Dipped Headlights.

Pointless distraction.

When it's raining heavily I'd say about 90% of drivers have their lights on.

So how do we persuade the rest to switch their lights on?

in under a second with one hand. Try doing that with both hands.

Right, so at slow speeds a different technique may be useful but for general driving I find push pull steering to give adequate steering response. I feel more in control, less hurried, hands nearer to controls more of the time and arms not crossed.

To say push pull is 'pointless and slower' is to confirm your inexperience of the technique and a lack of understanding why it can be a good steering method.

in under a second with one hand. Try doing that with both hands.

Nobody should be criticised for preferring to use pull-push (as it should more correctly be known) whenever it suits them, and some advanced drivers do use it nearly all the time, but equally good results can be obtained by various other methods - if you're a reasonably versatile and skilled driver.

Best wishes all, Dave.

revolution in under a second with one hand. Try doing that with both hands.

Well I'm only using one hand, so the other is free for the gears, indicators, lights, mobile phone, sandwiches, etc. It's half as much to think about when I need to turn. And in the event of the wheel needing to be turned sharply, I don't end up having to slide hands or cross arms.

Everyone knows that the only true way to perform wheel-twirling maneuvers at low speed is to place the palm of your right hand on the rim....

Correct. Why do you think some buses have a handle?

Or have one of those handles bolted onto the steering wheel.

having to slide hands or cross arms

So, when you are in mid rotation, and your arm (either) is on the opposite side of the wheel, how does the spare arm operate the opposite control quickly? Maybe the spare arm takes the wheel, and the steering arm has to move to the other side of the wheel? Maybe you don't get to the control quickly?

Using pull-push steering, each hand remains on its own side of the wheel, so controls can be operated by fingertips of the correct hand quickly.

But when the push-pull steering technique was developed very few controls were on the steering column. So what was the purpose of it then?

Try driving down a rough road quickly holding on one handed & then with both hands, the maximum deflection of the steering wheel one handed (& the general seasickness of ones passengers) is larger. The less power steering it's got the worse it is, hit a pothole in an old sprinter one handed & spraining your wrist was an option.

I've seen those but never felt attracted to the idea of having the steering wheel cluttered up with such a thing, which offers me no particular benefit anyhow.

Best wishes all, Dave.

I think it dates back to an era when most cars had no power steering, and therefore much greater physical effort was required to steer the car. Now that virtually all cars can be steered very easily, a wider range of steering wheel handling techniques have become usable, but the advanced driving fraternity has proved very reluctant to change its attitude.

Pull-push still has a part to play for many people, but I don't think it merits top billing all the time. Those who prefer to use it most of the time are perfectly entitled to make that choice, and they shouldn't be criticised for it. On the other hand a great many drivers make little or no use of it, and I don't see that they are at a disadvantage on account of that.

Do what you're comfortable with, so long as it works reliably for you and gives a decent result, and don't worry too much about what the experts say all the time. By all means listen, try to understand what they're advocating, think about it and see to what extent it helps you, and then make your own choice. Responsibility remains with the individual.

Best wishes all, Dave.

So, there is more than one reason why it is a good technique.

Indeed, but why was it made so prescriptive in UK driver training? When one looks at other administrations one at least (Alberta, Canada) prohibits the technique whilst others appear to make no comment.

I thought they were only on buses. I wouldn't get one either, I think it would get in the way of my arm while steering normally.

having to slide hands or cross arms

What controls do you need that urgently?

And I don't like operating a control with a hand I'm using for steering anyway - your hand's never in exactly the right place (unless your push pulling is only a few inches per cycle?)

Yes, if I'm offroading, I'll use both hands to steady it on bumpy sections. But not driving on tarmac.

Just as long as you don't dazzle me with your dipped beams!