I'm not quite sure that I buy this--I'd like to see some crash test footage or research data--but the American Automobile Association is claiming that the 10-and-2 steering wheel position ought be discarded. Modern technology, they claim, has made this ergonomic staple unnecessary due to power steering, and unsafe due to airbags.
The reason I say I'm not buying it: Given that airbags deploy from the center of the steering wheel, and your hands are on the periphery even at 10-and-2, wouldn't your arms still be blown outwards? How does a hand on the rim of the steering wheel make its way into the trajectory of the airbag?
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It also increases your control of the wheel by producing a hand grip that is wider and more stable, and also allows to turn the wheel further to each side with both hands, allowing you to turn it about 260 degrees in each direction swiftly and accurately while always acknowleding where dead center is, and being able to steer further by crossing one hand over.
It is also more safe, due to the reason mentioned by AAA. The airbag opens at a speed of about 324.6 km/h, and the force is intensified by the velocity of the crash, the weight of the arms and by the volume of the airbag (it ranges between cars). In a high hand position, the hands are disludged by the airbag into the face or glass window.
Holding the wheel at 9-3 will not interfere with the arms or at least push them to your thighs, as the initial inflation of the airbag is in a triangular pattern. At worst they will be pushed sideways. The hands should also be in the proper height (this also depends on the seat adjustment) so that they won't be wedged between your ribs and door in a side-swipe or that they won't be drawn foward to the dash in a collision.
One last reason is that at a quarter to-three the hands will be directly in front of the window wipers and in nearer reach of all the controls of the car. There are also other reasons in favor of this grip.
Holding the wheel just slightly higher or lower is acceptable if the driver's height or shoulder width is unusually small, or if the rim is very oddly shaped or positioned.
This is exactly why 10 to-2 was adopted in the first place, since in very old cars the rims was very wide, so holding the wheel in quarter to three would place the hands too far apart. These cars also had poor seats and no airbags and the anchiliary controls were angled up to support this hand position, too.
I've always done 8 & 4, even on the track.
It's more comfortable and if the air bag deploys my arms just go on my lap, not towards a window and a passenger.
WHEN YOU'RE IN A PROPER SAFETY SEAT, AIRBAGS ARE JUST DANGEROUS AND STUPID. Every car with airbags comes with stickers that agree to this. Step 1: Get your baby into an approved seat. Step 2: Move them as far as possible from any airbags.
No professional racing driver uses airbags. What do real race drivers use? BABY SEATS!!!
Improper seating led to poor restraint, which led to airbags - which now seems to be leading toward improper steering techniques. As a design blog, it might be interesting to explore how 1 "bad" design choice can lead to a host of new bad problems with bad solutions.
No self-respecting designer will follow the status quo down such a terribly illogical design path. As a father, getting myself back into a baby-seat (racing seat) showed my kid that a proper harness isn't something to be ashamed of. She no longer struggles with the foolish societal idea that "real safety is for babies".
I remember reading the paper that this likely stems from LAST YEAR, and it's not so much unsafe as unnecessary. You're going to get banged up by the airbag wherever your hands are on the wheel, but they don't need to be at 10 and 2 anymore, I think the suggestion was 4 and 8, to reduce fatigue.
Everyone is so sensationalist...
I still do that, even day to day driving. Just feels solid while still being comfortable. I admit though that I tend to wrap my thumbs around the wheel these days, which in a wreck would most likely mean broken thumb(s).
I've managed not to hit anything, so I am not sure about how the airbag would go with that. Didn't have one in the GT car, so I never really thought about it. But I would think it could be a danger to sending your arm in to or out of the side window where it could be in peril, especially in a rollover. Lower seems better for this, and I suppose if you're at 9-3 you'd most likely just be smacking the door card.
I prefer having my hands in total control of the car and not crash, than crash because I was not able to avoid the accident and have my hands safe.
Useless research...
I try to drive with my hands at 9-and-3, but when you drive a car with manual transmission you go for the 10-and-2, at least I do, unconsciously.
He was speaking from experience of being a crash investigator for 15 years. He said when you're at 10 and 2 or higher, you have a tendency to slip off the wheel, fold your arms in, and sometimes end up punching yourself in the face during an accident.
Your fist/wrist/forearm is a dangerous thing when its rocketing at your face at 100mph.
He also made the association that 10 and 2 is outdated for power steering as well, but he said that placing your hands at the very bottom of the steering wheel limits your control.