>> “Of course, if you do turn off the ignition, your steering wheel locks in whatever direction it happens to be pointing at that moment.” <<
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You can do better than that.
It takes two clicks and placing the shift in park to lock the steering.
Older cars, like the one I can afford, didn’t have all the interlocks that the cars you rich bastichies think everyone who isn’t scum drive, did indeed lock up the steering wheel when the ignition was turned off.
Several accidents were reported when the gas prices first spiked as drivers tried to save gas by turning off the engine to coast down hill.
There aren’t that many perfectly straight down-hill runs...