Older drivers class sharpens skills in name of safety Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Where do you place your hands on the steering wheel?" Safety adviser J.J. Miller asked the 13 people attending a recent AAA Mature Drivers Program in Bethel Park.
A few put their hands at the 9 and 3 positions of a clock. A few more put them at 8 and 4. One man, looking a bit embarrassed, acknowledged driving with one hand at about the 7.
"People used to be taught to put their hands at the 10 and the 2," Ms. Miller said. "Then it became the 9 and 3. Now it's the 8 and 4."
The reasons are two-fold: The shoulders relax and the elbows rest comfortably on the rib cage for more comfortable ease and control of steering. The position also places you 10 inches from the steering wheel, so the air bag can deploy and do its job if needed.
Even though senior drivers have years and years of experience behind the wheel, the Mature Drivers Program aims to keep them driving safely through their later years.
"As a person ages, there are new obstacles you have to counteract: vision deteriorates, reaction time slows, and it takes more effort to do things they normally did," Ms. Miller said.
