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WRT Steering - wouldn't it be easier to modify the steering column so it doesn't "lock" when the key is inserted? The locking mechanism is a simple pin/solenoid that prevents the wheel from turning. It's a safety feature designed for manual transmission cars. It was designed to force the car to turn in a circle if it ever "rolled in a freefall" down a hill (to limit the damage, I'd guess).
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It's an anti-theft feature to make a hot-wired car inoperable. it has nothing to do with manual cars or turning in a circle. I park my 5 spd with the wheel straight. If it ever started rolling, it would continue that way.
How many of you auto drivers engage your parking brakes while in Park? I don't know of anyone who did it besides me. The only thing keeping your car from rolling away is a little pin in the transmission that occasionally snaps if you're parked on a hill. The proper procedure for parking an auto is stopping with the foot brake, applying the hand brake, releasing the foot brake and putting the transmission in park. This will only put pressure on the park pin if the handbrake fails. I trust the handbrake far more than an auto's Park. If the handbrake fails on a manual, being in 1st gear should prevent the car from moving more than a few inches per minute.
To the OP: You only turn the key to Off to kill the engine. Once it's dead, turn the key back to On and you can coast without locking the wheel.