A steering wheel system for use with a vehicle includes, but is not limited to, a steering wheel having a rim. A touch sensitive member covers the rim. The touch sensitive member detects first and second gestures on the rim and generates a first electronic signal when the first gesture is detected and generates a second electronic signal when the second gesture is detected. A processor is communicatively coupled to the touch sensitive member and is configured to be operatively coupled to a first subsystem and a second subsystem. The touch sensitive member is further configured to send the first electronic signal and the second electronic signal to the processor and the processor is further configured to send a first command to the first subsystem after receiving the first electronic signal and to send a second command to the second subsystem after receiving the second electronic signal.