Q : Where on the steering wheel should your hands be when you’re driving?

A : Not at “4 o’clock and 8 o’clock.” The rationale behind “4-and-8” that many driver's-education classes advocate is that it keeps a driver’s hands out of the way of the steering column’s airbag, preventing injuries to hands and arms, and to the face. “That’s stupid,” says Smith. With hands low and elbows on their thighs, he says, drivers have little ability to control the car. Solution: Better to raise your chances of avoiding an incident altogether by having your hands in the tried-and-true “10-and-2” positioning, says Smith. Or, experts suggest dropping the hands slightly, to a “9-and-3” position, to keep them out of an airbag’s path. You’re also probably turning wrong. In this age of airbag-equipped cars, experts no longer recommend the hand-over-hand method of turning the steering wheel. Instead, use the “shuffle” method, which feeds the wheel through your hands and keeps them from crossing in front of the airbag.