How do you position your hands when you drive?

Edward J. Melgar • January 12, 2021

Some tips of hand positioning, controlling the vehicle, and techniques on turning.

Steering

Recommendations for steering control and hand positions differ from vehicle to vehicle based on the size, age, speed, and responsiveness of the vehicle. While there is no one correct hand position or way to steer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has provided some basic guidelines.

For more information visit https://www.nhtsa.gov

Hand Position

If you think of the steering wheel as the face of a clock, place your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock, or slightly lower at 8 and 4 o'clock. To reduce face, arm, and hand injuries in the case of a deployed air bag, you should grip the outside of the steering wheel, with your knuckles on the outside of the wheel, and your thumbs stretched along the rim.

Controlling the vehicle

There is no one correct way to steer a vehicle safely, but here are a few steering methods recommended by NHTSA:

Hand-to- Hand Steering: This steering method may also be called "push/pull" steering. Using this steering method, your hands do not cross over the face of the steering wheel; and therefore, there is less chance of injury to your face, arms, or hands in the event of an air bag deploying. When using this method, start with your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock, or slightly lower at 8 and 4 o'clock. Depending on the direction you are turning, one hand will push the wheel up, and the opposite hand pulls down.

One Hand Steering: NHTSA recommends using one-hand steering only when turning while backing, or operating vehicle controls that require removing a hand from the steering wheel. The only time that a 12 o'clock hand position is recommended is when backing a vehicle while turning, as the driver must turn in their seat to see the path of the vehicle. The placement of hands on the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock, or slightly lower at 8 and 4 o'clock, is critical to vehicle balance.

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REGISTRATION FOR A VEHICLE PURCHASED FROM A PRIVATE PARTY

By DMV • February 3, 2021

If you purchase a vehicle from another person instead of a dealer, it is known as a private party purchase. Buyers have 10 days after purchasing the vehicle to transfer ownership from the seller to themselves, and sellers have 5 days after the sale to report the transfer of ownership to the DMV. To take over ownership of a vehicle, you will need: The vehicle’s title (sometimes referred to as a pink slip), signed by the person selling the car. (Their signature is required on Line 1 of the title.) If the vehicle’s title has been lost, stolen, or damaged, complete an Application for Duplicate or Transfer of Title (REG 227) form. If the seller is not the owner whose name is on the title, you will need a Bill of Sale signed by both the seller and the person whose name appears on the title. A record of the odometer mileage (if the vehicle is less than 10 years old). If the title does not have a line where you can write the mileage information, complete a Vehicle/ Vessel Transfer and Reassignment (REG 262) form. Make sure both the buyer and seller sign the form. A smog certification. Applicable Fees and a use tax. You can transfer ownership of the vehicle by mailing your completed form to DMV or visiting a DMV filed office in person. Please visit DMV for more information: dmv.ca.gov Link Below: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/new-registration/registering-a-vehicle-purchased-from-a-private-party/

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Toyota, Fiat Chrysler drop support for Trump effort to bar California emissions rules

By By David Shepardson • February 2, 2021

Toyota, Fiat Chrysler drop support for Trump effort to bar California emissions rules By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp, Fiat Chrysler and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump’s effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Mazda Motor and Subaru Corp, said in a joint statement they were withdrawing from an ongoing legal challenge to California’s emission-setting powers, “in a gesture of good faith and to find a constructive path forward” with President Joe Biden. The automakers, along with the National Automobile Dealers Association, said they were aligned “with the Biden administration’s goals to achieve year-over-year improvements in fuel economy standards.” Nissan Motor Co in December withdrew from the challenge after GM’s decision in November shocked the industry and won praise from Biden. On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia to put the California emissions litigation on hold to “ensure due respect for the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior administration.” Biden has directed agencies to quickly reconsider Trump’s 2019 decision to revoke California’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles as well as Trump’s national fuel economy rollback. Separately, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, another auto industry trade group, on Tuesday proposed to start talks with Biden on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The group represents all of automakers that were involved in the legal challenge. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded. The auto group, representing GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda Motor Co and others, said a new nationwide emissions framework deal “should achieve improvements in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions roughly midway between current standards and those of the former Obama administration.” Ford Motor Co, Honda, VW and BMW in July 2019 struck a voluntary agreement with California on reducing vehicle emissions that was less stringent than rules previously adopted under Obama but higher than Trump’s rollback.