Steering

Steering accurately starts with the position of the hands on the steering wheel. If you imagine the steering wheel to be the face of a clock, put your left hand on the 10 and your right hand on the 2. Positioning at 9 and 3 or 8 and 4 is acceptable, but 10 and 2 is usually more effective.

Turning Left

Just before you reach the point where you need to start turning a corner, move your left hand to the top of the wheel. When at the point of turn, move your left hand down steadily letting the wheel slide through your right hand so that the right hand doesn’t move. There will usually be a pause in hand movement when you have applied enough turn and are waiting for the car to get around the corner. Use this pause to place your right hand at the top of the steering wheel ready for when you need to turn the wheels back to the straight position. 

Turning Right

At first this will feel very strange, especially if you are only used to turning left up to now. Your hands are doing essentially the same thing as turning left but have swapped jobs, with your right hand getting you round the corner and your left hand straightening the car. As with turning left, put your right hand at the top of the wheel just before the point of turn and pull down steadily letting the wheel slide through your left hand. Use the pause in wheel movement to put your left hand to the top of the wheel ready to get the wheel straight again. 

Common Faults

If you don’t cross your hands over at some point during practice, you will do something no other learner has ever done before! It may help to think of the steering wheel as two different areas, with each area being out of bounds to the wrong hand. Repetitive practice is the only way to get used to the correct steering method so drive yourself dizzy by going round in circles. 

Each movement of the steering wheel should be steady. Move the wheel quickly or with a sudden jerk and the car will move very suddenly in that direction. 

Steering is the only driving topic that can be practiced without being in the car. You can use a circular tray or a plate (go on, shock mum and dad by offering to wash up!) when you are at home to get used the movement your hands need to make.