World's first 'passenger lessons' introduced to ease 'backseat driver' tension
World's first 'passenger lessons' introduced to ease 'backseat driver' tension
A study of 2,000 drivers has revealed the most annoying passenger habits that lead to arguments and tension
Tempcover has launched a 'Passenger Prince' online theory test
(Image: PinPep )
Complaining, obstructing the mirrors and reaching for an imaginary brake are just some of the most irksome behaviours of car passengers.
Other annoyances include passengers watching loud videos on their phones, resting their feet on the dashboard, and issuing unnecessary warnings about other vehicles merging into traffic.
The survey of 2,000 motorists highlighted nearly half of all couples admit that their journeys often turn into heated arguments, with almost one in five resorting to giving each other the cold shoulder afterwards, thanks to bad passenger behaviour.
The study indicates that a fifth of women consider their partner to be an annoying passenger, which may stem from the fact that men tend to dominate driving responsibilities in relationships.
Seven in 10 men think they're a good passenger, despite women disagreeing
Two thirds of men say they usually take the wheel in the relationship with almost half under the impression they are the better driver. One in five men view driving as part of their share of household duties, and dislike it when their partner drives.
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Marc Pell, managing director at Tempcover, the temporary insurance provider behind the study, commented: "There's never been formal guidance on how to be a good passenger, and that can lead to real tension, especially between couples."
PSM Driving School is taking a unique turn by launching the world's first lessons for car passengers. Mark commented: "We're hoping some passenger lessons will help people rethink their passenger habits and improve the in-car dynamic,".
The firm's research reveals that in many relationships, men often take charge of driving; however, these novel lessons are designed to change the status quo. Mark explained: "this is a way to flip the usual driving roles - letting a partner take the wheel so they can learn to be a princely co-pilot, letting go and discovering the joy of being chauffeured."
A striking 66% of women said backseat drivers were a nuisance, and the data suggests that 42% of female drivers feel increased tension due to poor passengers, with 19% becoming apprehensive about their next turn at the wheel.
Paul Middleton, owner and driving instructor at PSM Driving School, said: "Poor passenger etiquette can really knock a driver's confidence - especially in relationships."
He continued: "From backseat driving to constant complaints, it's often the little habits that make journeys more stressful than they need to be.
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"We're excited to offer lessons from our professional driving instructors, helping people unlearn unhelpful behaviours and become passengers who support, not stress out the person behind the wheel."
Top 20 annoying passenger habits:
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Wales Online
2 days ago
- Wales Online
World's first 'passenger lessons' introduced to ease 'backseat driver' tension
World's first 'passenger lessons' introduced to ease 'backseat driver' tension A study of 2,000 drivers has revealed the most annoying passenger habits that lead to arguments and tension Tempcover has launched a 'Passenger Prince' online theory test (Image: PinPep ) Complaining, obstructing the mirrors and reaching for an imaginary brake are just some of the most irksome behaviours of car passengers. Other annoyances include passengers watching loud videos on their phones, resting their feet on the dashboard, and issuing unnecessary warnings about other vehicles merging into traffic. The survey of 2,000 motorists highlighted nearly half of all couples admit that their journeys often turn into heated arguments, with almost one in five resorting to giving each other the cold shoulder afterwards, thanks to bad passenger behaviour. The study indicates that a fifth of women consider their partner to be an annoying passenger, which may stem from the fact that men tend to dominate driving responsibilities in relationships. Seven in 10 men think they're a good passenger, despite women disagreeing Two thirds of men say they usually take the wheel in the relationship with almost half under the impression they are the better driver. One in five men view driving as part of their share of household duties, and dislike it when their partner drives. Article continues below Marc Pell, managing director at Tempcover, the temporary insurance provider behind the study, commented: "There's never been formal guidance on how to be a good passenger, and that can lead to real tension, especially between couples." PSM Driving School is taking a unique turn by launching the world's first lessons for car passengers. Mark commented: "We're hoping some passenger lessons will help people rethink their passenger habits and improve the in-car dynamic,". The firm's research reveals that in many relationships, men often take charge of driving; however, these novel lessons are designed to change the status quo. Mark explained: "this is a way to flip the usual driving roles - letting a partner take the wheel so they can learn to be a princely co-pilot, letting go and discovering the joy of being chauffeured." A striking 66% of women said backseat drivers were a nuisance, and the data suggests that 42% of female drivers feel increased tension due to poor passengers, with 19% becoming apprehensive about their next turn at the wheel. Paul Middleton, owner and driving instructor at PSM Driving School, said: "Poor passenger etiquette can really knock a driver's confidence - especially in relationships." He continued: "From backseat driving to constant complaints, it's often the little habits that make journeys more stressful than they need to be. Article continues below "We're excited to offer lessons from our professional driving instructors, helping people unlearn unhelpful behaviours and become passengers who support, not stress out the person behind the wheel." Top 20 annoying passenger habits:
The Sun
04-06-2025
- The Sun
Top 20 most annoying passenger habits revealed including ‘complaining about driving' & ‘getting directions wrong'
COMPLAINING, blocking the mirrors and reaching for the invisible brake are among the most frustrating passenger behaviours. A study of 2,000 drivers revealed throwing wrappers around the car and fiddling with the radio were other top 20 pet peeves when ferrying people from A to B. 2 Along with watching loud videos on their phone, popping their feet on the dashboard and shouting out warnings about cars pulling out in front to make sure they have seen them. It also emerged 17 per cent of women think their partner's an annoying passenger and 'backseat driver', despite 69 per cent of men claiming they're a good one. As a result, 43 per cent of couples admitted their car trips regularly end in arguments, with 19 per cent then not speaking for a period of time. But 62 per cent of men prefer taking the driver's seat in a relationship, with 45 per cent thinking they are a better driver than their partner, and 42 per cent saying they like to be in control. Although 32 per cent of men admit this changes when they want to have a drink and encourage their partner to be designated driver. Marc Pell, managing director for Tempcover, a temporary insurance provider which commissioned the research and is now taking bookings for the world's first Passenger lessons from PSM Driving School, said: 'There's never been formal guidance on how to be a good passenger, and that can lead to real tension, especially between couples. 'But we're hoping some passenger lessons will help people rethink their passenger habits and improve the in-car dynamic. 'Our research shows that in many relationships, men do most of the driving but this is a way to flip the usual driving roles - letting a partner take the wheel so they can learn to be a princely co-pilot, letting go and discovering the joy of being chauffeured.' Other passenger frustrations revealed by the poll included having loud phone conversations (31 per cent) and being inaccurate with directions (25 per cent). While 25 per cent also have to bite their tongue when passengers actively touch the steering wheel, or other car parts. Of the men who prefer to be behind the wheel when going somewhere with their partner, 15 per cent don't like their partner's driving. And for 20 per cent of men, they do the driving as part of their agreed-upon couple 'chore split', according to the figures. The study also revealed that the impact of a bad passenger results in 42 per cent of women feeling on edge, while 19 per cent said it gives them anxiety about getting behind the wheel again. While two thirds (63 per cent) of women find backseat drivers patronising. Paul Middleton, owner and driving instructor at PSM Driving School, said: "Poor passenger etiquette can really knock a driver's confidence - especially in relationships. 'From backseat driving to constant complaints, it's often the little habits that make journeys more stressful than they need to be. 'We're excited to offer lessons from our professional driving instructors, helping people unlearn unhelpful behaviours and become passengers who support, not stress out the person behind the wheel.' 1. Making a mess 2. Throwing food wrappers on the floor 3. Complaining about the driving 4. Shouting out warnings to the driver 5. Putting feet on the dashboard 6. Blocking the mirrors 7. Telling the driver to go faster or slower 8. Eating crumbly, loud or smelly food without my permission 9. Screaming/ gasping if they think the driver is late braking / hasn't seen something 10. Changing the song/ radio station without asking 11. Changing the volume of the radio without asking 12. Talking on the phone loudly 13. Watching loud videos on their phone 14. Adjusting the temperature in the car without asking 15. Getting directions wrong 16. Touching steering wheel/other car parts 17. Talking about what they would have done differently 18. Stepping on the invisible brake on their side of the car 19. Opening/closing the window 20. Clutching onto their seatbelt/ seat/ handle with their eyes closed 2
Top Gear
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Buying a cheap, used Mitsubishi Pajero unseen: how bad could it really be?
Ricci's Garage Spoiler: it bad. Let's all play Ricci's Garage Bingo! Skip 3 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Renowned photographer Mark has been working with Top Gear for many, many years. When not taking photos he's buying inappropriate cars. Here he shares his addiction with the world Welcome everyone to round 57 of Ricci's Garage Bingo, and for those first time players this might be a little different to the bingo you're familiar with. You won't find any Dryrobe garms here nor will you be listening to Jess Glynne on repeat for three hours. Instead, you'll witness a man trying to justify his automotive related horrors, repeating the same mistakes in the hope the end result is slightly different. Plot twist: the end result is always the same. Advertisement - Page continues below If you look at this month's card you'll see Ricci's Garage Bingo is littered with many familiar topics. Top left, we have 'the GT-R needs another engine' followed by 'the M6 refresh is about to bankrupt me'. In the top right, you'll see 'more off road wheels purchased' with the classic 'I've bought a car unseen and it's crap' under it. For the bottom row, we have 'sending money abroad and hoping it's not a scam' joined by 'the 911 has a new warning light'. In the middle, you'll see the red bonus ball that simply reads 'Pajero'. That's because this month's winning card really is a greatest hits of all the above. Not only have I bought another Mitsubishi Pajero, but I bought it completely unseen. You might like This MkI three door Pajero (Shogun) was for sale in the UK, but it was priced very cheaply on the UK MkI Pajero Owners' Club Facebook group. Given how popular these cars are in extra curricular activities like cash machine theft and among those with no fixed postal address, a cheap MkI is the equivalent of wearing a meat bikini and diving into the Amazon river. 'Someone is coming around to look at it this afternoon unfortunately,' the seller told me after I'd asked to buy it. Naturally, this could not go unpunished, so minutes later I'd transferred him the money allowing me to feel smug that I'd snagged a bargain. And then it turned up. Advertisement - Page continues below Its 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine runs, but rather than pistons it's powered by an improv jazz drummer who seems to be constantly falling down a flight of stairs. The paint has been reapplied using a paint roller. Either that, or an Old English sheepdog has bathed in green paint before being allowed to roll over every panel. The term 'prep' may have been lost at this stage too – no masking or sanding was used to protect parts that didn't need paint. Like the headlights. But at least they exist, which is more than can be said for various rubber trim pieces around the windows. Also, the inside now smells so strong even someone with a penchant for Chinese wet markets might consider it a bit of a hazard. And do you know what the worst thing is? I don't care about any of that, because I am once again utterly in love with a horrid excuse of a Pajero. One that somehow still has an MOT certificate, which must have been done via wifi in a previous life. I can't even begin to tell you what the plans are for it – my Pajero Evo has a blown engine and my other MkI needs more welding. What's most annoying is the fact I now need to find another MkI Pajero with a bubble shape roof to replace it. But we'll save that adventure for a future game of Ricci's Garage Bingo. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
