"Signal!!!"

Why, Villagers wouldn't take a backseat to anybody.

Don't forget about Shotgun Drivers!

and certainly you heard my wife stomp the passenger side brake pedal (or you yourself did while teaching a progeny to drive)....and then there was the windshield (windscreen for Hazel)brake, where in she would put an extended hand,palm outward,at the windshield,(as if to push further the impending situation)tho honestly, as a professional driver,and piloting the giant RoadYacht,we never touched a thing,scraped a thing,ran over a thing....tho,from her vantage point,up high,forward of the wheels,it looked as a certainty.....

I agree Lotlot. hi Zenaida, I haven't seen you in a while, though I admit I don't check in every day. RY, after reading your post, I just have to post this youtube link because it makes me laugh every time I watch it. Backseat driver? hah... even better....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39qdhbkTko4

I don't drive and I'm a pretty good passanger, but the thing that drives me nuts is cars that go in reverse.  You think its safe to step in the street and suddenly the car that just passed you goes quickly into reverse and speeds back at you.

ZENAIDA ... Where Oh Where Have You Been ?!?!?!
 
Good To See You, and we have some Newbies since last you were here .......
 
Hardly anyone uses Hand Signals anymore ... the ones in the Drivers' Handbook, anyway ... and the last time I saw it, t'was a Blue-Hair'd Octogenarian, using the wrong hand,  INSIDE  her Vintage Fleetwood Brougham ... and like so many others of that ilk ...only her Stone-Wash'd Denim hued Top-Knot shown above the Seatback ... I think they learn to use Periscopes at Bingo Parlors .......
 
People who do not Signal are quite irritating, as are those who blast down the Freeway for miles, with the Signal still Blinking !!!  If they can't hear the Turn Indicator clicking inside the Car, they probably shouldn't be driving at all ...  I have no problem with Hearing Impair'd people ... but at what point do they pose a danger to themselves and others ???
 
Back in the days when we built real Cars in this Country, they were more crashworthy, and anyone with any kind of impairment had a better chance of surviving a wreck ... Since the glut of Rice Burners has happen'd, and the Auto Manufacturors have pretty much Japanized all the American Marques ... Cars have been dink'd out and have become flimsy with cheesey 24/26 Gage Sheetmetal, and plastics, that the Auto Industry managed to hide from Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton ... it is even rumor'd that some Korean cars are made with Campberr's Soup Cans and Old American Shell Casings ... It could happen ....... We made Battleships out of Buildings .......
 
GOOD ON YOU,  lotlot .......

Hi Zenaida!!! So good to see you again! Now if only Hazel could drive back here...

I think I am a pretty okay driver. In fact the ex used to make me take the driver's seat for much of the regular drives we had to do between Singapore and Malaysia (his hometown). My greatest weakness is parallel parking which I will avoid if possible. I always park in reverse; I have an irrational fear for the longest time that I might one day need to make a quick getaway!
I swear the worst back seat driver is my ex (when not sleeping on those long drives). The funniest situation was one particular day:

Ex (yelling): "Turn right!! Turn right!!"
I was actually in the right turning lane so, upset, I yelled back, "I AM TURNING RIGHT!!"
Ex (silent for 2 seconds): "I mean turn left..., TURN LEFT!!! TURN LEFT!!"

Hey...I swear the man has PMS...every other week....

Actually, Jalopkin, the decline of autos began in the fifties.  A friend of my father, a master tool and die maker for Oldsmobile, bemoaned the gradual thinning of sheet metal and the reduction in the number of coats of paint and chrome plating, and that was in the late fifties when companies began to be run by bean-counters instead of engineers and people who knew how to make things.  I sometimes think the greatest tragedy in this country is the rise of the MBA.  Companies now have no sense of being part of any community, of having any responsibility except to the gluttons.  And hence, the jobs go to other countries where peasants are cheap labor.  I still miss my 1955 Buick Roadmaster.  The back seat was big enough to live in.

Lynn, what is MBA? I only know it as Master in Business Administration but I don't think you meant that

For as long as my father was driving my mother was the consummate backseat driver with no desire to get behind the wheel.  However,after his illnesses and living in an area with no public transportation she finally had to learn to drive from behind the wheel.  And, I must say, all of her backseat experience did make her a pretty darned good driver!  She was cautious, but safe and was empowered by the experience.  And my dad had needed that backseat cautionary since he tended to "think" a lot and "philosophize" as his pipe smoke swirled over the steering wheel and then up around his head.  He was always concentratin on something--unfortunately not usually his driving.  And while backseat drivers have been a source of humor ot all of us over the years from that vantage point of memory I can begin to appreciate them.  Just not in my car, however, thank you very much.

Spring, I think that's exactly what he meant. Quality of products slipped rapidly when it got to be less about the product and more about profit.

I currently have a daughter learning to drive and a son champing at the bit to be able to. Their father has been the one giving lessons to the girl (heaven help us all) since my car is in desperate need of repair. I do try to counteract my ex's idea of guidance with pointers of my own so maybe there's hope for my daughter yet.

Thanks rapidgirl!

Incidentally, we drive on the left hand side. When my son first took the wheel, he drove on the right and I practically screamed. He swerved back and laughingly apologised; said he was used to driving on the right from all those computer games, most of which had come from the US

I appreciate the construction of older cars and often stop by the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green and the finest vintage car collection in the country in Auburn, IN, but I believe that automobiles today are the best ever. I rent cars every week and rarely do I ever need any roadside assistance.  I cruise in a controlled environment with features like Satellite Radio and Navigation, cruise control, Seats that adjust to each individual driver and tilt on the sterrring column, seatbelt technology far better than a lap belt, blue tooth, adapters for all my electronic necessities, decent mileage, great locking system. not to mention defrost front and back and mirrors. And the color combinations today are endless and often if you like retro. I love the good old days but they are gone.  There are just so many purchase options today. GM is making some great cars now. Ford is strong. The Jeep will always be a favorite but between Europe and Asia, the market is diluted. Look at the warranties offered today and extended service. Dollar for dollar, they are even more economical if many cases and the breaking systems are awesome.   The best way to stop backseat drivers is to let them watch a DVD while cruising down the road and suggest headphones for maximum audio effect and they will care less how you are doing and you can take your own route. Shortcuts are subjective anyway. Then you and the Garmin Lady with the sexy accent and throaty voice can take you to your destination.

Teaching your child to drive is a harrowing experience, back seat driving at its worst! 
 
But we survive it (that's where MY gray hair comes from). 
 
I was lucky (ha!) to have it be part of the Secondary School curriculum, but to PRACTICE, my Father and my Mother had to take me out to practice driving in the family car, but ONLY if I practiced one hour on my clarinet, then I would be allowed 15 minutes of drive time (probably all they could take...). 
 
Now I know where MY parents gray hair came from....

For exactly forty-nine years and eleven months, most of the backseat driving has come from the other front seat and has, on more occasions than one, saved our bacon.
Two of our three daughters are not the kind of passengers you dream about but the other is one of very few people with whom I can happily ride.
No time has ever been wasted making it clear to non-loved ones that their advice was neither sought nor appreciated.
We drive good, solid, safe cars which is lucky because other drivers have, from time to time, run into them.
Nobody is ever going to convince me that a hands-free phone is not safer than a hand-held phone.

Both my significant other and myself are good drivers. He has never had a ticket or wreck that was his fault, tho' I have had a few speeding/turning tickets in my youth - 40 yrs+ ago -not any for years. We survive the awful congestion of Atlanta traffic by staying the the middle lane, reading the signs and anticipating lane exits, and hanging back to watch out for the crazies who are zipping in and out of the lanes, going 30-40 mph over the posted limit, and generally acting as if they never read the road rules book.  I am glad that I live an hour north of the city and don't have to drive in the expressway traffic very often. If you are passing through Atlanta going to Fla. or anywhere, plan your time here so that you avoid 7-9 am and 4-7 pm. The best day to pass Atlanta is on Sunday.
 
Tailgaters are his nemesis, but those who stop or turn suddenly without signaling are mine. I do not tailgate, as I want plenty of room to stop in case the vehicle in front of me does something new! The motorcycles make me especially cautious, as they are so vulnerable, yet some of them race between cars, exceed the speed, and often seem to come out of nowhere. One of my pet peeves is that drivers do not turn on their lights when it is raining, foggy, or getting dark out. We all know we can see them better if their lights are on, but sometimes a gray or dark car in poor light is almost invisible.
 
My mother was a good driver, so my model was her good sense and motor skill. My dad was a nervous, jerky driver, so mother usually drove when I was young. Because we moved a lot after they divorced, I can remember logging many miles on long trips with her driving, so I learned vicariously. I have a dear friend who drives in the "goooo,then slow, gooo, then slow" style and that will really get on your nerves;therefore, I always offer to drive when we travel.
 
 My own kids (41 and 42 ) seem like too-fast drivers to me, so I have a tendency to hang on tight and press the floor board when I ride with either of them. They are smart in all ways, tho' so have avoided wrecks and tickets. Both live right in the city, so are traffic wise and confident in the narrow lanes, shortcuts, and varied paths to get around the worst of the congestion.
 
In the rural area where I live, you will see bumper stickers that say, "If you ride in my truck, Sit down, Shut up, and Hang on!" or "This truck protected by Smith & Wesson," or "My keys are on the truck seat next to my pit bull." Of course, those are often parked near the ones that say, "Eat more possum," and have the Confederated flag stickers with "Fergit, Hell!" Just a slice of Americana.
 
On topic, I don't believe women are worse drivers than men. The insurance industry has the stats to show that more males have damage, cause wrecks, and cost more in claims. We may be a little slower, but sometimes that is a good thing! Slow down and enjoy the scenery.

You cannot, cannot, cannot tell me that more accidents are caused by
men than women.  Just the other day I was tooling along when a cute little
thing walked out of the local Walgreens and started down the street.  The car in
front of me stopped unexpectedly at the red light.  I was only enjoying the
scenery...just how slow must one go?
 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSaQpznsHCI

I always loved the old Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons where right before impact you can stop the action and get out of the plane, car, spaceship, whatever, and step to a safe spot. Unfortunately in the "real" world, not so. A distraction is a distraction, be it a phone call, an email/text, a long reach for a coke or a french fry, an exposed thigh, a touch of raod rage, that 3rd beer or to topic a yacky know-it-all. A ton of steel of any gauge at 60 mph is a deathtrap and the cavalier attiude is reflected in the stats. In some ways, we still think it is always someone else to worry about. I saw a mangled motorcyclist on Friday and reminded me the battle on the highways 40k+ killed and a couple of million injuries is equal to many wars on foreign soil. Why are there no protests about this tragedy by the testing/ mobile phone generation? Humans love to parse stats.  

DISCLAIMER- My numerous typos today are due to extensive "Honey-Do" activity over the beautiful weekend and my mitts are as "sore as a boil".  Hint: The new stainless steel paint and topcoat kits can take older appliances and give them a beautiful finish. I did a double range, microwave, and large refrigerator for around $150. Great finish as the granite and sinks blew my budget.

rings90, Park4, Peter Lake & RoadYacht ~

I think too many isobars, too close together, too many days in a row.
How-bow-chew?
I hate high winds and have to get up on a ladder today.
So, it is only to replace a bulb in the kitchen… but still.

Did someone say redneck?  I can't think of
the term without tacking on the non sequitur 
enginewity.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBy0lhPySBw

If only Miss Blue were here, she could tell us all about embroidery and
kittens.

Oh, Miss MooseLoop, it's not that I am picking
on you today, it's only that you went into more detail that others, but when it
comes to posted speed limits and the road rules book, I (and
many of my moronic counterparts) like to think of those things as
guidelines. 
 
Why is it the Village always goes quiet, just when
I get started?
 
 
 

..because we know you're just gettin' started and we're waiting eagerly for what comes next....

Miss Carol ~ You, dear lady, are too kind.  I can see Stoney, shaking his head, begging you to Please, please, don't encourage him.

..it's kind of like waiting for the other shoe to fall.....you just know it will...

You should like this one...Back seat drivers are
like armchair quarterbacks and World Series fortune tellers...that said,
Cardinals in six.

I don't know that I agree with this article entirely about the "need" to backseat drive being attached to personal confidence.  Rather, I think that it's showing something about the control issues with the person who's not driving.  My wife freely admits that she's a horrible passenger and wants to drive whenever we go anywhere (which is fine with me, I'd rather not drive unless I have to).  But she most definitely likes to be in control of the car, and rankles when I backseat drive (which is pretty much limited to my sense of space between the car in front of us and our car being quite different from hers - I like much more room).  

Unless the backseat driver is unlicensed or doesn't have one with them try my solution to a really anoying one.  Pull out of traffic.  Turn off the moter.  Get out of car and enter back seat.  Comment to be made: "Fine--in that certain tone of voice--it's all yours."  Silence.

When my son and I drove cross country he was behind the wheel officially. One day he said "Mom I am surprised that you never take a nap." TAKE A NAP? I had to drive!! Talk about pushing the floorboard...(sorry Son, you actually are a good driver). Even with an excellent driver for a son there is that Mom factor and the Other Guy factor that does not allow for naps and fine tunes the Helpful Suggestion mode.

PAOLOS:   Didja ever stop and think, that we're just paying attention ???  And ruminating over what you said ???
 
LYNN:  Absobloominlutely !!! You are Right on point !!! Not just about the '55 Buick(a marvelous piece of Iron) but about all else you posted on this ... I have seen many examples of young-blood Engineers, fresh out of School with their MIT Wallpaper, Mechanical Pencil over one ear, and a Slide Rule in their teeth (Todays' Wizards all have Computers, and haven't a clue what a Slide Rule is, much less what it is for ... ) and they are wont to design Mechanical Masterpieces, proudly thrusting the Blueprints at the Shop Foreman ... a crusty old fellow in Khakis, Grey Fedora cock'd back on his equally Gray head, Moustache to match ... who will look at the drawings for about ten minutes, and deflate the ego of the Company Firebrand with two words ... "Won't Work" ....... This Veteran is Right eight out of ten times, and will always counsel Management to avoid waste of Money, Material, and Man-Hours, by building whatever it is that Rube GoldbergJr. has come up with ... I have also seen that fellow nod in agreement, and then make the appropriate changes on the Prints, and then go and make the thing the way he knows is Right, and that it WILL work ... and then Baby Rube gets to take all the credit, and the Salary increase ....... An Old Man, who join'd the Shop just after the War, a First Class Machinist, Journeyman Card, Union Member in Good Standing, Teacher ... but, what the hell does he know ??? Just because he has been doing this stuff for longer than Baby Rube is old ... can't possibly mean he is better than The Flash of MIT !!!   CRAP !!!
 
All Y'all Know, the Most Erudite Redneck ever ....... Y'all oughtta be Glad !!!

Moonshiners have made a vast number of contributions to the motoring industry,and not just by sitting around the pot-belly stove and talking about it....

Can't comment there...already over my word quota for the day. Ya'll be careful out there, ya' hear!

IVAN ~ That is a question I get all the
time.  My parents were the first to ask me, over and over again...didja ever
stop to think?
 
Miss MooseLoop ~ We have quotas?  You're welcome to
use my carryover words anytime you'd like.                                     Sometimes I feel like I'm one of
two retired students in a village of retired teachers and that the teachers
dread the minute the door opens and they see my grinning face appear.  I can
almost hear them think outloud  Oh, it's you. 
Then I take my seat in front of the other retired student and as I sit
down, he cuffs my ear, and says loud enough for everyone else to hear, Be on
time, wize guy, we're trying to learn something here.  Talk about a back
seat driver.

oh oh, sounds like a movie clip.....(Mr Hand.....and what was that kid's name?)

Spicoli?

Jeff Spicoli is Sean Penn's greatest acting job. Shame is, he knows it and it royally pisses him off when anyone mentions it in his presence.

Speaking of back seat drivers...here is something for you facebookers...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2044040108626&set=a.1138584032790.2020694.1473073991&type=1&theater

it's my youngest at the tag window to her first car. I made her go through all the 'stuff', IE emissions, insurance and tag purchase just so she'll both know the process and understand what's involved. I fully expected the lines to be long at the county courthouse, it's Monday (court day) and not a parking place to be found. When we finally found our spot and walked the distance to get to the tag office, we marched right in and no line. It was a good day.

UMMGAWA:  Sir, ....... You are Right On The Button !!!  I applaud your cognitive powers and your courage in  bucking the pundits, and saying it out loud !!!   I thought I was the only one that felt that way !!!  Should have known there was another Southern Boy out there somewhere who felt the same ... Almost every Entertainment Hack is still mewling and puking about his Role as the unfortunate Retard ... That WAS Acting, but it was very bad Acting because Penn is devoid of Genuine Compassion that would allow him to care enough to FEEL for such people, so that he could present them in the Best, Truthful light possible, rather than an oddity-exception to be marvel'd  over (thats a Preposition too, and I know it) ... Spicoli work'd so well for Penn, (Not to be confused with our own Penn) because Penn was not Acting ... he  IS  Spicoli, and was just being himself ....... It is discover'd in a lot of Actors, when a Role they're given works so well that is becomes forever remarkable and so well remember'd .......
 
GOOD  ON  YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Father taught me to drive...VW Bug.  One snowy Sunday morning he took me to a large empty parking lot, told me to get up to about 30, and slam on the brakes.  After doing several 360's in said parking lot, and car stalling out (I had neglected to engage clutch) he very calmly said, "Now that's what you don't do in a snow storm."  Never forgot it.  To this day, everytime I drive in the snow (and in Western NY we get A LOT of it) I thank Dad for that lesson.  A very good "backseat driver."  We won't mention the time when I somehow managed to park his vintage Jag on our front porch.

"  'Mon Back..."

My father taught me how to drive, last month when I went to pick them up from the airport, w/out hesitation was give me the keys Kiddo - Not sure if he missed driving or still is unsure after all these years that I really DID pass my test without paying off the instructor..... Stoney - Looks liek our Hotdog place is on the news - what kinda neighborhood are luring me too downt there anyways?  And today at the BOBOB  Phillps Gregory was MOCKING ME as the 1st 5 boxes I opened were copies of her book that goes on sale tomorrow morning...  

My best back seat driver story: Carefully slowing down for a much pot-holed railroad crossing in out little Texas town I heard my sweet, almost 3 year-old's voice chirp from behind me, "Twain". Looking up to the mirror to make eye-contact with her while praising how smart she was for recognizing the crossing's purpose I caught motion to my right and sure enough a TRAIN was barreling down upon us. The crossing lights were not flashing and the barriers had not come down. I almost froze but thank goodness adrenaline kicked in and I stomped on the gas. We cleared the tracks as she giggled with glee at the sudden acceleration and the train sped by with it's horn blaring. I had to pull over to get my heart back on it's rails.

As a hitchiking student with a backpack and a trusty thumb, I learned to keep my mouth shut as a backseat, sideseat, bed of a pick-up truck-"free and easy/uneasy rider. I endured all kinds of vehicular experiences and always kept my mouth shut because there was an option to get out and walk. Suck it up, hippie.  Later when I had a few nickels to rub together, I had this propensity for British vehicles and they tended to break down at remote locations and though I was better off, I still found myself hitching a few rides or after the advent of the cell phone, riding with "tobackie chewing snuff dippin'" tow truck drivers. Again, mouth shut & any port in a storm theory. Chewers allow you to fire up a nice Dominican so let that chariot roll I say.  Those experiences including trips to hospitals like after an accident at an intersection in Niles, IL near that little imitation of the tower of Pisa after being T boned as a passenger created great stories and that kiss Mother Earth feeling of Thank Goodness I am alive. I swear the guy from KY missed second gear in his pick-up and stalled out in the busiest intersection in town. Christmas pic that year - The big guy with the goofy grin from painkillers standing there with the broken ribs.  Anyway great topic as I remember that old Plymouth and how I laid in the rear window sans seatbelt and read my comic books as the old man fired up cigarette after cigarette and sang Hank Williams tunes and listened to my mom nag at him about his driving and I honestly don't think he heard a damn word cause he always smiled like a possum and weaved merrily along.    

 ... so as the Cop walk'd up to the Car he says, "Sir, do you know that a woman fell or jumped out of your car about ten miles back ???"
 
"Thank God, says the Driver ... I thought I had gone deaf ......."

Good one, Ivan!!

janej78 - That video was hilarious.

Thank you JALOPKIN, Spring Fragrance, and janej78 for noticing my absence!