remove your hands from the steering wheel ?

[anyweb]

hi all,

I saw a good show on tv tonight about a guy (Rusty Haight) that does crash testing (as the human crash test dummy) for a living, in every crash he was in, he REMOVED HIS HANDS from the steering wheel JUST prior to impact.

this i can understand (after seeing it) as this avoids him breaking his wrist/fingers/thumbs from the airbag deployment..


so... is there any more information about this that anyone is aware of ?

should you lift your hands off the steering wheel just as you are about to go SMASH

i'm looking forward to the answers to this one

cheers
anyweb

 

[television]

This is an easy one to solve, when I come over again shortly, i will do the filming while you do the crashing, hows that, we can crack this one together.

Malcolm

 

[anyweb]

cool ! you are coming !

let me know in advance and all that

cheers
anyweb

ps. we'll use your car during the test just to make sure the new mercedes really are all 'that'.

 

[turnipsock]

The police always look for burn marks on the arms if they suspect that the 'driver' was not the driver. That is, somebody more sober claims to have been driving the car.

Surely taking your hands of the wheel is likley to cause a crash rather than avoid personal injury. I have this problem most mornings, do I take my hand of the wheel to indicate or dip my lights, or do I risk dropping my mug of tea?

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

had a REALLY big crash few years back (rolled a car at about 90mph). I got out without a single bruise and they said at the hospital it was because I was holding the steering wheel so my arms didn't flap about all over the place. Unfortunately my wife, who was in the passenger seat, was not holding on to anything so had rather a lot of stiches in one of her arms because it was free to whip about every time we rolled over.

I would say from experience holding the steering wheel is a good idea. I would also say that not having a crash is a better idea. Still, if you drive lots it'll probably happen eventually. As for those that ask why I was doing 90, it was a 70mph road and I was overtaking. To quote the policeman on the scene, "you thought it was safe to overtake and it wasn't. It happens. Don't cut yourself up about it". Sadly the CPS took a slightly different view but as it was only a very small fine and some points for driving without due care (rather than dangerous or reckless) I guess they considered it to be accidental too, to a degree.

In short, try not to crash. However if you ever feel the need to do so, then stay holding on to the wheel. However, you'll be surprised how little concious decision making happens when you are tooling down the road at 90mph upside down. I really dont recommend it.

 

[Ultymate]

The big problem when involved in an accident is to overcome your natural instincts so to actually say you're going to let go the wheel may be more difficult than you think probably easier for a professional stunt driver. I once put my hand out of an open window,in a slow rolling rally car, to try and prevent the roll not suprisingly I did'nt succeed I did however nearly lose a couple of fingers.:???: Never rallied with an open window again

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

The big problem when involved in an accident is to overcome your natural instincts so to actually say you're going to let go the wheel may be more difficult than you think probably easier for a professional stunt driver. I once put my hand out of an open window,in a slow rolling rally car, to try and prevent the roll not suprisingly I did'nt succeed I did however nearly lose a couple of fingers.:???: Never rallied with an open window again

exactly. Its not until you're actually invovled in such a thing that you realise that your brain doesn't really get much of a look-in. Mind you, when we were rolling over and over, and the roof was getting lower each time everything certainly does go into slow motion. I still have vivid and very unpleasent memories of the whole experience.

 

[television]

still have vivid and very unpleasent memories of the whole experience.

These memories never go away, I can recall things from the 50's and 60's where say the the rear of my Humber super snipe started to overtake the front,or when a lampost jumped out and hit me. They are as clear now as the day when it happened.

Malcolm

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

The most unpleasent bit was that we ended up upside down and I had to crawl out through the rear drivers side window to get out, I then put my hand back in to help my wife out (she was still strapped in and upside down) and she put her hand out and it looked like a scene from carrie. She's cut her head (not actually very bady it transpired - but heads bleed a lot) and because she was upside down the blood was running down her arm. In fairness, a couple of bits of her arm had a rather unpleasent resembalence to raw bacon too. Not nice.

In the end she had 12 stiches in her leg, 14 in her arm and they super-glued her head back together. Could have been much worse considering. It really makes you feel how much responsibility you have to other people in the car after something like that. I actually felt guilty about the fact that I didn't have a single bruise.

 

[television]

The most unpleasent bit was that we ended up upside down and I had to crawl out through the rear drivers side window to get out, I then put my hand back in to help my wife out (she was still strapped in and upside down) and she put her hand out and it looked like a scene from carrie. She's cut her head (not actually very bady it transpired - but heads bleed a lot) and because she was upside down the blood was running down her arm. In fairness, a couple of bits of her arm had a rather unpleasent resembalence to raw bacon too. Not nice.

In the end she had 12 stiches in her leg, 14 in her arm and they super-glued her head back together. Could have been much worse considering. It really makes you feel how much responsibility you have to other people in the car after something like that. I actually felt guilty about the fact that I didn't have a single bruise.

When I read your post, it does remind me of the axtra care that is needed when you have passengers, but even as I write this it sounds silly, as even if you are on your own, accidents often involve more than one car.
Age does bring bring wisdon and hindsight, thats better than nothing.

Malcolm

 

[jberks]

exactly. Its not until you're actually invovled in such a thing that you realise that your brain doesn't really get much of a look-in. Mind you, when we were rolling over and over, and the roof was getting lower each time everything certainly does go into slow motion. I still have vivid and very unpleasent memories of the whole experience.

Whilst happily I haven't been in such a situation and didn't try to do anything in the couple of accidents I did have, I once had my C class going down the road sideways after coming off a roundabout and kicking down. After a bit of wheel twirling that only seemed to be making things worse, I realised that the best option was to straighten the wheels and let it drop back into line naturally. The problem was that at this point, it dawned that I had no real feel for where the wheels were pointing any more as I had been steering my instinct. It took an almost painful amount of concious thought to override by instincts, force myself to stop staring out of the windscreen, look down at the wheel and just straighten it. Worked though.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Watch the famous crash with Colin McRae and Nicky Grist at about a million miles per hour. Colin McRae folds his arms over his chest and just sits it out. Nicky Grist's arms flail everywhere.

Mind you they're in harnesses, not seatbelts

 

[Ultymate]

Colin has had plenty of practice too

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

I expect his reaction are a little quicker than your average joe, certainly quicker than mine.:sad:

 

[The Hooded Claw]

I don't think you CAN let go of the wheel in a crash!!!!!!!!!!! ....it's like trying to sneeze with yer eyes open ......it just aint gonna happen ........yer natural instinct is to "Brace" yerself against the wheel ........the crash test guy KNOWS he gonna hit something YOU DON'T ............Can you imagine your drivin along & a dog runs out in front of the preceeding car .........you aint gonna have time to think " Oh must let go of wheel I'm about to have an accident"

(I just read that^^^^^ back to myself .........ROPMSL Here!!!!)

 

[Silver Arrow]

Just picked this up again when searching for something else! (application deficiency)
I remember having a safari lwb landrover which had a tendency to kick back on the steering wheel on rough ground. I soon learned not to have my thumbs next to the spokes inside the wheel. I still drive with my thumbs aligned along the rim of the wheel!

 

[Eric Tilley]

Kubica could be the right guy to ask. He did his leg in but I thought he had bought it.