• SHOTGUN: The space adjacent to the window in the front seat of a vehicle, or the person legitimately awarded the Shotgun position.
• RIDING SHOTGUN: The act of occupying said seat. Alternatively, the privilege of claiming said seat for a particular trip.
  
• SECOND SHOTGUN: The futile and invalid attempt to reserve the shotgun position for a subsequent trip, usually claimed by a disgruntled sibling of the Shotgun. The proper response is: "Nice try, buddy."
  
• DRIVER: The presumably predetermined operator of the vehicle. In cases where the identity of the driver is not established, the owner of the vehicle or his/her designate has full power to choose. No shotgun rules may be used to determine the identity of the Driver. Previous driving record and the current demonstration of courtesy are often the deciding factors.

• In general, the privilege of riding Shotgun is claimed by being the first rider to call "Shotgun" in an audible voice before the passengers get into the vehicle.
• Shotgun is only held for one leg of a journey. At any location at which all or most of the passengers disembark, previous claims of Shotgun are voided and must be redetermined.
  
• "Shotgun" may only be used to claim the Shotgun Seat. It does not confer a legitimate claim to another, presumably more desirable, seat in the vehicle. Whining does not confer any additional privileges related to this issue.
  
• Shotgun may only be called when already outside the building and within sight of the vehicle. At least the driver and one other passenger must be present and hear the call.
• Early shotgun calls, e.g. before the walk to the vehicle is in progress, are prohibited.
• The judgment of the Driver is final and may not be appealed unless the parent of the Driver is also present and chooses to exercise their power to override. The reason for the override must be stated clearly and have some connection to the exercise of justice or the invocation of one of the Special Cases (see below).
  
• Occupants who are not successful in obtaining Shotgun are prohibited from verbal or physical expressions of frustration. A moderate amount of silent sulking is permitted though not encouraged. Transgressors may forfeit future Shotgun rights at the discretion of the Driver.
• It is the responsibility of the Shotgun occupant to provide various services requested by the Driver, such as adjusting the radio, ventilation, etc. or providing navigation services. If the Shotgun occupant is a bad navigator, it is incumbent upon him or her to consult with maps or other passengers in order to provide high-quality information to the Driver.
  
• Shotgun is generally rotated among the passengers for different legs of a particular journey. Once a passenger has ridden Shotgun, he or she defers until everyone who wants has a chance at it.
• If bickering over Shotgun is taking place, it is the privilege of the Driver to suspend these rules and assign Shotgun by whim.

• If the vehicle's owner is present but not serving as the Driver, he/she is automatically awarded Shotgun.
• Occupants who hold positions of particular respect by virtue of advanced age or other place of honor, will automatically be awarded Shotgun. No discussion of the Shotgun rules may take place in their presence, no matter how tactfully or humorously.
• If the Driver's spouse, parent or date is present in the vehicle, he or she is automatically awarded Shotgun.
  
• If one of the occupants is blessed with height or girth that would make it uncomfortable for him (or the other passengers) for him to be in the back seat, the accepted procedure is for all to tactfully make a beeline for the rear seats as if they were particularly desirable, leaving the Shotgun seat to the tall/wide individual by default.
• All passengers should become familiar with the fact that it is in their interests for any passenger who feels ill to ride Shotgun for his well-being and their own.
• If the vehicle is involved in an accident, it should be noted that Shotgun rules do not apply to rides in an ambulance or police car.
  

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2 comments

1. Julie D. on 6:24 PM

   Wow, it sure is complicated to get a ride at your house. :-)

    
2. Anonymous on 8:36 AM

   Having 4 small children, I'm not looking forward to fights over who gets to ride up front (when they get older)... but it would all be O.K. if we could just get them to obey your advice, "The judgment of the Driver is final and may not be appealed unless the parent of the Driver is also present and chooses to exercise their power to override." ...but I'm not too confident that it will always work out that way!