The Steering Wheel Desk Tray… A Product You Might Be More Likely To Live Without

Some lighter fare this weekend.

A friend passed along a link to this gem of an item at Amazon.com: The Wheelmate Steering Wheel Desk Tray.

Included in the item description:

Attaches to your steering wheel for easy access to a writing and drink storage surface. The Go Office Wheel Mate Steering Wheel Desk is flat for writing and perfect for lunch or a snack. This Go Office Wheel Mate Steering Wheel Desk stores neatly in your car when used with the larger Auto Exec Laptop Car Desk.

In the product’s defense, the description also included a warning that "[f]or safety reasons, never use this product while driving." According to the user reviews, not ever customer got that message (but hopefully only in jest). Some sample reviews for the steering wheel desk tray:

From T. Meadows "TM": "Wow is this thing great! I use it as a "mini-bar" when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate. If you swerve to the left or right the rumble strips on the road wake you up in plenty of time before you get into trouble. I can now take longer trips without being tired!"

From Jamie O’Shaughnessy: "This awesome bit of kit changed my life. The extra hours of work I could get in whilst driving on the freeway has made me so much more productive. In fact I directly attribute this to my improved bonuses and recent promotion! If you want to get ahead, get one of these.

There is one problem though. In several accidents that I have had whilst using this, the airbag causes the laptop screen to slam shut. I’ve suffered several broken fingers because of this. I have started to look around for airbag finger protection but have not yet found any… "

From Bob Dobbs: "I read some 4 and 5 star reviews by those who used this device successfully to change a baby while driving. On that basis, I bought one. I put my baby on it and drove for over an hour. It did not change. Same baby. I am glad it worked for some people but I will be returning mine. (The steering wheel desk.)"

From K. Ernst: "My 16 year old daughter just got her license a few weeks ago. Since then, she’s been going out for drives a lot after school. Unfortunately, all the time spent in the car for her has meant less time for homework. Her grades have noticeably slipped, but instead of taking away her car privileges, I bought this steering wheel desk. It’s perfect for young drivers with heavy academic loads! Now she can work on her homework and still be out driving, improving her road skills and staying on top of her grades. I couldn’t be prouder and would encourage all parents with new drivers to set their kids up with this super-portable work station!"

From John Meinken: "I just picked uuyp my laptop hoder from the post offfice and I’m ddriving home now. It’s OK Iguess, but the bumpy road majkes it hard to type. And theree’s a lot of pedeestrians and traffi c that keep distracti9ng me fromm my computer.

It’s prolly OK ffor web browsing or email, but I don’gt think it will be so useful for mmore complex tasks. Oh, and yyou can’t make any sharrp turns. So when you turn right, somnetimess you have to use the oppsing lane of traffic."

At the time of writing, there were nearly 500 similar reviews for this item. If you’ve used the tray, perhaps you should add your own review!

There you have it — the steering wheel desk tray: an item you might be more likely to live without.