Get a grip: Driver using vise grips as steering wheel crashes into wall

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma driver had a unique -- and unsafe -- solution for getting around town last week.

Police recently called to the scene of an accident in Oklahoma City discovered that one driver had no steering wheel but was using a pair of vise grips attached to the steering column to guide the vehicle.

“There are all kinds of cars and trucks on the road today—different makes, models, and styles. But no matter how unique, every vehicle needs the same basic parts: a body, wheels, mirrors, a motor… and a steering wheel,” the Oklahoma City Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post on July 26.

Officials shared a photograph of a pickup perched on top of a highway wall after a crash.

While the driver may be given points for ingenuity, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said that person could receive driving points on their record. Operating a vehicle without a steering wheel is illegal, they said.

For those who may not know, operating a vehicle on public roadways with vise grips instead of a steering wheel is not just a bad idea, it’s illegal,“ state troopers wrote. Under 47 O.S. § 12‑201(1)(a), it’s a misdemeanor to drive a vehicle “known to be in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person.”

At least in this case, no injuries were reported.

Grabbing these tools to help in a pinch might be a good way to improvise, but officials said “steering a two-ton vehicle on public roads isn’t one of their intended uses.”

“Someone out there said: ‘No steering wheel? No problem — I’ve got vise grips!” state troopers wrote. “And seriously … where did the steering wheel go? How do you lose a steering wheel?"

Good question.

“Vehicles should always be in proper working condition before hitting the road,” the Oklahoma City Fire Department wrote.

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