What’s All This Driving One-Handed Stuff, Anyhow?

Hi Bob, Two hands are required on the ground here to avoid contact with the people with one hand on their cell phones. In the air it is a little less crowded.

Hi Bob,
It is also interesting that driving laws are (were?) different in Britain than here. Here we end up with picky wordings about what behaviours are specifically outlawed. Like holding a phone to your ear while driving. In Britain there were two things forbidden... "negligent driving" and "driving without due care and attention". The former is worse than the latter. Of course it requires intelligent and respectful policing - something we dare not count on here.

As a pilot I never have two hands on the wheel (or stick). The other hand is for the airbrake (in sailplane) or throttle (in powered airplane). I once tried flying a helicopter. Both hands are fully occupied on two sticks doing two things each. As one student said "nothing left to scratch your nose".

Well, one reason to generally drive two-handed is to survive sudden, unpredictable situations. It enhances responses to a blowout, for instance, or other steering malfunctions. Or the idiot who suddenly invades your space.....
My wife would be pleased to see this comment; she's the person who induced me to give up my onehandedness.

Bob, As several correspondents above have pointed out, the prohibition against shifting while in a turn relates to racing. Assuming that in a turn, the tires are using all of their traction capabilities to provide lateral acceleration, the forward weight transfer caused by lifting the throttle to shift will cause the rear wheels to loose traction and the car will spin out. I remember several years ago watching a NASCAR race from Riverside on the TV. At one point the view was from a camera located over the driver’s shoulder (the driver will remain anonymous) looking out the windshield. I saw the driver reach for the gear shift and I remember thinking, “he’s not going to do that”. He did. He spun out. Maybe the good ol’ boys down at NASCAR should be sent to the Advanced Motoring Course.

Hi Bob,
'Sfar as I know, pilots never fly with two hands on the "wheel" (yoke or stick). But it only moves a few degrees, unlike a steering wheel.

If you want to read an account of one-hand driving, the "most incredible book I ever read" is Congo Kitabu, by Jean-Pierre Hallet, Random House 1965. Jean-Pierre lost his hand and part of his arm to a stick of dynamite while killing fish to save starving people. He then drove 100 miles to the hospital, tourniquet on his arm, over a road that is so bad it is gated closed at night. That's just one incredible story in this autobiographical book (also you get some insight why most of Africa descended into chaos after gaining "freedom" in 1960).

Hi Bob;
It seems that the teachings of the UK institute, being "advanced", are directed towards racing situations, where any sudden disruption to the vehicle dynamics can disturb the roadholding of the vehicle being driven at the limit. But, a really good driver would be anticipating the effects if he were changing gear in a corner and would make compensating corrections automatically. Nonetheless, top race teams have the ability to choose each gear ratio to suit the race track and thus place gear change points in the most advantageous locations on the track (avoiding corners if possible).
Now, as far as keeping both hands on the wheel, it does provide the best steering control under demanding conditions, but sure, for an all-day highway drive? Everyday drivers are told to keep both hands on the wheel "to be ready for any eventuality" (avoiding that imminent collision) but I'm also sure the large percentage of everyday drivers would still be holding onto the wheel pointing straight ahead with both hands, as they meet the guardrail.
It's interesting that the UK group caters to the "highest common denominator" while here it's to the lowest. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy that's lowering the bar.

Years ago I had a colleague in his 60's who had lost his left arm as a young man. He drove an early 90's sporty VW sedan with 5-speed manual transmission - fast. He could hold the wheel with his left knee while depressing the clutch with the left foot and working the accelerator with the right foot and shifting with his hand. A bit nerve-wracking for his passangers at 65 mph on the highway while also eating a roast beef sandwich!

Bob,
You don't shift during hard acceleration in a curve because it could cause the driving wheel(s) to lose traction, which could cause the car to spin out. I understand that it might be difficult to experience this in a stock (?) 69 beetle, which has very little power and generally doesn't do anything resembling acceleration when it is moving (beetles accelerate well from a dead stop, but once moving, most other cars have greater acceleration capability).

Have you done an article on heel-and-toe shifting yet?

Hello Bob,
I think that, as is typical, the answer to one-hand/two-hand question is a bit more complex For example, I remember reading about racing driving, in which the author was veru emphatic that the driver should keep both hands on the wheel except when necessary for shifting or other necessary functions. You'll notice that modern purpose-built cars try to put as much as possible on the steering wheel, including the shifter functions.
On the other hand, while driving on a freeway at a constant speed (not stop-n-go driving) using one hand can help in reducing fatigue. Driving through the mountains where there is a good possibility I'll find deer in the road, I use two hands, in case I need to maneuver quickly, the same as when I'm gong through a crowded neighborhood. I generally drive an automatic, so I don't need to use my hands to shift, though.
I do understand the British institute's idea regarding shifting in a curve - if you are really pushing the limits, the sudden upset of the chassis when you shift can cause some exciting moments if you're not prepared. I try to remember when looking at things such as this that the rule-makers tend to assume that we are all incompetent, and need to have our hands held. Witness the amazingly low 'recommended speed' limits in many mountain roads.

You were supposed to hold a burger in your left hand for the real test of one handed driving. Pilots have a map, car drivers have a burger (still legal). No cellphones legal in either case. But with all the cool electronics chips coming out (and really useful older ones becoming EOL due to ROHS or poor marketing) why are you thinking of this stuff?