So you’ve just come home from your local Nissan dealer with a new or pre-owned car. If your new car is like most cars, it has airbags installed in it. One of these airbags, of course, is installed in your steering wheel. But are your hands going to be in the way if an emergency occurs?
Driving instructors have always told us that “10 and 2″ are the correct positions for your hands on a steering wheel. But that was before airbags were standard features on an automobile. Today, the recommended position for your hands is anywhere between the “7 and 9 o’clock” position for your left hand and the “3 and 5 o’clock” position for your right hand.
If you keep your hands at this new position, the airbag is able to deploy safely without your arms stopping it. In addition, the force of an airbag that moves at 100 mph could break or injure your arms if they get in the way when it deploys.
This isn’t just something that car manufacturers or safety organizations are suggesting. Many police departments are teaching their officers the new position to increase their safety, too. That should say something about the credibility of the new positioning.
Of course, if you drive like me, you have your left hand at the 12 o’clock position with your right arm around your beautiful wife sitting next to you.
