Don’t ‘Roti Canai’ The Steering Wheel While Driving, Says Firefighter
The proper hand placement on a steering wheel is 9 and 3 or 10 and 2.
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So you have a driver’s licence? You know how to drive and you’re still in one piece. But are you sure you know the correct way of handling the steering wheel?
“The reason why we cannot rotate the steering like flipping a ‘roti canai’ is because of the airbag,” a firefighter explained in a video that is making its rounds on social media.
The hand position of holding the steering wheel properly is known as 9 and 3 or 10 and 2, where both hands are placed on the opposite sides of the wheel halfway up.
When turning the steering wheel, many people tend to cross their arms which can be dangerous. The right method that is usually suggested is using the push/pull method.
These days, most of the cars on the road come with the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) or Air Bags.
When a moderate or severe frontal impact is detected, the airbags are deployed for the driver’s seat and passenger’s to lessen injuries to the head and chest.
According to the firefighter, since the airbag deploys even for moderate impact, if the hands are not placed in the right position, it could cause the hands to fracture, or worse.
He also said that many people are accustomed to placing their fingers on the steering wheel while driving.
This can also be dangerous as there is the possibility of your fingers breaking if the airbag is deployed.
People’s reaction
Many people agreed with the firefighter’s reminder and some of them even said their driving instructors taught them the same thing.
Another netizen asked if Malaysian cars are equipped with airbags as there were many videos of Malaysian cars involved in accidents and there were no signs of the airbag being deployed.
The user who posted the video replied to the question stating that a car company can be fined if there is no airbag since it comes under safety.
Another netizen was of the opinion that the airbag in the steering wheel should be removed since it can cause many injuries.
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