Experience in steering a car accurately and safely

Hold the steering wheel

According to experienced drivers, drivers should treat the steering wheel like a clock face, placing the right hand at the 3 o'clock position and the left hand at the 9 o'clock position. 4 fingers hug the steering wheel rim, the thumb is placed along the steering wheel rim. Holding the steering wheel like this will optimize control, ensure safety and the ability to steer as well as control other parts such as lights, turn signals, wipers, gear lever, horn... more easily.

When the sitting position and steering wheel position are correct, the driver's shoulders and arms are relaxed, allowing him to drive for long periods without feeling tired or stiff. The driver can also lower his seat to the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions for more relaxation.

Drivers should be careful not to place their hands in a high position, because in the event of a collision, the airbag is activated and pushed out with great force. If the driver places his hands in the wrong position in this case, the airbag will deploy, pushing his hands into his face or causing more serious injury to the driver.

Experts also recommend that drivers should not grip the steering wheel too tightly, but only grip it with enough force to control the wheel. If gripped too tightly, the driver will have difficulty feeling the feedback and will quickly become tired and exhausted.

In addition, if you grip the steering wheel too tightly, you will have to use more force and may cause the car to veer more than desired. Therefore, holding the steering wheel lightly will make the steering correction easier.

Steering wheel

Steering wheel operation is performed by gently turning the steering wheel in the direction of the curve of the road. For example, when turning left, the driver's left hand will pull the steering wheel down, while the right hand will hold it loosely so that the steering wheel slides over. When the driver's left hand has reached the lowest point, stop using the left hand and let the right hand hold the steering wheel and continue. At the same time, the left hand returns to the highest point, ready to perform the next operation when the right hand reaches this point.

The principle of performing this operation correctly is that each driver's hand is responsible for only half of the steering wheel, divided at the top and bottom of the steering wheel. It is worth mentioning that when steering, the right hand must not encroach on the range of the left hand and vice versa. This also means that the driver must not apply the steering operation of crossing hands when driving every day. Crossing hands helps the driver to handle quickly, but will block the airbag from deploying in the event of an accident.

Nowadays, most car models have power steering, making steering easier and smoother. Therefore, many drivers often have the habit of letting the steering wheel return automatically after exiting a corner. However, experts advise against doing this, but always control the steering wheel and actively return it to a straight position.

If the car is left to steer itself, the driver will spend a period of time not knowing exactly which position of the steering wheel corresponds to which direction of the 2 front wheels, and then need more time to control it.

Steering

Many drivers have difficulty accurately assessing the width of their car, and drivers often imagine the car to be wider than it actually is, so it is easy to see many cases where drivers do not dare to enter a narrow road or struggle to find a way out of a parking space, even though from the outside, the space is still wide enough for the car to move.

Therefore, drivers should spend time getting familiar with the car by practicing aligning the front and rear of the car with surrounding obstacles. Once they have a correct understanding of this, drivers will not be afraid to weave through crowded streets during rush hour. This will help drivers steer the wheel more accurately and smoothly.

Ha Nam (Synthesis)