Steering Wheel control in a Driving Test

munsterlegend

I am due to do my test in over a week or so and am doing my first lesson over the weekend though i have been driving for a few years so i have a load of bad habits. My g/f who did her test years ago said its very important re the positioning of hands on the wheel. is this still the case or is control more important as i saw on another post?

Alanstrainor

Yes hand position and control of the wheel would be important for test purposes. The best way of moving the wheel is the "push pull" method where by both hands remain on the wheel and do not cross over at any stage. I'm sure you have come across this before, but i'll explain it just incase. Lets imagine you're on a straight road and want to make a left turn. Your hands are currently at say the 10 and 2 position on the wheel, at the start of your turn you will pull the wheel down with your left hand, and your right hand will move down also, meeting your left hand at the bottom of the wheel. At which point you will begin to push the wheel up with your right hand, (both hands should be symmetrical at all times) continue as much necessary.
That might be a little confusing...But wheel control is very important.

Sup08

The position of the hands is not really that relevant but they must not be off the steering wheel for a long period of time. An example of this would be resting one hand on your knee or your gear stick.
Also the crossing of hands is only when you actually cross your arms without letting go of the wheel. For example try turning the wheel left or right without letting go of the wheel with either hand, this will cause your arms to cross and this is the meaing of this fault.

You do not have to feed the wheel through your hands with a shuffle for the test.

Alanstrainor

Sup08 wrote: »

Try turning the wheel left or right without letting go of the wheel with either hand, this will cause your arms to cross. You do not have to feed the wheel through your hands with a shuffle for the test.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say there, crossing your arms in such a manor will result in faults against you.

Sup08

I meant this only as a demonstration of the crossing of the hands fault and not to do this during a test as it is a graded fault. See correction above.

OrangeDaisy

The examiner will pay attention to how you control your steering wheel during your test so it's definitely worth practising keeping your hands at the 10 and 2 positions and feeding the wheel as Alanstrainor said.....you really don't want to be getting attention for things you can avoid.....the examiner can actually give you faults for your turns if he feels you weren't in total control of your steering so try to avoid crossing over your hands and only put your hand on the gearstick for a gear change

Sup08

OrangeDaisy wrote: »

The examiner will pay attention to how you control your steering wheel during your test so it's definitely worth practising keeping your hands at the 10 and 2 positions and feeding the wheel as Alanstrainor said.....

The examiner will say at the very start " you should drive in your normal manner etc." this is probably the best bit of information the examiner will give you. If you normally drive with your hands at 10 to 2 then by all means do it if it's comfortable but if you don't, keep them where you normally keep them as long as it's on the wheel. Some people make so many position turning faults trying to keep the 10 to 2 position that is not their natural way of driving. 10 to 2 is a myth.

Wishbone Ash

They seem to be a bit more fussier about not crossing hands in the category B tests than in other categories. Don't get too worked up about it all the same as most people fail on reaction to hazards, observation, progress etc. I have yet to hear of anyone failing due to position of hands on wheel.

Doing lessons in an articulated truck was a bit of an eye-opener for me. In the E+C category one is expected to keep one's hand on the gearstick for the first three changes. The first time I did the reverse around the corner, I was doing the whole 'feeding' the steering wheel thing. My instructor told me to roll down my window, stick my elbow out on it, use the heel of my hand to steer the truck and to "try to look like a truck driver".

In my experience, many learners worry too much about the small things and miss the bigger picture.

Alanstrainor

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

In my experience, many learners worry too much about the small things and miss the bigger picture.

Definitely. And i agree i have never heard of anyone failing on this alone, but i have heard numerous people being marked down for it, it's a small thing that you may as well get right. There is no "rule" that says that 10 and 2, is "the" position to use, but it is the handiest for most.

DrivingInfo

Sup08 wrote: »

The examiner will say at the very start " you should drive in your normal manner etc." this is probably the best bit of information the examiner will give you. If you normally drive with your hands at 10 to 2 then by all means do it if it's comfortable but if you don't, keep them where you normally keep them as long as it's on the wheel. Some people make so many position turning faults trying to keep the 10 to 2 position that is not their natural way of driving. 10 to 2 is a myth.

Ok

This is ridiculous, the 10 to 2 or ¼ to 3 steering stance are recognised ways of holding the steering wheel.

In the case of surprise a driver will tense up, if your hands are in an uneven position on the wheel when you tense up you will steer unintentionally.

If you cannot steer properly you should learn how, if you look at this form you will see you can be marked for not making proper use of vehicle controls, (steering). http://www.drivingtesttips.ie/Report-Form.html

You can see a steering tutorial on www.drivingtesttips.ie

Overature

dont let the steering wheel slide throught your fingers. if your going throught tight roundabout and you have to do this your going to fast.

Sup08

DrivingInfo wrote: »

Ok

If you cannot steer properly you should learn how, if you look at this form you will see you can be marked for not making proper use of vehicle controls, (steering). http://www.drivingtesttips.ie/Report-Form.html

If you note on the form, the Turnabout is marked completely on it's own during the test and therefore you cannot marked for steering in this case.
The steering under vehicle controls is for normal driving during the test and is marked when the driver does not have full control of the wheel.
For example, resting one hand on the gear stick for a prolonged period of time.
All faults other than observation that occur during the reverse and turnabout are marked under competency

DrivingInfo

Sup08 wrote: »

If you note on the form, the Turnabout is marked completely on it's own during the test and therefore you cannot marked for steering in this case.
The steering under vehicle controls is for normal driving during the test and is marked when the driver does not have full control of the wheel.
For example, resting one hand on the gear stick for a prolonged period of time.
All faults other than observation that occur during the reverse and turnabout are marked under competency

This is irrelevant because you should still know how to steer in the same way you need to know how to use the Clutch, Brake, Mirrors and etc etc etc. I don’t understand your post;
If you don’t know how to steer properly you should learn,
Do you not agree??????????????

P.S Having your hands properly positioned (10 to 2 - ¼ to 3) on the wheel makes steering properly easier.

Sup08

DrivingInfo wrote: »

This is irrelevant because you should still know how to steer in the same way you need to know how to use the Clutch, Brake, Mirrors and etc etc etc. I don’t understand your post;

The original post was regarding position of the hands, then a steering fault was quoted on the form. I mearly pointed out that any faults recorded during the turnabout are recorded under competently on the form.
It is highly likey that anyone that does not know how to steer a car won't even get as far as the turnabout.

Explosive_Cornflake

Overature wrote: »

dont let the steering wheel slide throught your fingers. if your going throught tight roundabout and you have to do this your going to fast.

Hmm, ok. I didn't know that. I assuemt his applies all the time?

Hanley

Explosive_Cornflake wrote: »

Hmm, ok. I didn't know that. I assuemt his applies all the time?

Basically if the wheel's sliding then you don't have control of it and you'll get marked. So no, don't let it slide AT ALL during the test.


On a related note, on the turnabout and reversing around corners, is it ok to use the heel of your palm to steer?

Snakeblood

Hanley wrote: »

Basically if the wheel's sliding then you don't have control of it and you'll get marked. So no, don't let it slide AT ALL during the test.


On a related note, on the turnabout and reversing around corners, is it ok to use the heel of your palm to steer?

I was told you shouldn't do that, I get the impression that it's easier to lose control of the vehicle by your palm slipping than losing your grip entirely if you are using the whole hand.

Alanstrainor

Do not use the heel of your palm to steer, it's a very bad habit, as the wheel can slip out under your palm.
Also, in response to whether you can "slipt the wheel through your fingers", as already stated, no, this could result in marks against you as you are not considered to be in control, if the wheel isn't firmly in your grasp.

blackbox

An example of not controlling the steering is to allow the wheel to straighten itself, slipping through your hands after a bend. You should always be holding it.

Sup08

Please find the marking guidlines from the RSA website regarding steering.

(f) Steering: having both hands off the steering at the same time, or steering unnecessarily with one
hand for a prolonged distance.