Posted on 08/29/2021 4:08:51 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Men still do most of the driving when it comes to automobiles. You see couples all the time on the roadways and the great majority of the time, it is the man in the driver's seat and the woman is riding "shotgun" in the passenger seat. I'm going to explore some reasons this might be.
Now first, where does the term "riding shotgun" originate from in the first place?
Well, apparently, during the stagecoach era, particularly in the Wild West when there were still savage Indians and bandits about, it was necessary to have an outdoorsmen type ride a horse on the opposite side of the stagecoach driver keeping a lookout while holding a shotgun. This was usually enough of a deterrent to ward off anybody looking to do harm but in some occasions, a conflict would break out nonetheless and the "shotgun rider" would have his shooting skills put to the test. And unless your name was maybe Annie Oakley, the shotgun riders in those days tended to be men. Rough men at that. Shotgun riding in those days was not for the faint at heart.
As motorized vehicles began to displace the horse-pulled carriages, the shotgun rider began to occupy the passenger seat of the motor vehicle (as most horses could not keep up) but would still cradle that shotgun just in case. Especially when the motor vehicle was carrying mail, money, or moonshine.
Now we are in somewhat modern times and other than Wells Fargo money trucks and police cars, armed passengers in the "shotgun" seat have become a relative rarity. Most of the time, the person occupying the shotgun seat is the female companion of the driver.
Not too often are the roles reversed in which the woman is doing the driving while her male companion is in the shotgun position. But it does happen. For example, when I had a colonoscopy one time, the doctor said that I could not drive and so my wife was put in position of getting me home. It does feel sort of weird for a male when your female companion, be it wife, girlfriend or whatever, is doing the driving in your own car while you ride helplessly in the shotgun seat. For a man, this is sort of an awkward and unusual feeling. I would not categorize it as being emasculated necessarily but it does make a man feel out of place and can be disconcerting in some situations.
I think that is why women allow their men to do most, if not all, of the driving. Women are just being kind to their men, not wanting them to feel out of sorts and get disconcerted and all, so it is pretty much automatic for them to assume the shotgun position when the two of them are driving together.
I don't see this as a sexist thing at all. Certainly women can be very good drivers. It's just that when they are with their man, they instinctively defer to them to take care of the driving. Also, from the shotgun position, they are now better able fix their hair and makeup, supervise any children in the back seat and keep the male driver from making a stupid mistake. For instance, they might scream "look out!" if the man driver is about to ram the Subaru in front of him because he was trying to get to the Sirius radio station featuring the top summer guitar solo songs from the 1970s. I definitely appreciate it when my shotgun-riding woman does that for me.
Note how the dynamic changes when the woman is driving her own automobile. In that situation, it becomes more natural for the man to slide into the shotgun seat, as it is not his automobile and besides, it would be a bit presumptuous to assume the driver's seat when it isn't even your own car. So he should just relax and let somebody else take control for a change.
For example, my daughter-in-law gave me a ride once and it was perfectly natural for me to slide into the shotgun seat and let my daughter-in-law do the driving. I did not even criticize her for the radio channel selection or for the way that she took sharp turns at high speed, causing me to spill a bit of my drink on my shirt. For it was her car and thus she got to make all the choices - and I was just along for the ride. I even got to drag a comb across my hair once or twice. But when we stopped for gas, it was I that got out of the car to pump the gas. Just sitting there in the shotgun seat while my daughter-in-law got out to pump the gas just seemed a step too far. But I did give it briefly some thought, especially as it was a freezing cold day.
This is how women must feel most of the time when they are driving with their male companions. They know that the man prefers to do the driving and so they probably figure it will go much easier for all involved to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Who will post that photo from a couple of weeks ago of the woman hanging out of the car window with her weapon? Modern upgrade of the shotgun rider.
Tactically, I have more training and experience with hostiles therefore I drive.
FMCDH....
When I ride with my wife she drives. I won’t drive with a passenger. A couple of years ago I had a mini-stroke on my motorcycle while approaching a red light. Last I remember was pulling in the clutch preparatory to stopping. Next I was in the ER hearing an orderly telling someone, “he sideswiped a van.” I stay off bikes now. I still drive but take blood thinners (natural) to try to avoid another temporary blood clot like what winked me out on the street and won’t drive with someone else in the car.
On long drives, we alternate every hour or so.
On short drives, she prefers I drive.
Perfecto! Fits the story just right. Thanks.
fti: Those riding shotgun also rode on the stagecoach, sitting next to the driver.
“... because he was trying to get to the Sirius radio station featuring the top summer guitar solo songs from the 1970s.”
Whoever is riding shotgun should be handling the radio/CD player/GPS/map reading/snack and beverage preparation/cell phone calls. As well as the shotgun.
I do most of the driving because I like to drive and mr. mm doesn’t.
He’s also an awful driver, all over the road.
So on long trips, he crashes and I enjoy the lack of backseat driving.
It could also be the sammich making seat
I said shotgun
Shoot ‘em ‘fore he run now
It means I get to read FR more and think and plan more...but, I will say at retirement women need to make sure they are driving SOMETHING occasionally to keep in practice.
LOL! Sounds like my wife and I.
LMAO!
But when my daughter drives, she listens to Broadway songs. And not even the classic ones — “Oklahoma!” or some such. Instead, it’s some recent production I’m not familiar with.
Yikes, often.
And who can forget that womanly advice in a moment of crisis when she screams “DO SOMETHING!” as if the man needed that pointed out to him.
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