Backseat Driver
A backseat driver is a car passenger who is not driving but does not appear to be comfortable with trusting the skills of the current driver and/or feels it is necessary to act as a tutor to said driver.
Some of these so-called backseat drivers display this sort of behaviour because they are feeling unsafe or out of control as they are not in control and driving the vehicle. This causes their jumpy and nervous actions and the anxious criticisms and suggestions with regards to the present driver’s actions.
The Department of Transportation of Maine published a web poster that asks “Are you a Good Back Seat Driver?” They go on to ask “True or False: Being a Backseat Driver means it is okay to be noisy or distracting to the driver as long as you are giving them safety tips.”
The Inland Register published by the Spokane Roman Catholic Diocese used it in a sermon and said: “Even our phrase ‘back-seat driver’ reflects this new-found freedom. Which of us who has graduated to the status of driver enjoys a passenger, especially one out of reach in the back seat, who seems to know how to drive better than we do? ”
The San Bernardino County Sun’s article ‘The Art of being a Backseat Driver’ summarizes many different comments on backseat drivers that are found on multiple blogs. There are even some blogs dedicated to the subject, such as the Back Seat Driving blog, that was formerly called the “LA Car Blog.”
