Emergency steering with pull push
Discussion
I've been a quarter-to-three rotational steering person since day one of my driving career. However recently I have been practising pull-push to see if it is a better method for road driving.
So far, I like the balanced posture, and less physical exersion required using pull-push, not to mention the airbag issue. However, I wonder how to determine the actual orientation of the wheel during skid situations to prevent over/under-correction. With rotational steering, this hasn't been an issue for me, even under extreme lock-to-lock situations. But with pull-push, I find myself losing the orientation of the wheel very easily, even at low speeds.
I have read in some places, that you should revert to rotational steering in emergencies, but how can you do this? It seems extremely awkward to attempt rotational steering, if both my hands are in the 5 or 6 o'clock area of the steering wheel (often the case during right-hand turns at medium-sized junctions).
So far, I like the balanced posture, and less physical exersion required using pull-push, not to mention the airbag issue. However, I wonder how to determine the actual orientation of the wheel during skid situations to prevent over/under-correction. With rotational steering, this hasn't been an issue for me, even under extreme lock-to-lock situations. But with pull-push, I find myself losing the orientation of the wheel very easily, even at low speeds.
I have read in some places, that you should revert to rotational steering in emergencies, but how can you do this? It seems extremely awkward to attempt rotational steering, if both my hands are in the 5 or 6 o'clock area of the steering wheel (often the case during right-hand turns at medium-sized junctions).
Thanks for the replies, however...
I'm not talking about having to think which steering is best, during an emergency. Quite obviously, the reaction should be reflexive.
The actual question is, how effective is the reflexive action, if you're trained or accustomed to using one of the two techniques (ie. pull-push, or rotational/hand-over-hand)?
(As an aside, I also have difficulty in understanding why some people believe you'll be in trouble with rotational steering when applying more lock? Just put the less dominant hand over the dominant hand and keep steering. This is a very smooth action, not worse than swapping hands at 6 or 12 o'clock in pull-push, if timed right.)
>> Edited by Jungles on Sunday 13th November 22:08
I'm not talking about having to think which steering is best, during an emergency. Quite obviously, the reaction should be reflexive.
The actual question is, how effective is the reflexive action, if you're trained or accustomed to using one of the two techniques (ie. pull-push, or rotational/hand-over-hand)?
(As an aside, I also have difficulty in understanding why some people believe you'll be in trouble with rotational steering when applying more lock? Just put the less dominant hand over the dominant hand and keep steering. This is a very smooth action, not worse than swapping hands at 6 or 12 o'clock in pull-push, if timed right.)
>> Edited by Jungles on Sunday 13th November 22:08
Placing the thumbs on the spokes of the steering wheel is almost exclusively reserved for tarmac circuit racing. I've rarely seen it used in other situations. Some gravel rally drivers seem to use it, but most seem to place the thumbs along the rim.
Even in circuit racing, I don't think too many drivers put a lot of pressure on the spokes with their thumbs. I certainly didn't when racing karts. The thumbs would only rest lightly on the spokes for extra steering feedback and comfort.
For normal road driving, I still have a mild habit of resting my thumbs on the spokes. But if the wheel is turned more than 60-90 degrees, they subconsciously swivel to the outside of the rim (so they end up their adjacent index fingers). In the only frontal collision I experienced, I had centred the wheel and released my grip at the last split-second.
Strange things you do without thinking, when the proverbial pooh hits the fan.
>> Edited by Jungles on Monday 14th November 12:16
Even in circuit racing, I don't think too many drivers put a lot of pressure on the spokes with their thumbs. I certainly didn't when racing karts. The thumbs would only rest lightly on the spokes for extra steering feedback and comfort.
For normal road driving, I still have a mild habit of resting my thumbs on the spokes. But if the wheel is turned more than 60-90 degrees, they subconsciously swivel to the outside of the rim (so they end up their adjacent index fingers). In the only frontal collision I experienced, I had centred the wheel and released my grip at the last split-second.
Strange things you do without thinking, when the proverbial pooh hits the fan.
>> Edited by Jungles on Monday 14th November 12:16
Flat in Fifth said:I've used the technique on wet tarmac, and it works.
Not sure if there is enough grip on really slippery surfaces though.
But under race conditions, unless you've already spun, I would still feel more secure with my hands keeping in touch with the wheel, instead of letting it go completely. For "snap" slides, a quick counter-steer with both hands on the wheel would probably be safer and faster, IMHO, than letting go of the wheel. For large skids verging on being unrecoverable, letting the wheels self-align would probably a reasonable option, as long as you are able to keep track of the direction of the steering.
Today, I was interested to read this:
www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_508279.pdf
On page 51, there is a laboratory study of the effectiveness of push-pull and cross-hands steering methods. The samples used are very small, only three groups of 8 male drivers, divided into full licence holders, learners, and non-drivers. However, it is interesting to see that learners and full licence holders exhibit slightly more accurate steering control when using crossed-hands, while non-drivers seem to be equally proficient at both.
No doubt that because the study is British, the learners and full licence holders would have been trained under the DSA-approved pull-push technique. Yet it seems to be the licence holders and learners -- those who are actually trained in pull-push, who perform better using crossed-hands.
The study itself isn't statistically significant, but it definitely hints at greater effectiveness of cross-hands -- especially for learners -- and provide food for thought for a more extensive and realistic study of steering techniques.
www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_508279.pdf
On page 51, there is a laboratory study of the effectiveness of push-pull and cross-hands steering methods. The samples used are very small, only three groups of 8 male drivers, divided into full licence holders, learners, and non-drivers. However, it is interesting to see that learners and full licence holders exhibit slightly more accurate steering control when using crossed-hands, while non-drivers seem to be equally proficient at both.
No doubt that because the study is British, the learners and full licence holders would have been trained under the DSA-approved pull-push technique. Yet it seems to be the licence holders and learners -- those who are actually trained in pull-push, who perform better using crossed-hands.
The study itself isn't statistically significant, but it definitely hints at greater effectiveness of cross-hands -- especially for learners -- and provide food for thought for a more extensive and realistic study of steering techniques.
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