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Crossing my hands when steering and letting go of both my hands.

Sometimes I like to let go of both my hands (as in not have physical contact with the steering wheel but my hands ready to hold it again) whilst steering so that I can travel straight again after a bend or whatever.

When steering at speeds less than 30MPH, I cross hands often.

How many minors will I get if I continuously cross hands again and again? Will the same minor stack up or not? I really find it very easy to drive when I am allowed to put my right hand on the left part of the steering wheel and my left hand on the right part of the steering wheel.

I am just wondering if doing all this will still let me pass, as the allowance of crossing hands makes driving very easy; or should I practise steering properly despite the fact that most of today's drivers don't care about avoiding crossing hands.

Thank you.
(edited 10 years ago)
It may be seen as a lack of control and if you get the 3 minors in the same area it turns into a major, so maybe try to get used to driving without crossing your hands over.
Also, don't let go of the wheel at all as you don't have control over the vehicle and it could be deemed as dangerous , causing you to get a major in your test.
Reply 2
Avatar for Sayonara
Sayonara
OP
11
Original post by Sophi12
It may be seen as a lack of control and if you get the 3 minors in the same area it turns into a major, so maybe try to get used to driving without crossing your hands over.
Also, don't let go of the wheel at all as you don't have control over the vehicle and it could be deemed as dangerous , causing you to get a major in your test.


What if I do 6 of the same minor, would that turn into two majors?
Reply 3
Avatar for Advisor
Advisor
8
Instead of trying to over-analyse the marking system to the nth degree, and you know the difference between right and wrong, why not simply drive properly?

Crossing hands is all well and good at low speed manoeuvring or in a dire emergency, but to do so habitually and subconsciously compromises fine control, usually at a moment when you need it the most.

What would happen in the event of a crash, should the airbag deploy? If you are holding the wheel properly with each hand holding only the respective half of the wheel, the airbag cushions your head against impact. If you're crossing an arm over at the time, your arm is propelled into your face with some force.

Consider also taking a bend that turns out just that little bit sharper than you expected, or you need to add some more steering quickly to avoid an oncoming car who's cutting the bend (probably driven by some numpty crossing his hands!), pull-push can add - then rapidly subtract - that extra steer with fine control and very quickly, whereas arm crossers will find themselves tied in knots as they physically cannot twist their arm round any more.

Finally, don't rely on "getting away" with lesser faults in any testing situation. The lesser faults can soon add up to bigger ones. What starts as a habitual and sloppy "not worthy" fault is usually a serious fault waiting to happen; all that's needed is that unlucky set of circumstances. Then, of course, we would read the threads complaining about "luck" on driving tests - had the skill taken over, any "luck" would simply have been negated.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 4
Avatar for Sayonara
Sayonara
OP
11
Thank you, and I went on http://www.2pass.co.uk/steering.htm to find that letting my steering wheel straighten out by itself is bad. Why is that?
"Avoid letting the wheel spin back through your hands when straightening up.".

Is it because it is an unreliable method, as in it may not always spin back?
Reply 5
Avatar for Kre
Kre
18
Original post by AlanDu
What if I do 6 of the same minor, would that turn into two majors?


It would still be the same major but wouldn't matter anyway as you would have already failed.
Original post by Sophi12
It may be seen as a lack of control and if you get the 3 minors in the same area it turns into a major, so maybe try to get used to driving without crossing your hands over.
Also, don't let go of the wheel at all as you don't have control over the vehicle and it could be deemed as dangerous , causing you to get a major in your test.


Mostly correct, but it's not necessarily 3 minors and it's more down to the examiners disgression. You could get 6 minors on steering, but if they were different types of steering faults you could still pass and they might advise you that your steering could do with some work. However, if the examiner notices they're marking you down for doing the same thing and thinks it's a bad habit then 3 could turn into a major, e.g. driving with your hands crossed or letting go of the wheel.
Reply 7
Avatar for ROG.
ROG.
6
Has your instructor taught you how to do PP steering in an way that you can utilise all of the steering wheel ?

If possible get hold of a car and practice super tight turns and parking etc by only using PP because if you can master that then using PP for normal driving will be easy

Your confidence will grow a lot when using PP because you will feel and be more in control - that is 100% guaranteed
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 8
Avatar for Sayonara
Sayonara
OP
11
Original post by ROG.
Has your instructor taught you how to do PP steering in an way that you can utilise all of the steering wheel ?

If possible get hold of a car and practice super tight turns and parking etc by only using PP because if you can master that then using PP for normal driving will be easy

Your confidence will grow a lot when using PP because you will feel and be more in control - that is 100% guaranteed


Oh okay, I'll learn the PP steering technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxlFZluTt3Q

Is the video (above) a good tutorial on how to do this? It seems too easy to be true as I naturally did it already on my last driving lesson when I tried to avoid crossing hands.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 9
Avatar for ROG.
ROG.
6
Great video - using a round metal tray is the way I taught my wife and daughter - they did it whilst watching tv so it became second nature

The video could be a little better by showing how the hands meet at the top and bottom

It also fails to show how easy it is to change direction suddenly should it be needed
Reply 10
Avatar for Sayonara
Sayonara
OP
11
I just did a bit of research.

"To ensure uniformity, when conducting car or vocational tests and ADI qualifying examinations, only assess the candidate’s ability to control the vehicle and do not consider it as a fault if, for example, they do not hold the steering wheel at ten to two or quarter to three or if they cross their hands when turning the steering wheel. The assessment should be based on whether the steering is smooth, safe and under control."

Source:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101008101639/http://www.dft.gov.uk/dsa/Documents/practical_test/dt1/dsa_dt1_standard_operating_procedure.pdf
You're fine with crossing your hands, you won't even get a minor.

It's the letting go and let it straighten up itself, that's where you'll get marked down...

Like my car after I've passed doesn't have power steering, so it's not possible for me to let the wheel straighten up, most of the time I can't let the wheel just feed through my hands, I have to physically do it on occasions. But this also means I cross my hands too.


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Original post by WoodyMKC
Mostly correct, but it's not necessarily 3 minors and it's more down to the examiners disgression. You could get 6 minors on steering, but if they were different types of steering faults you could still pass and they might advise you that your steering could do with some work. However, if the examiner notices they're marking you down for doing the same thing and thinks it's a bad habit then 3 could turn into a major, e.g. driving with your hands crossed or letting go of the wheel.


Yeah, I had 4 minors for stalling and I passed.
I never learned how to do the 10/2 steering, as my instructor told me it wasn't important. And sure enough, I passed first time with only one minor for steering-probably as my hands weren't in the perfect position. But I still passed so I think examiners don't find steering technique that important!
Original post by Sayonara
Sometimes I like to let go of both my hands (as in not have physical contact with the steering wheel but my hands ready to hold it again) whilst steering so that I can travel straight again after a bend or whatever.

When steering at speeds less than 30MPH, I cross hands often.

How many minors will I get if I continuously cross hands again and again? Will the same minor stack up or not? I really find it very easy to drive when I am allowed to put my right hand on the left part of the steering wheel and my left hand on the right part of the steering wheel.

I am just wondering if doing all this will still let me pass, as the allowance of crossing hands makes driving very easy; or should I practise steering properly despite the fact that most of today's drivers don't care about avoiding crossing hands.

Thank you.


Crossing hands may seem harmless and even 'easier' in 99% of cases when you don't have an emergency. Until an emergency happens, and you find your arms holding the steering wheel in the wrong order, because it's turned into a subconscious habit. You're already a full-lock (as your arms won't let you turn any more, even if the steering would)... and it's check mate. You then have to let go of the wheel entirely before you can grip it properly, and that is enough time to run over a pedestrian for example.

There's a good reason for why they teach these things. The odds of it happening in any instance are of course pretty low.... but when you consider that you will probably be driving a car for the next 40-50 years of your life at least, the odds of something bad like it happening aren't that low any more, and good driving habits could at the very least make the difference between loosing your license or not, or going to prison or not, etc. (several possible outcomes).
Original post by Sara991993
I never learned how to do the 10/2 steering, as my instructor told me it wasn't important. And sure enough, I passed first time with only one minor for steering-probably as my hands weren't in the perfect position. But I still passed so I think examiners don't find steering technique that important!


I drive an automatic and I drive most of the times with just my left hand either gripping and turning for minor / continuous adjustments, or using the palm of my hand pushing down when doing larger turns. I only use two hands on the wheel when I have to manoeuvre in tight spaces, parking, overtaking at high acceleration.
(edited 5 years ago)
This thread is pretty old, people; I doubt the OP is still looking for advice half a decade later. Feel free to make a new thread discussing the same topic, however!

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