Having passengers in your car is quite nice as it helps you kill boredom. However, sometimes you may have irritating passengers that can increase your stress levels which may lead to arguments. Some of them drop food crumbs on your seats and floors while others criticize your driving and give uncalled-for advice. Not only is their behaviour annoying but can also lead to a higher risk of accidents.
Here are some of the most annoying passenger habits.
1. Backseat Driving
Many drivers can confess that they have had to deal with passengers who believe they are better drivers. These passengers will criticize everything from the way you enter the car to how you park it. They will make snide comments about how your driving ability is wanting. Back seat driving has to be the most annoying passenger habit. It can lead to increased stress levels on the part of the driver and possibly lead to a fatal accident. There should be a rule that if you aren’t on the drivers set you to need to keep mum.
2. The messy passengers
Messy passengers who don’t clean up after themselves are very annoying. They spill drinks on the seats, leave food crumbs, stick chewing gum on the doors just to mention a few. They simply don’t respect other people’s property and increase the time you have to spend cleaning up after them. When the damage to your car’s interior is too much, you may have to get it professionally cleaned which may be expensive when done regularly. To prevent all this, you might have to establish a ‘no food’ rule in the car or install a car bin.
3. Changing the music without permission
You can’t miss the passenger that constantly changes the music you had already chosen without your permission. As the driver, sometimes you want to listen to music which matches your mood then someone decides to change it. Worse still is if they decide to sing along. It is already annoying enough to have someone change the music without permission but singing along can make you blow a gasket.
4. Giving poor directions
Have you met someone who doesn’t know how to give directions? Especially if you are dropping them at their place? Sometimes they don’t pay attention and you end up passing the correct turn and have to turn around. Other times they may take you through routes that have no proper roads. The worst of them are the ones who guess the route and you end up getting lost. Poor navigation is likely to annoy the driver as it takes up a lot of their time to locate the passenger’s destination.
5. Changing the temperature without permission
Just as there are passengers who keep changing the music, there are others who enjoy playing around with the temperature controls. It is true, the temperature of the car may not be ideal for everyone but someone should ask before changing the temperature of the car. They at times make the car’s cabin unbearably hot or too cold for comfort and without permission.
6. Second-hand road rage
Second-hand road rage is just as annoying as back seat driving. As a driver, you are bound to get pissed off at other motorists who drive recklessly but having your passengers getting angry on your behalf is tiresome. It only causes stress and can lead the driver to lose control of the vehicle when everyone in the back seat is up in arms. Second-hand road rage is unwelcome and unhelpful to the driver.
7. Distracting phone habits
Driving while talking on the phone is a traffic offence in Kenya as it can lead to an accident. However, passengers’ phone habits can also be distracting. There are people who talk so loudly on their phone and let out that thundering laughter that is rather annoying to the driver and other passengers. There are others who insist on taking selfies of themselves and of the drivers which can be distracting.
8. The stingy passengers
Cars are expensive to run and maintain. If you regularly offer to drive your group of friends around whether for long or short distances, the costs of fuel and the occasional car servicing may overwhelm you. There are a group of passengers that can never volunteer to chip in to offset the car bills. Passengers failing to chip in to offset at least the fuel cost is unfair and can lead to arguments during road trips with friends or family.
Conclusion
These are some of the annoying passenger habits that drivers face. Some may not seem harmful but distracting the driver while he or she is driving may still lead to an accident. You need to set some ground rules that can help ebb some of these behaviours. Eventually, you will be able to enjoy a pleasant ride with your passengers.
What are some annoying passenger habits you can think of?