Steering — Utah Permit Test

A driver should keep both hands on the outside of the steering wheel at all times unless using other controls.

Two hands outside the rim means the wheel can be turned fully and fast without your arms crossing or catching.

Keep both hands on the outside of the steering wheel at all times unless using other controls.

A driver should always turn the steering wheel in the direction they want to go, whether moving forward or in reverse.

It sounds obvious until you are reversing, where half of drivers start steering by the mirror instead.

Always turn the steering wheel in the direction you want to go. This works whether you are going forward or in reverse.

A driver should grip the wheel with their fingers rather than their palms, keep their thumbs up along its face, and never hold the inside of the wheel.

A front wheel hitting a pothole spins the rim hard. Thumbs hooked inside it get broken.

Use your fingers, not the palms of your hands. Keep your thumbs up along the face of the steering wheel. Never hold the inside of the wheel.

Hand-over-hand steering is used when steering is critical, such as parking, sharp right turns, or correcting a skid.

It turns the wheel further in one movement, which is what a tight turn or a sliding back end needs.

Use hand-over-hand steering when steering is critical, such as when parking, performing sharp right turns, or correcting a skid.

Pull-push steering is used when turning, pulling down with one hand and pushing up with the other, which reduces the chance of over-steering.

Over-steering is how a routine turn becomes a spin. Pulling and pushing keeps the wheel where you meant it.

Pull down with one hand and push up with the other. This results in smooth steering and reduces the potential for over-steering, which can lead to loss of control.

Where does the Utah handbook say a driver’s hands belong?

On the outside of the wheel. Two hands outside the rim means the wheel can be turned fully and fast without your arms crossing or catching. Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.35: “Keep both hands on the outside of the steering wheel at all times unless using other controls.”