driving protocol

my brother Thomas blogged about his car protocol this week, and i thought, though it has been awhile since i've been a regular driver, i would add my two cents worth to the discussion: >mom absolutely gets first dibs on shotgun (as do grandmothers and the occassional boss) >when giving rides home at the end of the night, there are two options...a) priority in order of drop off..first one off in shotgun first, rotate up b) priority in order of soberness, most sober in shotgun so as to maintain order if neccessary >as a girl, especially in the chivalrous South, i've noticed that when being carted about, the boyfriend of driver often forgoes his shotgun rights to me...very polite and not unappreciated. poor chap. >note: shotgun priority comes with responsabilities! person with regular shotgun rights (girl/boyfriend/best friend/roommate) is to observe all important door opening ritual for unfortunate backseaters as well as the occassional bag-getting, trunk opening and gas-pumping >larger-than-lap-size dogs in the backseat >when faced with a large difference in size and limited legroom, height prevails...tall folks get shotgun >i have to add my most ardent rule: no passenger; backseat, shotgun or otherwise is to touch the radio or climate controls without explicit permission of the driver