The Logical Conclusion.

One thing about driving, we spend most of the time talking about going turning, watching other drivers, but not a lot of time about stopping.  Even though it is 50% of driving - for if we go, we have to stop.

But I hear you say, as a percentage of time, we spend very little time stopping.  True, but maybe that is part of the problem.  We need to look at stopping the way a baseball player looks at the catch at the end of a hit. The logical conclusion.

Stopping is hard.  To Stop at a Stop Sign or traffic light, you have to cease accelerating or maintaining a speed, then you have to brake so that the car will stop in an approximately 6" target.  Too short and you have to accelerate to the stop line, to long and you can end up in an accident.

So stopping is important - over the next posts I will discuss some techniques and the bad habits we get into.

So this is the start to stopping.

Get A Grip

Recently there has been some talk on the proper position for your hands on the steering wheel.  When I took Drivers Ed the proper positions was 9 and 3, as if the wheel was a clock.  Later, the ideal position was 10 and 2.  However, this was before the advent of air bags.

With an airbag, the bag comes out at such a great speed that the hands will be thrown outward and the speed may slam the hand into the window for instance.

So now we are back to 9 and 3 and some experts are recommending the 8 and 4 position - very familiar to those who drove Fiats in the 60's, also known as the Italian Position.

I have been using the 8/4 for a long time, especially when driving on the highway.  9/3 works for most wheels that have the spokes as rests, I never liked 10 and 2 as the wheel moves too easily when you rock or move back and forth - the same reason you should never use the Lazy Man position of having one hand at 12 o'clock.

You can't practice all emergency situations, but you can mentally practice them.  Imagine yourself in an accident.  With an air bag car, just before the crash remove you hands from the steering wheel and put them in your lap.  The seat belt (you ARE wearing your seat belt - right ) will keep you in place and the air bag will keep you from hitting the steering wheel.

One thing you can practice is not hooking your thumbs around the rim of the steering wheel, rather hold the wheel like you are giving the thumbs-up sign.  This keeps you from breaking your thumbs if you hit something where the wheel is spun suddenly in your hands, and allows the hands to not be trapped by the air bag in case it goes off suddenly.

So how do you turn the wheel with these new positions?  Stay tuned!