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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
Drivers who are driven crazy by back seat drivers are in good company, says a survey.
Confused.com, which offers comparisons of insurance rates, has released a report that says 66% of British motorists have been victims of unwanted attention from self-appointed back seat drivers, and 24% have been in an accident while dealing with the distractions of other passengers.
The report says the worst offenders are bus and train drivers and delivery men “who obviously forget that they’re off duty.” Teachers are the most patient passengers, according to the report.
Personal relationships also pose a problem when it comes to back seat drivers, says the report, with husbands and boyfriends disrupting the driver most often, followed by parents.
The most popular backseat gestures include “the terrified grip-tightening on the door handle,” the “not-so-subtle glance at the speedometer” and the “imaginary brake pedal push,” the report says.
The report also said 68% of women and 70% of drivers over the age of 55 find themselves on the receiving end of bad etiquette.
This will simply not do, according to a spokeswoman for etiquette expert firm Debretts Ltd., who said in the report, “If you’re a passenger in someone else’s car, your behavior must be polite at all times, just as it would be if you were visiting their home.”
Now tell that to the screaming toddler in your back seat.
A well-traveled Chicago man alleges that United Airlines Inc. “stripped away” his exclusive benefits under its Million Miler frequent flier program after it was modified in a merger with Continental Airlines.