability of other drivers and the terrain, maximum progress is best maintained with one hand on the gear lever for most of the time, ready to respond to overtaking opportunities etc.
Needless to say, once the hazard is encountered, the gear change is made and both hands go back on the wheel whilst the hazard is negotiated.
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One hand? Kids stuff.
When you can steer with your teeth as you type out a text message you know you've cracked it.
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When you can steer with your teeth as you type out a text message
Can Fixodent handle that?
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This morning I saw a van driver using both elbows on the wheel whilst he rested his weary head!!!!!!
Definitely not in control.
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What about having a blowout on a front tyre? ok, chances of a blowout with modern tyres are lots less than 30 years ago, but there are some awful tyres out there. apart from cheap far eastern ones, and dubious remoulds, people just dont seem to care for them. just look at some of the scrap tyres in any fast fit tyre place an remind yourself that they were DRIVEN in there!.
Note to mods:I've just re-read what I've written and although IMHO its worthy of its own thread I want to let it stand as the point I'm making is that its easy to loose control with one handed steering, even with P/S
WTM
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On motorways I tend to drive with the right hand firmly gripping the wheel and the left loosely holding it at the bottom, elbow resting on the arm rest. Best of both worlds, really. Only one arm gets tired, and I have two hands ready if anything goes wrong.
Around Devon's A-roads it's nearly impossible to drive with one hand due to the sharp bends. I thought the whole point of advanced driving was learning to anticipate things and changing down BEFORE hitting the corner, so you can go through with both hands on the wheel.
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If some disabled people are allowed to drive with no hands, one hand, one restricted movement hand, or whatever, then I don't see why there is such a fuss over people eating apples, sipping water or cruising with one hand elsewhere, unless they are driving badly, which should IMHO be trated just the same as if someone is driving badly with both hands on the wheel.
I find it rediculous that the Police will spend £10,000 prosecuting a woman for driving with an apple in one hand, yet if her hand had been chopped off, they wouldn't even dare stop her! At least she has the ability to drop the Apple and grab the wheel if need be.
For the feint hearted on here, I am not dissing your equal oppurtunities and diversity policies.
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While agreeing that the police may have been a bit heavy handed in reporting the woman for eating an apple in the first place, they had no option but to follow through after she decided to fight the case.
Otherwise it would not be worth having laws against minor infringments, urinating in the street, niusance behaviour etc, as the perpretator could just continue to fight the case till someone decided that it was costing too much and dropped it.
You can't put a price limit on justice.
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It is safer to drive with two hands on the wheel, even in todays cars with varible power steering etc. The Idea behind it is so that you go into corners at the correct speed, If you have to "Spin" the wheel with one hand to get round a corner then you are going too fast for that corner, If you can "Steer" round it with two hands on the wheel then you are going at the correct speed. As has also been said it is far safer should an emergency arise as well. As for mountain driving etc then you should already be in the correct gear for the manoevure you are about to attempt, If you are having to change gear mid corner then you are at serious risk of unbalancing the vehicle, you would never see a motorcylist attempt to change gear mid corner. All the advanced techniques still teach two hands on the wheel.
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Yes. I cannot believe the number of excuses people are using in this thread for not holding the steering wheel with two hands notwithstanding those with disabilities etc. It only takes a second or so to select a gear and so traversing a mountain pass doesn't absolve you from holding the wheel properly.
On a personal basis, when I'm shaving with my electric razor in the morning (not in the car, I should add) but looking out of my bedroom window at the commuter traffic outside, I am appalled at the number of cars driving past, whose drivers are not in 'proper' control of their cars.
I would be interested to know the IAM's views on this subject.
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Having passed my IAM test a couple of weeks ago, all the pre-test instruction was as given in truckersunite's post i.e. both hands on the wheel all the time, except when changing gear etc. Only one thing is done at once, so a gear is only changed while going in a straight line.
I also asked about traffic lights. Having got the hang of going into neutral, I was told having both hands on the wheel then is good practice.
As feeding the wheel is recommended, only one hand does any steering. Having the other hand in the right place makes an unexpected change of direction easier.
Incidentally, this week's Auto Express mentions that a TV presenter crashed a new 3-Series driving it back from France. I didn't think Plato was ex-Top Gear though (ex-Driven I thought). I didn't believe they did catch the ferry, given the distance and time left.
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"I am appalled at the number of cars driving past, whose drivers are not in 'proper' control of their cars."
Good god - get a life. The only time I have two hands on the wheel (and then its the classic 10 - 2) is when its required. Thats is, bad road conditions or when its being driven with "some enthusiasm"
The rest of the time one hand has a good grip (not too firm) the other could be anywhere, even on another part of the wheel at times.
Has to be said I could if required (like an IAM test) have classic wheel control, 10 - 2 with feeding through the hands. I practise now and again just for amusement.
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This will shock you even more everyone!!! On my very first driving lesson with an official driving instructor, i was cruising along an open stretch of road doing about 55-60 mph, my instructor said to me you can rest your left hand on your lap! When i had lessons with another driver a few weeks later he was shocked when i told him about what the previous instructor to me!!!! You are supposed to use two hands even on a straight stretch of road because you might go over a pot all which put the car out of direction. The previous instructor became an ambulance driver i was told, i would like to see what would happen if he was on the motorway with a patient on board & hits a small pothole, the patient may go into cardiac arrest in that instance!!!!!!!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Are you sure he didn't say you could rest your left hand in his lap?
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No frostbite, im quite sure he said my own lap!!!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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I'm still a ten to two man myself. Sometimes I can feel my hand reaching towards the armrest but I fight the urge.
As to how controlled the car is when you're driving one handed I don't know. I imagine it's no different unless you did need to react in an emergency. Even then I'm not sure how much more control you'd have adopting the two hand method.
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Adam
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I am another one-handed steerer, though I will put the other hand on the wheel if I happen to see any police about, or in bad weather conditions.
When I was doing my emergency vehicle operators course (licensed to drive anything with "blues and twos") I was told to use one hand (palm contact)to spin the wheel faster as trying to use two hands would slow you down on the slalom course. Of course these were older American cars with about 50 turns lock to lock and massively overboosted power steering assist....one finger would have been enough.
Funny you should mention ambulances, frazerjp. I used to drive them and yes I used one hand with patients on board and travelling code 3. One hand on the wheel, the other hand covering the two-way radio handset or activating the siren tone switches. Haven't lost a patient yet...well not due to my driving anyway.
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Two handed generally. Good point about bad weather, imagine hitting a large puddle/flood at speed. Aquaplaning isn't much fun for a hand on its own !
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Let's be honest and stop prevaricating. One handed steering is tantamount to a sloppy driving technique. Two hands on the wheel apply equal 'weight' or pressure to the steering wheel and it is therefore in perfect equilibrium whether arm rests are used or not. I personally, when choosing my last car, made sure that centre armrests were not a standard fit!
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Two handed generally. Good point about bad weather, imagine hitting a large puddle/flood at speed. Aquaplaning isn't much fun for a hand on its own !
Done it..Ps you have no control when Aquaplaning..Car controls you.I wrote of a motor going too fast through a flood once.Only by a few mile an hour/didnt see the flood skidded into lamp post.Just missing a river at almost full flood!.Consider I am lucky to be here
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Steve
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I agree it is sloppy, and I never do it (REALLY I DON'T!)
But, there are plenty of people on the roads who have both hands on the wheel, who are in far less control than many who only have one, so I would say, criticise the people who are not in control of their cars for whatever reason, rather than nit-picking with if buts and maybes.
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Aquaplaning isn't much fun for a handon its own !
Now that's a new word for it!
BTW BazzaBear, the 30degree lean by the Chavs is because they are listening carefully to their other halves opinion.
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Me; two-handed most of the time. Never forgotten losing a front remould in a Triumph 2000 at 80. Kept it together, just. Don't think I would have with one hand.
Mrs H; Invariably one handed. Sits on the other hand. Said she learnt the habit to keep one hand warm with her Singer Chamois when the heater packed in. Even though it was 20 years ago, it's still my fault for nor fixing the heater quick enough. Gloves? Evidently not invented then ...
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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I thought one-handed steering was a relic of the days of bench seats when the left arm was used for courting. ;-)
Oz (as was)
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I always use two hands, but at about 25 to 3, if you see what I mean.
I dislocated my left shoulder a few years ago, and it gets quite strained if I use the classic 10 to 2 or 15 to 3 positions, so I rest my left arm on my knee, but still holding the wheel. If conditions are unfavourable, or I'm 'making progress' then I'll go to 15 to 3.
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I have tried to hunt out the site but it seems to have gone, the site was linked to the Chav knocking site and described the stereotype chav as driving one handed in the 12 o' clock position it called this the "widow's grip" which made me chuckle.
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I think the Chavs take it a bit further though, with their usual 30 degree list to the left. Anyone know why they do that?
I've also often wondered: Do they lean to the right instead on the continent?
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Now that you come to mention it.....!
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Oldgit, you definately would not have been impressed by the sight i saw earlier on the M6 - bloke and pillion passenger on a supersports style bike with one hand on bars and the other hand resting down on the tank.
I was doing about 80mph and they went past me pretty quickly - just under the ton perhaps?
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Nasty twitch you've got there bh.
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It was the "19 NEW" that got me in here thinking there was some huge argument or some sort of revalation about steering.
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Adam
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One hand on the mouse BH ?. I've ridden like that, never had a problem with it.
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Typus interruptus.
Very bad for the nerves.
Can be caused by repeatedly moving hand from gear lever to steeringwheel in heavy traffic :)
WTM
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I've only just noticed each post is different.
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Adam
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Indeed.
But to get back to the subject.
I was the passenger seat witness to a stupendous display of car control in a skidpan, where my pilot got his beast to dance its way round the course at high speed entirely one-handed.
That course was in Hendon, and I don't think they use it nearly enough these days.
Mind you, the chap demonstrating for me was of a type who would also have given you a short, sharp talking to if you tried one had on the road.
Not that I ever tried anything so stupid when he was in my car...
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i have no idea what happened there!
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Blue Haddock,
If your referring to your 20 plus posts, each with one word more than the last, I am working my way through them, deleting all but the last one.
Hugo - BR Moderator
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Long Arms are necessary equipment for 1 handed steering. Grip wheel firmly with right hand, turn whole of your body to left side so you can flail helplessly with your left hand at your misbehaving kids, or so you can clamp left hand over mother in laws motor mouth! Those are the only occasions I may wish to drive one handed.
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Some people don't have the option.
An ex colleague of mine had lost the use of his right arm in an RTA several years ago, so he had do drive with one hand. His cars were always adapted to take care of this. He drives autos so he always has his good hand on the steering wheel, except when he is stationary and changing gear.
H
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Could drive one with a triptonic gearbox....grey area on driving licences perhaps ?
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oops sorry!
still no idea how it happened!
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Mrs GWS tends to drive one handed ,no seatbelt, third gear, full headlights.
I usually mention it if I am in the car but the grief is not worth it.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I think some people should take this a bit more seriously - my husband ALWAYS drives with one hand on the steering wheel (as a matter of principle, partly I think - as I've asked him not to). We usually have our two daughters in the car with us (10 and 8) and it actually frightens me to death: He drives like this in all conditions and on all roads. I take my turn to drive and am about to insist that I will not be driven by him if he won't put both hands on the wheel.
I ran over a dog - and killed it - a few years ago - it shot our of a hedge on a country road and there was absolutely nothing I could do to avoid hitting the dog. Fortunately I had both hands on the steering wheel, braked hard, kept full control of the car and stopped on the correct side of the road facing forward. The policeman congratulated me on not having swerved and for having been in complete control of the car. Not sure that one-handed I wouldn't have ended up in the ditch.
PS my husband has just come past, read this and told me I am 'pathetic'. Does anyone else really think I am pathetic to worry about this?
Gill
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>>Does anyone else really think I am pathetic to worry about this?
No.
If I persistently drove in a way that increased the risk to our children, even by a minute amount, I suspect my wife would take fairly direct action.
Driving one-handed may not increase the risk much; but driving one-handed and making a point of it is immature, stupid and does increase the risk needlessly - to at least some degree.
A small additional point would be that whilst I disagree with my wife on many subjects, and on some I consider her to be totally and irrationally wrong, I would never call her "pathetic". Its a respect thing.
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What does the IAM (or anyone duly qualified) say about the actual increased risk of driving one-handed?
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IAM guidance is always have two hands on the wheel (unless stationary with habdbrake on), at ten to two, and ideally with thumbs pointing upwards around wheel, not hooked round it (this avoids the broken thumbs a la Clarkson when he crash tested something at 20/30 mph in a repeat I watched the other week...)
And Gilly - I once recieved an email from Mrs S telling me what a stupid driver I was, how I'd spoilt a great night out by my reckless driving and how she never wanted to be my passenger again. Although IMO she somewhat over-reacted, it hit home hard and was one of the things which prompted me to take my IAM, which I passed in Jan. I am a MUCH better driver for it, even though I don't always stick to the letter of the learnings...
Suggest to him that if he's such a good driver, why not prove it to himself and others by taking advanced lessons - IAM or RoSPA.
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I take my turn to drive and am about to insist that I will not be driven by him if he won't put both hands on the wheel.
Good idea! Tho having been there (slightly different issue, but another bit of unacceptable driving by a man), you may find it hard to enforce, because the problem only happens once the car is moving. It's then a matter of waiting until the car is next stopped in a place where it's safe to get out, and making sure you have a mobil an enough cash for alternative transport home.
Does anyone else really think I am pathetic to worry about this?
Not at all pathetic. But I guess that your husband must have many other amazingly brilliant qualities to avoid having been traded in already.
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>>Not at all pathetic. But I guess that your husband must have many other amazingly brilliant qualities to avoid having been traded in already.
Thanks. No, he hasn't actually.......
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For the man bashing that is going on I can say that my other half (Female) had a go at me the other day for "driving like I was trying to pass my test" because I had two hands on the wheel, I always drive like this as having done an advanced asessors driving course the difference between driving with 2 hands on the wheel and driving with only one is vast.
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I was told by Nürburgring champion driver and driver of the 'Nürburgring taxi', Sabine Schmitz (remmeber her encounter with JC on Top Gear) when I asked whether she steered with two hands in the approved manner:
"No. I steer with one hand. Just like I'm cleaning windows."
I'm told she scares the life out of her passengers during their paid-for circuit with her on the Nordschleife in an M5.
Oz (as was)
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I invariably drive with both hands on the wheel but only steer with one hand because my right elbow is attached to the arm-rest.
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