ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 5, 1996 TAG: 9601050069
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA.
SOURCE: NANCY NUSSBAUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
AIR BAGS CHANGE THE RULES you probably learned in driver's ed. If you hold the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock, and your air bag deploys, it could blow your hands off the wheel.
Susan Holbert was driving to the post office on her lunch hour when she hit another car and her air bag inflated, blowing her hands off the steering wheel.
One arm struck her face, and both arms were bruised and burned by friction from the bag.
``My arms were in a bandage for over a week. It looked awful. It looked like I had gangrene. It was painful,'' the Charleston woman said. ``I still have scars from where I was burned from the air bag.''
Holbert had been holding the steering wheel in the standard 10-and-2 o'clock position taught in driver training school for generations.
With air bags now standard equipment, the American Automobile Association this week recommended that drivers hold their hands at 9 and 3 o'clock - or even lower - so they can keep their grip when the bag inflates.
``You can keep your hands on the wheel and potentially steer around some obstacle in front of you, potentially avoiding a subsequent crash,'' said Barbara Crystal, a spokeswoman at AAA headquarters in Heathrow, Fla.
Drivers can also avoid cuts from jewelry on their hands or arms if their arms are positioned lower, she said. They also should sit farther back to avoid chest injuries from the air bag, the AAA said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not recommend any particular hand position, said spokesman Tim Hurd in Washington. But he said 9-and-3 may be more tiring for drivers.
``The argument for having your hands at a 10-and-2 position is that it gives good control of the wheel. It's a natural way to put your hands,'' Hurd said. ``The balance is between driving every day and the remote chance the air bag will deploy.''
Chuck Seawood, a driver education teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kan., said a 9-and-3 grip might be too difficult in some cars because the crossbar - which holds the air bag - is too wide.
Seawood, who has taught driving for 31 years, said the 9-and-3 position is good for turning the wheel quickly. He teaches both positions to students, explaining the pros and cons.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB