Steering You Right With Sharon Peters
Q: My mother is visiting for a couple of weeks this summer and, there’s really no other way to say this: She has become so overweight I’m pretty sure the seatbelt in our minivan isn’t going to go around her. I know that she did some sort of special order in her own vehicle, seatbelt-wise. But of course, we’ve got to make do with what we’ve got. Suggestions?
A: Check into a seatbelt extender. The best approach is to call the dealership that sells your make of vehicle. But know this: not every manufacturer offers them because they can’t certify the performance of an extender in a bad crash.
If you can’t go the dealership route, either because your manufacturer doesn’t make them or it’s just not convenient for you, you can check out aftermarket options online, such as wescoperformance.com.
Q: My teen son is in driving school, and I think he’s getting bad advice. His instructor (who’s pretty young) has told him to hold the steering wheel right in the middle, both hands across from each other. Back in the 1970s, when I got my license, we were instructed in the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock approach, where we anchored our hands at the top of the steering wheel to ensure the best control of the car. I don’t want to confuse him, but I think I need to step in, unless you know something that I don’t know.
A: All of us of a certain age learned the 10-and-2 rule.
It’s now felt that putting hands lower – at 9 and 3, as his instructor says, or even lower, at 8 and 4 – is better.
The revised hand-placement recommendation is mostly a face-saving move.
The lower hand stance gives you greater steering range to get the vehicle out of trouble without moving your hands and arms into the airbag deployment zone. And that’s important because when the bag deploys it can fling the driver’s hand or arm back into the face, possibly breaking a nose or cracking a cheekbone.
An added benefit is the potential for less fatigue in shoulders, neck and arms.
Frankly, I’d be happy if drivers would merely use two hands on the wheel all the time … no matter where they put them!
I’ve been trying to overcome muscle memory and force my hands and arms into a lower stance for quite a while now. I’m not 100-percent successful, but I think it’s worth it to keep at it.
© CTW Features
What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. E-mail her at [email protected].