When it comes to who you ride with you literally are taking the life of the driver into your hands. It may not always seem like it because most Americans ride in cars every day. It’s a necessary way of getting around, but we have to remember that cars weigh tons and some cars are much bigger than other cars which make driving one of the most dangerous things that we do. As a result, there are times that passengers should be understandably nervous when certain people get behind the wheel of a car. For this reason it may not always be a bad idea to ask who is driving if you plan on riding somewhere with someone and you have reason to believe that there are shady people in the group. Here are 10 instances when that can become a thing and an explanation as to why.

You don’t trust the driver

This one should be obvious. Most decisions you have to make when behind the wheel of a car are based on judgement. Those who are the best and most responsible drivers are those that also make the same judgment calls when it comes to what they do with their life. Although a part of this equation can be overall driving skill as well. One can also lose trust in a driver if they find that this person has gotten in a lot of wrecks or you see them make a lot of bad decisions on the road when it comes to things like starting and stopping, dealing with other cars and how they deal with red lights.

You find they are going too fast

It’s an old saying but it’s still true. When it comes to driving, speed kills. For speed, most people tend to go the same speeds on the same roads and that is yet another judgment. They can either go way to fast or too slow. The wrong combination can cause a deadly wreck between two cars. If a driver takes a curve at the wrong speed, then the driver is significantly increases their chances of being in a wreck and if this happens with the wrong car or truck or it goes off of a big hill it can either be life changing and not in a good way or life ending.

Reckless driving

This one is especially dangerous and also against the law. Reckless driving can come in many forms. Excessive speeding is one, it can also include tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic or just generally not staying in your lane. Any one of these behaviors can get you a ticket, points against your license and also potentially cause you to be in a wreck or end your life if the situation is bad enough.

About to be in a wreck

Right before you are about to be in a wreck can be especially dangerous. The way you react to being in a wreck to keep yourself safe depends on the nature of the wreck. If you are driving on ice and your car starts to spin then you should steer in the opposite direction from where your car is going. If getting into a wreck with another car is unavoidable then you should choose the option that minimizes the damage to your car and yourself and if necessary, let the insurance companies duke it out later. After all, when it comes to cars nothing else is more important than keeping yourself safe.

Don’t know where you are going

If you know the general area of where you are this is something that you can help with. You have a couple different options. if you feel safe doing so you can drive the other person’s car, but ONLY if you feel comfortable doing so. If they drive a stick and you don’t know how to drive a stick then you shouldn’t try to drive it unless you are driving in a road that doesn’t require you to go fast and the driver is willing to give you a quick lesson on how to drive a stick and they are willing to take over the stick part of the stick shift if necessary.

If you are in this situation and don’t feel you can drive the other person’s car you can either try to give that person directions or if you have access to a phone with Google Maps then you can offer to open that up for them to help them find the way.

You realize the driver is a bad driver

This one can take a lot of different forms. If you discover this you probably shouldn’t ride with them again, especially if you find out they have a bad driving history because of either wrecks or tickets. After all, those driving laws aren’t just so cops and can write tickets. They are there to help keep drivers safe and encourage that that type of behavior. Signs of a bad driver is one who either drives too close to the car in front of them, has trouble staying in their lane and weaves and pretty much anything else that you would consider unsafe. That is a judgment call and the definition of a bad driver can vary a bit from person to person.

Driver sitting way too close or far away from steering wheel

I know this one sounds weird but it can affect your driving ability and affect the driver physically. I’ve personally learned the hard way that if you pull up your seat to close the steering wheel your driving foot falls asleep while driving. If your car either doesn’t have cruise control or you are driving on city roads this can make the task of driving to be extremely difficult for the simple reason that you can’t move your foot that much while driving without causing an accident or mistakenly running a red light or stop sign and maintaining the proper speed.

Driving high or drunk

This one is obvious. If the other person has had a bit too much to drink or too many drinks they can’t operate heavy machinery and that includes a car. It kills far too many people every year.

If you’d like more help to overcome your fear of being a passenger in a car, check out this link.