Steering Shaft ???

There are other senerios besides an accident to consider. Not long ago a member here thought he might just yank the steering wheel off the shaft. He yanked the whole works out. He didn't know a previous owner had defeated the pin.
So lets imagine your car dies in the street for some totally unrelated fault like ballast resitor failure. You reach through the window to steer while others help you push the car out of harms way. After the ballast resistor is replaced you discover the signal switch, horn switch, other, was ruined by your pulling on the steering wheel.