A 

steering wheel (also called a driving wheel or hand wheel[citation needed]) is a type of

steering control in vehicles and vessels (ships and boats).

Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles as
well as light and heavy trucks. The steering wheel is the part of the steering system that is manipulated by
the driver; the rest of the steering system responds to such driver inputs. This can be through direct
mechanical contact as in recirculating ball or rack and pinion steering gears, without or with the
assistance of hydraulic power steering, HPS, or as in some modern production cars with the assistance of
computer controlled motors, known as Electric Power Steering. With the introduction of federal vehicle
regulation in the United States in 1968, FMVSS 114 required the impairment of steering wheel rotation, to
hinder motor vehicle theft; in most vehicles this is accomplished when the ignition key is removed from
the ignition lock. 

The sizes of steering wheels vary depending on the type of vehicle. In terms of outside diameter,
the average is somewhere between 14½ inches and 17 inches. In terms of grip circumference,
some wheels measure as thin as 2¾ inches. On the other hand, the grip of some wheels can be
as thick as 4¼ inches.
A Size-A wheel has an outside diameter of 15 inches to 16 inches, while the grip circumference
varies from 2¾ inches to 3 1/8 inches. Meanwhile, the outside diameter of a Size-AX wheel ranges
from 14½ inches to 15½ inches with a grip circumference of about 3¼ inches to 3½ inches. For a
Size-AXX wheel, the outside diameter is similar to a Size-AX wheel but the grip circumference ranges
from 3 5/8 inches to 3 7/8 inches. A Size-C wheel also has the same outside diameter but the grip
circumference is thicker ranging from 3 7/8 inches to 4¼ inches.
There is also a Size-B wheel, the outside diameter of which is 16½ inches to 17½ inches. The grip
circumference of this type of wheel ranges from 2¾ inches to 3 1/8 inches. Lastly, there is also a
Size-BX wheel, the outside diameter of which is 16 inches to 17 inches, while the grip
circumference ranges from 3¼ inches to 3½ inches.