You have heard about dinner etiquettes, workplace etiquettes, and many more of this kind. But have you come across car etiquettes or considered them important? Do you know that snacking or fiddling with the radio can bother your co-passenger? Here, we are going to give you an insight into the basic car etiquettes that you must have. Some of these points are obvious while some aren’t. Find out and know why you must follow them!
Basic car etiquettes we must all know
You must follow basic car etiquettes as they show good manners and kindness. Check out the ones you are and aren’t aware of to get better at this:
1. Appreciate people who lend you a car
If you’ve ever asked your friend or family member to lend their car and haven’t shown your appreciation, it’s bad. It might have been an emergency and you might be really close to the family member to not care about exchanging gifts. However, you should have at least refilled their fuel tank, and this is irrespective of driving a short distance. Next time you ask someone to lend you a car, you must refill their tank to say thanks.
2. When and where you shouldn’t sit
If your friend is taking you out for a drive or your boss offers you a drop back home, where do you sit? Do you ever sit at the back of the car or do you sit beside? Well, if you’re the only one in the car apart from the person who’s driving, you shouldn’t sit at the back. This gesture is not only rude but also makes the person feel small. We do this when we hire a cab but not to our friends and colleagues.
3. Offer front seat
If you’re traveling with someone senior in terms of relationship or profession, you must offer them the front seat. It can be the driver’s parent, boss, or someone who wants to sit. The front seat shows an appreciation of the fact that the person is ahead of you. It is a gesture that shows respect of seniority.
4. Kids at the back
When you travel with kids, you should make sure that they are seated at the back. It is primarily for safety but also keeps distraction away from the driver. Kids often get playful and can press or manhandle something. To avoid such risks, kids must sit at the back.
5. Don’t touch this and that
If you’re not driving, you shouldn’t touch anything that the driver is supposed to control. It is the most common tip that every passenger must keep in mind. You can’t mess around the car’s console without permission, especially if you don’t know what to do and why.
6. Regular servicing
To keep yourself and your passengers or family safe, you must send your car for regular servicing. Note that your car doesn’t have an unending life expectancy so you have to think of selling it off at one point. If an old car is not giving you the service you need, you might replace or sell and get another.
7. Always wear seat belts
A responsible adult doesn’t forget the most obvious safety tip of driving. Just as important helmets are for riding a bike, you need to put on the seat belt while driving. The people on the front need to definitely have them on and also if there are belts at the back.
8. Don’t open glovebox without asking
If you’re in someone else’s car, ask them before touching their glovebox and door pockets. If the driver or the car owner asks you to take out something, you should help them out. Peeping otherwise makes you an intruder and that’s a bad habit.
9. Don’t litter inside cars
You shouldn’t litter anyone’s car – even if it is yours. It is as bad as throwing rubbish on the streets or in someone else’s house. If you tend to litter your own car, make sure you clean it once you’ve parked.
10. Don’t eat inside
Most of us love to drive down to eat food or carry something on the go. However, it isn’t nice to eat inside the car. You can dirty the space and find it difficult to clean up. This is the same in terms of smoking. Most countries don’t allow people to smoke inside their car when they have kids in it.
Finally, note that the licensed driver could be your son or spouse, but you shouldn’t tell him what to do when he is at it. There is nothing more dangerous than giving instructions to a driver when you don’t know how he is dealing with every move. These simple tips can help everyone stay safe and maintain car etiquettes.
