fbpx
Wikipedia

Back-seat driver

January 01, 1970

Look up back-seat driver in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A backseat driver (also spelled back-seat driver) is a passenger in a vehicle who is not controlling the vehicle but who excessively comments on the driver's actions and decisions in an attempt to control the vehicle.[1] A backseat driver may be uncomfortable with the skills of the driver, feel out of control since they are not driving the vehicle, or want to tutor the driver while they are at the wheel. Many comment on the speed of the vehicle, or give alternative directions.[2]

Some backseat drivers exhibit this type of behavior simply because they feel the driver is taking risks they would not normally take, while others may have other reasons to be nervous, such as when the driver has a poor driving record.[3] A survey of 2,000 British drivers in early 2018 found that 70% motorists found backseat driving an annoying habit and that life partners were those most likely to interfere. Although only 21% of motorists admitted to backseat driving, half said they have been in arguments due to interfering comments, and five percent admitted to accidentally jumping a red light during an argument with a backseat driver.[4]

Use of the term extends beyond the literal and into the figurative; a "backseat driver" is someone who offers unsolicited advice, directions, or help in a situation where someone else is doing something.

Examples in context edit

The term has been used for technology, such as devices installed in a car which observe the driving through electronic means, and inform the driver or a third party.[5]

The Maine Department of Transportation[6] has a web poster "Are you a Good Back Seat Driver?" asking "True or False: Being a Backseat Driver means it is okay to be noisy or distracting to the driver as long as you are giving them safety tips." The Inland Register[7] produced by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane makes use of it in a sermon: "Even our phrase 'back-seat driver' reflects this new-found freedom. Which of us who has graduated to the status of driver enjoys a passenger, especially one out of reach in the back seat, who seems to know how to drive better than we do?"

The Art of being a Backseat Driver[8] in the San Bernardino County Sun summarizes various comments of the sort otherwise found in multiple blogs. Some are specialized, such as the Back Seat Driving blog,[9] formerly the "LA Car Blog".

Appearances in culture edit

The term is used in Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars, an episode of Invader Zim. A poem "The Backseat Driver" by Parick G Hughes appears in the Northern Ireland BBC.[10]

The act of giving instructions to a driver has been used as a humorous idea for a game. In All things Considered[11] on NPR for July 19, 2006, there is an account of a "Back Seat Driver competition in Forest City, Iowa. [...] The event—in which a driver races backward while blindfolded and instructed by the voice of a companion over an intercom—is in its eighth year." It has even been noticed by People's Daily.[12]

In a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3 episode, Master Vile and the Metallic Armor, showed Rito being a backseat driver. He asks Master Vile "Are We There yet?" and annoyed him. Rito gets yelled at by him for the whining and not letting him work in peace. Master Vile threaten to turn the Space Skull around and send him back to Rita and Zedd if he doesn't behave himself.

A couple of episodes in Power Rangers Zeo shows example of backseat drivers with Rita Repulsa and Goldar in the motorhome base they share with Lord Zedd, Finster, and Rito. On their way back to the palace, Rita's constant demanding lands the base a flat tire, which she and Zedd blame each other. After getting the tire fixed and back driving, Goldar shows up with the map that Zedd needs and unintentionally proceeds to be another backseat driver by overly trying to help them with the map that lands the motorhome base with yet another flat tire. Surely, Rita and Zedd blames him for the mess. Another example of a backseat driver is Rito whose constant asking of "Are We There Yet?", irritated both Zedd and Rita to the point they threaten to kick him out of the motorhome and make him walk the rest of the way to their campsite if he doesn't behave himself. In Rangers from Two Worlds, Goldar and Rito became back-seat drivers. They squabbled and fought over seating arrangements and veered the motorhome off course and foiling Rita's attempt to turn Katherine back into Catastrophe and instead turned her purse into a monster.

James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies is forced to dive into the rear seat of his BMW 750il and drive it from a cellular phone that can remotely control the car. Later in the film, both he and Wai Lin are handcuffed together and must jointly ride a motorcycle while constantly bickering.

The earlier episodes of The Simpsons shows examples of backseat drivers[dubious – discuss] in the form of Bart and Lisa annoying Homer to no end with their asking of "Are we there yet?", causing him to snap at them.[citation needed] One time in the season 2 episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", while driving to Detroit to visit Herb Powell, Marge lost her patience with Bart and Lisa being backseat drivers.[dubious – discuss][citation needed]

Related idioms edit

Armchair quarterback refers to a sports fan who thinks that they know better than the players themselves and are always eager to shout advice, whether live at the game or, more commonly, sitting at home in a chair (hence "armchair").[citation needed] Similarly, the phrase armchair general is used to refer to somebody who is not in the military but thinks that they know better than the generals who plan military operations. This term can be used in many of the same situations as backseat driver. In Italy, the term umarell refers to men of retirement age who pass time watching roadworks, offering unwanted advice, similar to a "sidewalk superintendent" in English.

References edit

  1. ^ "Backseat driver - Merriam-Webster Online". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  2. ^ Eisenstein, Paul (9 June 2013). "Who's the Worst Backseat Driver?". CNBC. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  3. ^ "How to Cure Your Inner "Back Seat Driver"". myNationwide. December 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  4. ^ Elsworthy, Emma (6 June, 2018). All the signs you're a back-seat driver, according to study. The Independent.
  5. ^ Eisenberg, Anne (February 4, 2007). "These Back Seat Drivers Are Moving Up Front". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  6. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2007-04-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ . Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  8. ^ . Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  9. ^ . www.lacar.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  10. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/learning/getwritingni/sp_ph_backseat.shtml Writer's Showcase
  11. ^ "Who's the Best Back Seat Driver?". NPR.
  12. ^ . en.people.cn. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-03-06.

External links edit

  •   The dictionary definition of back-seat driver at Wiktionary

January 01, 1970
back, seat, driver, look, back, seat, driver, wiktionary, free, dictionary, backseat, driver, also, spelled, back, seat, driver, passenger, vehicle, controlling, vehicle, excessively, comments, driver, actions, decisions, attempt, control, vehicle, backseat, d. Look up back seat driver in Wiktionary the free dictionary A backseat driver also spelled back seat driver is a passenger in a vehicle who is not controlling the vehicle but who excessively comments on the driver s actions and decisions in an attempt to control the vehicle 1 A backseat driver may be uncomfortable with the skills of the driver feel out of control since they are not driving the vehicle or want to tutor the driver while they are at the wheel Many comment on the speed of the vehicle or give alternative directions 2 Some backseat drivers exhibit this type of behavior simply because they feel the driver is taking risks they would not normally take while others may have other reasons to be nervous such as when the driver has a poor driving record 3 A survey of 2 000 British drivers in early 2018 found that 70 motorists found backseat driving an annoying habit and that life partners were those most likely to interfere Although only 21 of motorists admitted to backseat driving half said they have been in arguments due to interfering comments and five percent admitted to accidentally jumping a red light during an argument with a backseat driver 4 Use of the term extends beyond the literal and into the figurative a backseat driver is someone who offers unsolicited advice directions or help in a situation where someone else is doing something Contents 1 Examples in context 2 Appearances in culture 3 Related idioms 4 References 5 External linksExamples in context editThe term has been used for technology such as devices installed in a car which observe the driving through electronic means and inform the driver or a third party 5 The Maine Department of Transportation 6 has a web poster Are you a Good Back Seat Driver asking True or False Being a Backseat Driver means it is okay to be noisy or distracting to the driver as long as you are giving them safety tips The Inland Register 7 produced by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane makes use of it in a sermon Even our phrase back seat driver reflects this new found freedom Which of us who has graduated to the status of driver enjoys a passenger especially one out of reach in the back seat who seems to know how to drive better than we do The Art of being a Backseat Driver 8 in the San Bernardino County Sun summarizes various comments of the sort otherwise found in multiple blogs Some are specialized such as the Back Seat Driving blog 9 formerly the LA Car Blog Appearances in culture editThe term is used in Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars an episode of Invader Zim A poem The Backseat Driver by Parick G Hughes appears in the Northern Ireland BBC 10 The act of giving instructions to a driver has been used as a humorous idea for a game In All things Considered 11 on NPR for July 19 2006 there is an account of a Back Seat Driver competition in Forest City Iowa The event in which a driver races backward while blindfolded and instructed by the voice of a companion over an intercom is in its eighth year It has even been noticed by People s Daily 12 In a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3 episode Master Vile and the Metallic Armor showed Rito being a backseat driver He asks Master Vile Are We There yet and annoyed him Rito gets yelled at by him for the whining and not letting him work in peace Master Vile threaten to turn the Space Skull around and send him back to Rita and Zedd if he doesn t behave himself A couple of episodes in Power Rangers Zeo shows example of backseat drivers with Rita Repulsa and Goldar in the motorhome base they share with Lord Zedd Finster and Rito On their way back to the palace Rita s constant demanding lands the base a flat tire which she and Zedd blame each other After getting the tire fixed and back driving Goldar shows up with the map that Zedd needs and unintentionally proceeds to be another backseat driver by overly trying to help them with the map that lands the motorhome base with yet another flat tire Surely Rita and Zedd blames him for the mess Another example of a backseat driver is Rito whose constant asking of Are We There Yet irritated both Zedd and Rita to the point they threaten to kick him out of the motorhome and make him walk the rest of the way to their campsite if he doesn t behave himself In Rangers from Two Worlds Goldar and Rito became back seat drivers They squabbled and fought over seating arrangements and veered the motorhome off course and foiling Rita s attempt to turn Katherine back into Catastrophe and instead turned her purse into a monster James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies is forced to dive into the rear seat of his BMW 750il and drive it from a cellular phone that can remotely control the car Later in the film both he and Wai Lin are handcuffed together and must jointly ride a motorcycle while constantly bickering The earlier episodes of The Simpsons shows examples of backseat drivers dubious discuss in the form of Bart and Lisa annoying Homer to no end with their asking of Are we there yet causing him to snap at them citation needed One time in the season 2 episode Oh Brother Where Art Thou while driving to Detroit to visit Herb Powell Marge lost her patience with Bart and Lisa being backseat drivers dubious discuss citation needed Related idioms editArmchair quarterback refers to a sports fan who thinks that they know better than the players themselves and are always eager to shout advice whether live at the game or more commonly sitting at home in a chair hence armchair citation needed Similarly the phrase armchair general is used to refer to somebody who is not in the military but thinks that they know better than the generals who plan military operations This term can be used in many of the same situations as backseat driver In Italy the term umarell refers to men of retirement age who pass time watching roadworks offering unwanted advice similar to a sidewalk superintendent in English References edit Backseat driver Merriam Webster Online Merriam Webster Retrieved 31 January 2014 Eisenstein Paul 9 June 2013 Who s the Worst Backseat Driver CNBC Retrieved 2 February 2014 How to Cure Your Inner Back Seat Driver myNationwide December 2013 Retrieved 31 January 2014 Elsworthy Emma 6 June 2018 All the signs you re a back seat driver according to study The Independent Eisenberg Anne February 4 2007 These Back Seat Drivers Are Moving Up Front The New York Times Retrieved 2 February 2014 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2006 11 07 Retrieved 2007 04 07 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Administrative Division Inland Register Archived from the original on 2007 06 25 Retrieved 2007 04 07 San Bernardino County Sun Perfecting the art of being a backseat driver Archived from the original on 2006 10 17 Retrieved 2007 04 07 Home LA Car www lacar com Archived from the original on 2007 09 28 Retrieved 2007 04 07 http www bbc co uk northernireland learning getwritingni sp ph backseat shtml Writer s Showcase Who s the Best Back Seat Driver NPR People s Daily Online Back seat drivers shine at Winnebago rally en people cn Archived from the original on 2020 09 24 Retrieved 2020 03 06 External links edit nbsp The dictionary definition of back seat driver at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Back seat driver amp oldid 1176460597, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.