Which Child Rides Shotgun in Your Family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't any of you know that the shot gun seat (front passenger) is the most dangerous spot in the entire car if you are hit? Carpool parents even fight about this - whether any child can sit shotgun -because we all know that is the most dangerous seat. None of you knows that? My kids go in back where it is safer. We were T-boned once by someone running a red and it destroyed/totaled the front passenger seat and I was in it. Never again.

We are not talkng about five year olds. Pre-teens and teenagers can ride shotgun. Hell, my 13 year old is taller than, and outweights me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. "Front Passenger Seat


For those who prefer to sit in the front, think again. The front passenger seat is the most dangerous spot in a car. With a risk coefficient of 101, it means that the front passenger would be in a more dangerous position compared to the driver. This makes sense because a driver’s natural instinct is to steer away from an accident. As a result, the front passenger is more likely to be heading toward an accident."

So do you ride in the back when your spouse is driving.

[Anonymous]

The teenager least critical of mother's driving abilities gets to ride shotgun. Sometimes that means that everyone rides in the back.

Bunch of pussies!

[Anonymous]

Whoever rides in back gets the iPad.

Re-set the dynamic. For us, it's been win-win.

[Anonymous]

16 & 13?
Oh only one way to settle this...

[Anonymous]

I think that whoever is tallest should get to sit in the front seat. I am 15 years old and in physical pain in the back seat but my parents still make me sit back there. If you an prevent your children from that, do it. Senoirty rules though because they are usally the tallest.

[Anonymous]

My older son is 6'4" now, but was always tall. So he always gets the front seat since there is more headroom for him. My younger son never argues the point and doesn't mind, knowing that when the older isn't with us, it's his turn to be up front.

[Anonymous]

Wow, your older son is incredibly entitled. You need to nip that in the bud. They should take turns, every other time. Start that now. Your older son is an entitled brat. Of course they should take turns.

[Anonymous]

Rotate. But we eventually found that the key reason to sit in front was the heated seats. Our subsequent car had rear heated seats and no one sat in front anymore. A look over my shoulder occasionally on what was on their phone would also be yet another reason why they sat behind. gone too are the days kids fought over radio. Now they just Bluetooth their music but I rarely allow them because I can’t stand their music!

[Anonymous]

Not up to that stage yet, but plan on rotating when it becomes an issue.

Oddly, my younger brother and I fought over a lot, but not shotgun. His view was, I was older so I got shotgun, and when I started driving or went to college, then he'd get it. He just didn't care. I preferred shotgun but had a sense of fair play and would have split it with no fuss if he'd asked, but he never did. I think he was avoiding the possibility of extra conversation with our parents.

[Anonymous]

After it's announced we're leaving the house, whoever asks "Can I sit in front?" first gets told yes.

[Anonymous]

2 kids is easy: odd days and even days, they rotate. Don't know what we would have done if more than 2 kids - would be too much work to manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever yells 'shotgun' first gets it. Some shoving and sprinting to the car ensues. Parents stay uninvolved other than occasional threats that everyone will have to sit in the back. Isn't this how it's done in all families?

+1

+1. This is my house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do Rock Paper Scissors each time. They have to do it once, right in front of you. First winner gets shotgun.

Even I agreed that wasn’t fair in our family...

My brother cannot beat me in RPS. Dunno why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter refuses to ride shotgun. She prefers to sit in the back with headphones on. I'd love to have this problem.

PP, if it helps, this was me as a teen and I now feel immensely guilty about it and realize how foolish I was for not getting that time with my parents. Anyway, my kids are not yet old enough for this to be a problem yet, but I completely sympathize!