Brett Borland15 Mar 2019
FEATURE

Five things you should never touch in someone else's car

Be a good passenger and follow these rules to ensure you're invited back. Also it is just common courtesy.

So you’ve managed to score a lift with one of your mates, which is perfect because you've just spent the $30 you had for petrol this week at the pub the night before. Here are the five things you should never touch in someone else’s car to ensure they’ll be willing to offer you a lift in the future.

The AUX cord and charger cable

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It doesn’t matter if the driver's idea of a road trip playlist is two straight hours of Nickleback. If you’re going to use their petrol (And we all know you’re not chipping in for it) then the AUX cord stays firmly fixed into their phone. The same goes for the charger. It’s not okay to let them drain their battery on music and maps while you top up your charge from 78% to 100%.

The A/C and vents

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Everyone has their own air-con preferences. Whether they're a face and feet, front window, or god forbid, feet only venter, their preference is their preference and at the end of the day you are in their car. There’s nothing worse than feeling that drip of sweat from the pits and realising your mate Barry has turned off all the vents before leaving your car.

The dashboard (with your feet)

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Your driver might tell you to put the chair back and have a snooze, but this does not give you permission to put your feet up on the dash! Especially after you’ve just walked barefoot from the beach, giving your feet a two second brush with your towel (which you didn’t want to get dirty) and convincing yourself that they’re clean. As good friends as you may be, they don’t really want your dirty toe prints left on the corner of their windscreen for the next 4 months until their annual car clean.

The car horn

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We don’t care if the idiot in the hotted up Hyundai Getz steals the spot you’ve been circling the carpark to find, under no circumstance, and we repeat no circumstance is it ever acceptable to reach over the driver and toot their horn. Keep your road rage to yourself!

The glove box

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Although the worst thing most people will have in a glove box is their collection of So Fresh Summer Hits CDs from 2000-2006, you should never go snooping unless instructed. Think of it like someone's bag or wallet and just don’t do it!

Obviously, if the driver invites you to do any of the above you're in the clear. Phew.

Related: Car etiquette: The dos and just don’ts of back-seat burgers
Related: The etiquette of borrowing your friend’s car
Related: The five types of passengers we've all had in the car
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Written byBrett Borland
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