In control of a vehicle; driving.
If you've had too much to drink, don't get behind the wheel.
Would you really want to be behind the wheel of a fighter jet?
(idiomatic) In control of the situation; in charge.
Source: en.wiktionary.orgI wish I could be behind the wheel for every stunt. Paul Walker
Last night me and Kate we laid in bed talking about getting out. Packing up our bags maybe heading south. I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now. Last night I sat him up behind the wheel and said son take a good look around. This is your hometown. Bruce Springsteen
The highways are crowded with people who drive as if their sole purpose in getting behind the wheel is to avenge every wrong done them by man, beast or fate. The only thing that keeps them in line is their fear of death, jail and lawsuits. Hunter S. Thompson
Behind the wheel of a racing car he was fearfully quick, never stopped trying, and could extricate himself from the most precarious situations with deft brilliance. Gilles Villeneuve
Look, if you're driving down the highway at 120 miles an hour, I'd rather be behind the wheel than in the backseat. Mark Wahlberg
I think fear is what keeps us from going over the edge. I mean, as a race car driver, I don't think what makes a good race car driver is a fearless person. I think it's somebody that is comfortable being behind the wheel of something that's somewhat out of control. Jeff Gordon