Traffic School Tip 10 - Back Seat Driving
* Hold your tongue
It's easy to critique the driving ability of others, but unless there's an immediate danger you're pretty sure the driver hasn't noticed (for example, a kid on a bike about to run across the road) proper etiquette is to remain silent - even if you're stewing inside. When you're back in your own car again, you can drive how you like.
Hectoring those who don't drive as you might isn't going to change their ways; it's just going to create stress - and may even make them drive unsafely. You can wish silently they'd attend traffic school. But keep your thoughts to yourself!
* Don't second-guess
Maybe you do "know a better way" to get across town - or "just know" the car will fit in that parking spot up ahead that looks pretty tight.
And it's fine to give advice - if it's asked for. Just don't nag imperiously. You may indeed know the quickest way to get across town - and could easily parallel park the car in that tight space up ahead. But since you're not behind the wheel, it really doesn't matter.
So, grin and bear it. Everyone will be the happier for it.
* Abide by "House Rules"
That means (within reason) doing what the driver asks. It's his car, he gets to lay down the law. If the driver asks you to wear your seatbelt, for example, it's right and proper to do so without complaining - even if you prefer not to wear a seatbelt in your own vehicle. Same goes for smoking, eating and drinking: If it's not your car and you're not driving, deference is the order of the day.
* Don't create distractions
Passengers who distract the driver can be just as dangerous as a driver who is distracted by a cell phone or PDA. Perhaps even more so, since the driver has little or no control over how passengers behave. You can turn off a cell phone; it's virtually impossible to "turn off" a passenger creating a distraction in the back seat.
This is a problem for teenagers and young drivers especially. Put a bunch of kids in the backseat - and a kid up front in the driver's seat - and the odds of a distraction-induced accident go up several notches.
Also, if animals are on board, keep them under control. A dog running amok inside a car is another great way to set up a tragic accident-via-distraction. A big Defensive Driving no no...
* Offer to share the driving
On longer trips, it's courteous to make it known you're willing to help with the driving - if the driver wants a break. This should be done in a non-confrontational way. Don't say, "I'll take over now." Say something along the lines of, "Whenever you feel like taking a break, let me know. I'd be happy to drive some of the way."
So long as you're not offering a critique of the other person's driving - and implying you could do a better job - the offer will usually be taken in the right spirit. And there won't be a potentially dangerous test of wills: You waiting for the driver to get tired and slip up (so you can point out the slip-up); the driver adamantly refusing to admit he's getting tired and letting you spell him - just to prove he's a better driver than you think he is.
Eric Peters writes about cars and defensive driving issues for Improv Comedy Traffic School.
