[tazmaan]

There used to be many rules for my car but most have been diluted post Marriage and kids.

1. Eating is allowed in the car now followed by cleaning and trashing the wrappers.
2. No feet on the dashboard, center armrest or anywhere else other than the footwell.
3. No phone with bright screen in the front passenger seat while driving on the highway after dark.
4. No smoking.
5. No iPad for kids.
6. Mandatory seat belts (luckily no one in my family objects they do it themselves).
7. Open windows after gas bombs

[distiller]

Excellent Thread! And good to know that, I am not the one alone.

My better half and little princess tell me that the car is yours only, the reason being the in-car rules.

• No unnecessary fiddling around
• Closing the door without banging them.
• No eating inside the car; exception for long drives.
• Proper waste disposal
• Belting up

So sometimes there are sweet arguments and the stress levels going up. I always try to coach myself that people are important and not the materialistic things. But once inside the car, I can't control the freak inside me!

[varman742]

I was very particular about the passenger's behavior when inside the vehicle however off late I am realizing that having rules and disciplines is actually putting a lot of stress rather instead of helping me. Reason - most of the time the passengers are my wife and kids. And kids being kids, they wont follow rules, especially for long drives. So I have come to a point where other than mandatory safety and security rules, which have already been listed earlier, the other 'rules' can be diluted. Now I am absolutely okay to:

Allow having food
Get the car muddy,dirty, messy inside
play the music which my kids and wife want to listen
Do whatever kids want to do at backseat as long as they don't fight and don't disturb me
Let my co-passenger sleep while seating in the front seat

I like long drives with family and believe that rules should not come in way to allow everyone to enjoy the journey the way they want, including me, off course maintaining security and safety!

[PrasannaDhana]

My rules are a few

1. No food/ beverage consumption inside the car

2. No opening the passenger windows, I will be the one who does that, and that is only if it's very necessary. I hate dust particles inside the car.

3. ICE & AC controls are prohibited to anyone but me.

4. Passenger doors remain shut until I tell them to open. I make it a point it is safe and no one drives/walks close to the doors while the passengers get down.

5. Seat belts mandatory to anyone who travels with me.

6. No long phone calls/ chitchatting over phone while travelling. A 1-2 minutes call is OK. I hate people talking over phone for 5+ minutes.


I drive solo 90% of the times.

[KPR]

No rules really except that I always keep child lock and power windows locked in two rear doors for my children safety which extends to adults as well. Rest all fine. Anything becoming dirty in the floor or seat area, one thorough cleaning on a Sunday will set things right. With children, ICE controls section is becoming out of control for me which can be compensated from solo drives. No rules for long drives has worked charm for me.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Not many rules. I can't imagine anyone even wanting to smoke, and I once had to say no alcohol to a foreign visitor who carried a bottle in his bag. The guy had a problem that I'm pleased to say he subsequently got to grips with. Not a problem to bring into my car.

I also like to drive, except I wish my wife could, then I'd willingly share. A friend wanted to drive car, but I always said no. Then we went on a trip together and he ended up doing most of the driving. He was happy; I was happy.

I apologize for still being too dumb to speak the local language, I ask that people stick to English. They should also not use the time to make phone calls. I'm not a taxi driver! Unfortunately my wife is the biggest breaker of both these rules!


Food etc, I don't care. I will try to accommodate different temperature requirements, but bottom line is that the driver must be comfortable.

Seatbelts is an absolute requirement. Just one elderly couple I have let off, but I hate it and it makes me want to drive at 5km/hr because that is about maximum safe speed unbelted, and the head bump still hurts.

People should also understand that I phase out of conversation if driving requires it.

And this... I don't pretend to be the best or smoothest driver in the world. I'm not. I try to drive in a way that is comfortable for all. But, if, despite that, someone doesn't like my driving, then they need not come in my car.

Oh... I won't be told how to drive, but I never mind passengers being lookouts. That's the difference between passengers and crew. Crew are supposed to mention dangers the skipper may not have seen. If I did, no problems; if I didn't, could save a life. Or at least a body panel.

[SkodaFan0]

1. Generals: no eating & drinking IN or ON the car.
2. No empty bottles and umbrellas that will rattle in the door pockets.
3. With an all white interior, your hands MUST be clean lest you stain door handles and worse, ROOF LINING when you grab the handles.
4. No sitting in the middle in the rear with one leg on either side: obstructs my rear view and you are bound to stain my seats n floors when you get down.
5. No crossing over from one side to another in the rear seats. I will hold the door open for you and help you get in safely, BUT DO NOT CROSS OVER INSIDE!

I was known in my family to be the meanest car owner. People thought that me owning a car had gotten to my head. I always replied that it is me who cleans the car for 4 hours on my sundays after working 6 day weeks.

[srini1785]

Only one rule : No dogs.

For that matter any pets. One friend brought his German Shepherd along and though it was well behaved for most of the journey, it started to freak me out with frequent peeps to the dash board during the last part. Since then i have banned dogs.

I also have the funny habit of asking any rear passenger to sit in the middle of the rear seat when there is only one of them. Equal weight distribution on the rear axle logic. I am not able to shake it off my mind.

[Sounak04]

I have a few rules/guidelines when it comes to my cars such as-

1. During rains, the doors have to closed as soon as possible. I do not like the fact that people after opening the car doors, take lot of time to get out. I do not like my car getting wet from inside. Thats a big no no for me.

2. Doors have to be closed in a soft manner. At the end of the day, these are car doors and not the doors of a truck or a bus.

3. No eating in my car. Drinks are still fine especially if they are cold and can be had with a straw.

4. No keeping grocery bags on rear seat. My car has beige seats and i do not like them getting dirty. Bags are to be kept on the floor or in the boot.

5. My car is mostly driven by me and sometimes by my Brother, if he is visiting India. Other than that, no one is allowed to drive my cars irrespective of that fact whether he is a good driver or not.

[alphadog]

Interesting thread and it is great to read about the rules other members have.

I for one have only a few non-negotiable rules, mainly safety related.
1. Always belt up or walk. Back or front seat does not matter.
2. Kids never in front. My kids are always in their child-seat and booster seat.
3. No smoking in car.

With the rest like food inside car, music, passenger sleeping, I am quite chilled about it, (i guess with kids in family, its best to be so).
And oh yes, I do love my stickers and decals, but not over the top.

But when it comes to my bikes, I am the diametrically opposite - a Mr Hyde , a control freak.

Cheerio!

[JishD]

1. No smoking
2. Seatbelts mandatory for front passengers
3. Windows up always
4. Don't talk too much or too loudly 😉

[kovilkalai]

I have one main rule...

NO BACKSEAT DRIVING!

Aside from that, I don't have any problems with anything else. I have no problem with any licensed person driving my car (and I mean ANY). I don't even have a problem if they return the car with scratches or bumps - I mean it hurts, but I chalk it up to "stuff happens". I've caused dings and scratches on my car, so it is possible that other people can do this as well.

[Rajat347]

My Rules :

1) Seat Belts mandatory,
2) Do not touch my AC.
3) While in my car, please don't criticize my music system, sound or anything else.
4) Sanitization and cleanliness is new normal.
5) My one year old son is strictly asked to use his car seat. He was 6 months old when we drove him to Goa and he was happy in his car seat.
6) No stickers please inside and outside.
7) Even small niggles like torn wipers or burn out lamps strictly now allowed.

[am1m]

Wow, a lot of rules, and I thought I was nuts for 'Jopasuing' the car every couple of days and insisting on washing it myself once a week ('so there are no swirls')!

I do insist on seat belts. Only my mom fights that on the very rare occasions that she's in the car these days. Especially difficult to convince her since she was the one who taught me how to drive two decades ago!

Anyway, the car we have now is registered in the wife's name and she uses it more than I do in the city (on highways, we split and swap the driver's seat every 100-150km), so no point my having any rules at all!

I have only one peeve though- WHY do women insist on using the car as an extension of the house/storage space?! There will be a pair of dress shoes, chappals, some stuff she wants to get rid of but hasn't for years, stuff she needs to drop off at a friend's place but hasn't for months...not to mention cosmetics, combs, etc etc. The old car even had one of those decorative plaques with some picture on it on the dashboard, the kind of thing that really belongs on a coffee table! Thankfully, I was able to veto that at least in the new car using the reasoning that in a collision, anything loose in the car will be really dangerous.

I know this is going to be sacrilege in an auto forum, but those experiences over more than a decade of marriage have helped me chill, I now see the car as something that needs to be used and enjoyed, not obsessively kept all neat and shiny (sorry in advance! mods please don't revoke my membership! )

Oh, and someone posted about dogs in the car. The first time we went to pick up our last dog (fully-grown, from a chap who couldn't keep him anymore), he pissed in copious quantities all over the back seat all the way home! It took multiple washes before the lingering smell left the car. (We don't have any pets right now.)

[Thad E Ginathom]

My car is an extension of my home. I keep all sorts of rubbish in it. Don't mind if my wife does the same