Why shouldn't you put your right hand on the gear lever?

Did you know that you should never drive with your right hand on the gear lever?

One of the worst habits to get into when driving a manual transmission vehicle is putting your right hand on the shift lever.

You're probably wondering "why?" because, when it comes to driving, one of the golden rules is that once you shift into gear with your right hand, it must return to the steering wheel.

This is a very common and normalized action when driving. However, this bad habit has two consequences which directly affect the driver and the vehicle.

1: How does this affect my driving?
The first consequence is related to safety, because not having both hands on the steering wheel reduces the ability to react to emergency situations. This can lead to accidents.

2: Vehicle damage
The second consequence is that by keeping our right hand on the gear lever, pressure is exerted on the gear lever and, however slight it may be, it mechanically affects the transmission system.

This triggers premature wear of gears and bearings, which delays a trip to the repair shop.

Consider the following points
Whether you drive a manual vehicle or own a fleet of manual vehicles, it is important to always keep both hands on the wheel.

If you need to move them to lower the window, turn up the stereo, or shift gears, return them to their original position immediately.