The idea that your life is in the hands of someone else is already pretty terrifying. When you consider the fact most people drive their cars with one hand, if that, on the wheel while operating machinery weighing a few tonnes and hitting speeds of up to about 120km an hour, sometimes in rows of traffic, it doesn’t exactly make you feel all that safe. When you’re the one weaving in and out of traffic alone in the middle of the night, it’s a different story than being the white-knuckled, suddenly very religious fellow in the passenger seat. Fear of Being a Car Passenger is where the rubber meets the road and you’re just along for the ride.
Buckle Up for Fear of Being a Car Passenger
In any other situation, the idea of allowing someone else to dictate your speed, direction and song choice on the radio is something no one gets excited about. Yet, for some reason, there’s an entire subculture around the notion of just going for a drive which all begins with the ultra-competitive ideology of yelling “shotgun!” to assert dominance with premium seating. This leads to many an argument initiated by the loser in the backseat who can’t control their own windows. So why is there this fixation surrounding the concept of entering a motorized vehicle and reaching alarming speeds with no defined destination while essentially dropping money out the window with today’s gas prices? I don’t know but that’s not the point of this discussion. Why people willingly enter these vehicles and allow someone else to author their experience is the purpose.
There’s no way for someone who isn’t operating the vehicle to slow it down or alter its course. Wherever the car driver wants to go and at what speed or lack of signalling they choose to do so is at their discretion. The only good thing about being a passenger is you can control your own seat belt. Oh, and your chair sometimes has a butt warmer. That’s pretty cool. Otherwise, you’re completely at the mercy of the driver who simply will go until they stop.
Pull-Over and Walk Away From Your Fear of Being a Car Passenger
Fortunately, Fear of Being a Car Passenger is something most people can easily avoid experiencing by not being a car passenger. It sounds easy because it is. If you’ve ever had the luxury of riding in the back of a taxi or taking public transit, you’ve subjected yourself to unnecessary risk by traveling at all. Next time just consider not traveling. Did you really need to go to work? Visit friends or family? See your doctor? Yes. So buy a car and then you can offer people rides! It seems the speedometer is finally on the other pedal. That was supposed to be a “tables have turned” type of analogy.
