this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL people generally can't pantomime turning the steering wheel for a lane change (psychsciencenotes.blogspot.com)
submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Although almost everyone does it all the time, when trying to pantomime it without visual feedback, we essentially always forget to turn back to straight and just something like a 45° turn.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The wheel turns back to straight on it's own with application of acceleration. You don't turn it back, you let it slide through your hands under light control as the front wheels smoothly reach forward alignment... Whoever did this research doesn't drive.

[–] subnuggurat 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I don't think they're talking about turning the wheel back to straight but rather straightening the car relative to the road. If you turn away from your imaginary lane and just let the wheel go back to straight, you're essentially driving off the road at an angle. To stay on the road you need to turn again in the opposite direction first and then let the wheel go back to straight. The article says we usually forget to readjust when miming the action.

[–] Delphia 1 points 2 years ago

They might drive but they certainly dont think about driving.