All you want to do is to drive your car in peace. It's not like you failed your driving lessons, or that it's your first time behind the wheel. Yet every time you take a few friends or family drivers out for a drive, everyone seems to think that they're a much better than you. If there's anything that can rattle the patience of even the most experienced and level-headed of drivers, it's the backseat drivers.

A backseat driver may not realize that his or her nagging is a danger on the road. A driver can lose his or her attention and concentration, and everyone may end up in a serious or even a fatal accident. Backseat drivers are also insensitive, and may hurt the feelings of a driver who just wants to run the car through its paces. Here are some ways to get rid of backseat drivers.

Kinds of Backseat Drivers

There are many kinds of backseat drivers. Backseat drivers have different forms of behavior, although all of them are distracting, annoying, and potentially dangerous.

• The Shortcut Master. He or she will “guide” you to all sorts of directions, or “shortcuts,” to your destination. Shortcut Masters insist that they know every place like the back of their hand, and that you're only taking the long-cut to everywhere. Most of the time, they end up completely off with their “shortcuts,” and you'll have to back up to your original route.
• The Racing Legend. Some backseat drivers will talk endlessly about cars, as if they were pit-stop mechanics or racing legends in their past lives. It can get very annoying, especially if he or she keeps comparing your car to other models on the market. Backseat drivers like the Racing Legend can sometimes hype up their skills and knowledge of cars so much, but they really can't prove it.
• The Two-Speed Nagger. While your dashboard speedometer has many different speeds, the Two-Speed Nagger only knows two speeds: “Fast” and “Slow.” There's just no way you can convince these backseat drivers that you're driving the car at just the right speed. It's either you're going way above the speed limit, or that you're backing up traffic even if you're in a freeway.
• The Cantankerous Critic. He or she can never be contented or satisfied with the way you drive. With Cantankerous Critics, it's like you're taking driving lessons all over again, but your “teacher” is less sympathetic or understanding. They can never be satisfied with how you handle speed bumps, different kinds of curves, and even criticize the quality of your car interior.

Ignore Them

While it pays to listen to well-meaning advice, it's often safer and more convenient to ignore the backseat driver. Driving requires a lot of focus and concentration, and you can get easily distracted by the comments of backseat drivers. Paying more attention to a backseat driver's comments mean that you pay less attention to the road and traffic. Dangerous and potentially fatal accidents are caused when you get yourself distracted by even just one second.

Focus your attention on the road. It's easy to block out the comments and criticisms of backseat drivers if they just murmur, or if they make passing comments about your driving. You may need to listen to some easy listening music through an earphone at one ear if a backseat driver is quite insistent.

Let Them Take the Wheel

Many backseat drivers are quite obnoxious and would often compare their own driving skills to yours. Come to think of it, you've never seen them drive. Maybe all they know about driving is what they see on TV, what they read on books, or just make up some “techniques” here and there just to make you look bad. Backseat drivers like these think that they're the “co-pilot” of your car, even if you don't really need their help or if you doubt their driving skills.

Some backseat drivers may defend themselves by saying, “I'm only trying to help.” The next time someone criticizes your driving skills well within earshot, pull over, stop the car and tell them to take the wheel, just so that you can see how much of a “better” driver they are. Maybe they can even teach you lessons about how to drive. Most of the time, a backseat driver will balk on this challenge. With a little help and a large serving of humble pie, your backseat driver may get the message that he or she is not a good help at all.

Anti-Backseat Driver Equipment

Sure, you may be irritated enough to consider a roll of duct tape and a coil of rope as “anti-backseat driver equipment,” but you don't have to resort to illegal and drastic measures to get rid of backseat drivers. Equipment may be expensive, but they also serve as a good investment for your automobile.

• GPS and digital navigation devices is a good deterrent against backseat drivers who insist on knowing a “better shortcut” to your destination. If you can't afford GPS yet, you may want to keep some road atlases and maps inside your glove compartment for good measure.
• In-car entertainment systems can keep your passengers occupied, while you concentrate on driving. TV, game consoles, and satellite radio can keep even the most annoying of backseat drivers happy and away from criticizing your driving skills.
• Magazines and books can also help distract backseat drivers. Keep a few magazines, books, and other light reading material in your glove compartment. Your car manual also works great for this purpose, especially for wannabe mechanics.

The trick is to keep a potential backseat driver preoccupied and distracted enough for you to pay attention to the road. Try to make your car friendly and accommodating enough for even the most annoying of backseat drivers to stop pestering you over your drive.

Set the Rules

It's your car, you're the one driving, so you should set the rules. Backseat drivers exploit your generosity and kindness; after all, you're the one gracious enough to drive them somewhere. It's very important for you to set some rules when you're driving:

• No unnecessary noises.
• No bad or insulting comments about how you drive.
• If you do need directions, you'll pull over and ask somebody who knows how to get to your destination.
• Have fun, but the fun and noise should not be distracting.

As a driver, the safety and life of your passengers rest in your hands. If you get distracted or annoyed, you may make errors that may end up in serious injury or even death.

Know When You're Wrong

There are times that even the most annoying and most distracting of backseat drivers are right. Maybe you should have taken the shortcut they suggested, or maybe you drive a bit above the speed limit. Unless you're really experienced, and if you're a first-time driver, you may need to pay attention to some well-meaning advice from backseat drivers. However you shouldn't become so dependent on them, to the point that you can't drive without anyone “coaching” you from the back seat.

There's nothing that can distract a driver more than the constant, annoying nagging of backseat drivers. Some of them may be genuinely concerned about how you drive, but most of them just hang around to show everyone that they're way better drivers. Some of them put up with their boasts, but it's best to find ways to make them shut up. When worst comes to worst, take a drive on your own, where there's no backseat driver acting like the monkey on your back that you can't shake off.