[Turbo Pig]

turning the ignition off simply shuts the engine down ... something that is inherently obvious to me.

I can tell you from experience (at least in a 1976 Mustang) that turning the ignition switch off while the car is moving is not the best idea. The steering column will lock if you turn the wheel to steer. Scary as all get out at 60 MPH and made future actions taken on the words of "I wonder what will happen if....?" be thought out a LOT more.

[justlurking]

I can tell you from experience (at least in a 1976 Mustang) that turning the ignition switch off while the car is moving is not the best idea. The steering column will lock if you turn the wheel to steer.

If you turned the key all the way to the point that the steering wheel locks, then you were a candidate for the Darwin awards.

You can shut off the ignition by turning the key to the point before the wheel locks.

[calex59]

Newer cars(and I am including my 1980 triumph, tr7)will NOT lock the steering wheel unless you turn it to the last notch. In fact my "old" 1980 has a safety device where you have to actually push the key in before you can turn it the last notch.

Also, the brakes and steering will be harder to operate but not impossible. All in all though, the best thing to do is to put it in neutral or better yet have a stick shift so you can shove the clutch in periodically and slow the car that way while steering off the road.