Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
How many of you guys regularly drive a stick? And how many have a wife that drives one? This is a non issue for most drivers.
Wasn't sure how to ask this question. I *used* to drive stick all the time, wife still does. I'm very comfortable using my left hand to do all the steering. Heck, it's not that hard--I mean, I haven't had a car without power steering for a couple decades.
And even then... I only needed two hands to steer when parking.
Most cars, a quarter turn on the wheel is going to be a hard swerve at speed. Two hands may be best but IMO that is like saying you should only drive after a full nights rest, and never spend more than 30 minutes behind the wheel 'cuz you might be tired, etc.
I understand the point you are making. It’s the what if situation that pops up when you least expect it. My fathers teaching and drivers ed both emphasized safety in the what if something happens. In my 45 plus years of driving, I have experienced a number of these emergency situations. A child runs out in front of you, in my case the kid was on a bicycle. Avoid a head-on crash at all costs. In my two cases I was fortunate to have room to the right, and in one case of avoiding hitting a person who skipped on ice in front of me and fell, the swerve to the left avoided hitting him.
All these times I had both hands on the wheel. I hate to think what the outcome would have been otherwise.