Two hands on the wheel — Mississippi Permit Test

Two hands on the wheel on the Mississippi permit test — 3 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Place both hands on the outside of the steering wheel on opposite sides, at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions.

Hands set wide on both sides give the most control when you must swerve or brake hard.

Both hands should be placed on the outside of the steering wheel on opposite sides, at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, to maintain control of the vehicle.

Mississippi Driver's License Manual, p.22

Placing your hands at 2 and 10 o'clock is no longer recommended because it can be dangerous in a vehicle with airbags.

An airbag bursts out of the wheel hub, and hands held high can be thrown back into your face.

Placing your hands at 2 and 10 o’clock positions is no longer recommended because it can be dangerous in a vehicle equipped with airbags.

Mississippi Driver's License Manual, p.22

Grip the wheel firmly but gently with your fingers, not your palms, keep your thumbs up along the face of the wheel, and never turn the wheel while gripping it from the inside.

A hand hooked inside the rim can be caught and twisted when the wheel spins back.

Never turn the wheel while gripping it from the inside of the steering wheel.

Mississippi Driver's License Manual, p.22

On the test

Where should your hands be placed on the steering wheel?

At 3 and 9 o'clock. Hands set wide on both sides give the most control when you must swerve or brake hard. Mississippi Driver's License Manual, p.22: “Both hands should be placed on the outside of the steering wheel on opposite sides, at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, to maintain control of the vehicle.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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All Mississippi permit topics

Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Mississippi Driver's License Manual, published by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.