The dangers of annoying passengers

We've all ferried really annoying passengers from time to time. But oft we don't realize that these annoyances can actually be a hazard to safe driving. Here's a quick, albeit tongue-in-cheek look at the various kinds of passengers who can irritate easily

Driving with an annoying passenger can be rather irritating at best and downright dangerous at worst. Researchers found the average car-owner gets annoyed at least three times by their passengers' behaviour during the typical car journey - taking just six minutes for their blood to boil. Tempers have flared so much for one in five behind the wheel that they have asked a passenger to get out of the car. And when the driver is not calm and relaxed, the chances of making driving errors and having lapses of judgement are significantly high. But sadly, the problem of annoying passengers is something which is a little difficult to overcome and they will always find newer and more irritating ways to annoy you while you drive. Here is our take on few of the most annoying habits that a lot of us have had to endure when we’ve driven around with certain kinds of people.

(Pictures courtesy Pete Smith Illustration)

The Fiddler

These are the ones who can’t keep still during a journey. They happily spend their time fiddling about with every button, knob and lever on the car’s dashboard, changing radio stations, playing with the SatNav. It can get worse if they get their hands on the traction control button.

The Sleeper

This type of passenger will be the first to pass out as soon as you get underway on your journey, only to awake when you’ve reached the very end. Especially dangerous to have around when you’re driving at night as they can make you feel drowsy as well.

The Road Rager

It’s annoying enough to deal with bad drivers on the road, but having a passenger who likes to hurl abuses, expletives and rude gestures at other drivers is not just annoying, but quite distracting as well and could even land you in trouble with the law, or worse, with other enraged drivers.

The Backseat Driver

They’re unable to keep their hands, feet and thoughts to themselves, this sort of passenger can't help but brake hard before every junction, slam the dashboard with their hands in panic, and comment on every turn.

The Backseat Soprano

So you’ve got your radio playing your favourite tunes to make you drive more enjoyable. These are the passengers who believe that singing along with their ‘bathroom’ voice is going to enhance the auditory experience for all. They figure rather high in our “likely to make you crash” list.