For decades, drivers were taught to hold the wheel at “10 and 2.” Today, that classic grip guarantees a 200-mph airbag will punch your own hands directly into your face.
This position was originally taught to give drivers maximum leverage over heavy, non-power steering systems. In a modern car, it places your arms precisely over the steering column’s airbag module.
When the airbag deploys with explosive force, the impact frequently fractures wrists, breaks facial bones, and causes severe chemical burns to the hands. Safety agencies now recommend holding the wheel at “9 and 3” or “8 and 4” to keep your arms entirely clear of the deployment zone.
Another major hazard is the “Wave of Death”—the act of stopping in flowing traffic to politely wave a waiting driver out of a parking lot or side street. While yielding feels courteous, it creates an unpredictable obstacle. You might halt your own lane, but you cannot control the vehicles in the adjacent lanes. The turning driver often proceeds blindly, trusting your wave, and gets T-boned by a car traveling at full speed. In traffic, predictability is far safer than politeness; taking your legal right of way prevents intersection collisions.
Finally, many drivers believe cruise control is a safe way to maintain a steady speed in heavy rain. It is actually a prime catalyst for hydroplaning. If your vehicle hits a patch of standing water and the tires lose contact with the asphalt, the wheels spin freely.
While modern systems typically disengage when they detect wheel slip, older cruise control systems detect the sudden speed mismatch and can aggressively apply the throttle just as the tires regain traction, causing the car to snap violently out of control.
Modern driver safety protocols dictate disabling cruise control the moment the roads become wet.