Riding shotgun

For the album by Jessi Colter, see Ridin' Shotgun.

"Riding Shotgun" redirects here. For the song by Anthrax, see Stomp 442.

To ride shotgun is to sit in the front passenger seat when riding in a car or other vehicle. It is also used to mean giving actual or figurative support or aid to someone in a situation or project, i.e. to "watch their back." It is a phrase commonly and mostly heard in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

History

One of the earliest references to the phrase "riding shotgun" in print occurred in the 1905 book The Sunset Trail, by Alfred Henry Lewis The expression was used to refer to riding as an armed guard in the front of a stagecoach, next to the driver (this would usually have been on the left, as stage drivers traditionally sat on the right, near the brake). An earlier term for the same duty was "shotgun messenger." The use of the phrase in print to refer to automobiles occurred in 1954 simultaneously with the TV series Gunsmoke, which became extremely popular, and used the terminology of riding shotgun nearly weekly.

It is thus possible that the use of the term "riding shotgun" in reference to stagecoaches is an anachronism, and that the term began only after the depictions of stagecoaches in Western-based TV series. "Riding shotgun" may have originated from motorcycle sidecars which originated in the very early 1900s. (In fact the Harley Davidson Motor Company, often touted as the inventor of the modern motorcycle, was founded in 1903, around the same time that "The Sunset Trail" was being written). Sidecars were heavily utilized in WWII which may have also popularized the term before Gunsmoke was released in 1954.

Today, many automobile passengers consider riding in the front passenger seat preferable to riding in rear seats largely due to it having greater control over leg room, an unobstructed view of the road in front, and access to the vehicle's audio and air conditioning systems. Another benefit is that entry and exit from the vehicle is often easier, especially in two-door cars. In addition, some passengers find that riding in the front seat better isolates them from the road, reducing car sickness. There is also a tradition in family life that adults (and/or the older child) sit in the front and children in the rear, a tradition reinforced in modern times by airbags installed in vehicle dashboards which are positioned so as not to allow smaller children to ride in the front seat; hence sitting shotgun provides a sense of adulthood.

Prior to the advent of seat belts and airbags, the front passenger seat was considered the most dangerous to be seated in if there were an accident; therefore the shotgun position also came to be known as the death or suicide seat.

Calling shotgun in English

Due to the (real or perceived) benefits of riding in the shotgun seat, people often "call shotgun", claiming the front passenger seat as a group is about to enter a car. This is generally accomplished by shouting the word "shotgun" loud enough for the entire group to hear. Many elaborate systems of rules exist for calling shotgun; these may, for example, allow other riders to preempt the original shotgun caller, subject to certain restrictions. All of these tongue-in-cheek systems agree that any final decisions are left to the driver. One common resolution is that "whoever licks the front tire first is shotgun."

Most users of the phrase claim that sight of the car is needed in order for a shotgun call to be valid. Since this can lead people racing to see the car, many find this an unfair advantage to faster riders. Mostly, there is a subjective, fairly ambiguous time frame where the group riding in the car has decided that they are planning on getting back into the car. It is at this mysterious point in time that "Shotgun" can be called, thus awarding the front seat. However, if a shotgun call is called too far in advance, the callers Shotgun privileges may be revoked for that certain car ride. Shotgun privileges are usually also revoked for attempting to open the door while the driver is unlocking the door causing the passenger door to remain locked. The normal calling of shotgun recycles with the first person out of the competition.

Other twists to the Shotgun rules include calling "Blitz" or "Rocks" after Shotgun has been called. Blitz creates a race to touch the car, the winner being awarded Shotgun. In Rocks, the rider who calls Rocks can challenge the original Shotgun caller to a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" (usually, best 2 out of 3) with the winner claiming Shotgun privileges for the ride. These versions are not always accepted, however.

A variation of the challenge was seen in the webcomic Applegeeks. This variation allows for a challenge to the shotgun call and involves a challenger dropping his trousers. To prove his commitment to shotgun, the original caller would have to accept the challenge by similarly dropping his trousers or forfeit his right to the front seat. Should the challenge be accepted then a race to the car, as per Blitz rules, ensues, albeit with trousers round ankles.

Furthermore another possible rule for shotgun is "Reloading". This is where the owner/driver of the car in question may "reload". This happens when a group of people are calling shotgun, if the owner/driver wishes to continue the shotgun for whatever reason he may call "Reloaded" and the players must recall shotgun. Reloading should only take place once and usually the winner who is currently gloating or pleased about their win suddenly loses their position. Ben Hyde is a loser who shouldn't edit wikipedia! Other seats can be called as well, before or after Shotgun is invoked. The back middle seat is referred to as "Bitch" as it is the smallest and worst position, so remaining riders will sometimes call "Back Right" or "Back Left", but others prefer the simpler "Not Bitch."

Despite some attempts by sneaky shotgunners it is not possible to shotgun something that will occur in the future. Any person attempting to do this will render all shotguns previously done by them void and they will never be able to shotgun again - ever. It is also not possible to shotgun something that has already been shotgunned.

Another possible rule is when the car is a taxi. In this case, any person that calls shotgun is allowed to sit in the passenger seat, and the normal shotgun rules are applicable; however, the person or group that is supposed to pay for the ride can force the shotgunner to pay for the ride. This often occurs when a company would pay the taxi ride and a single person is left in charge to deal with the payment.

Crum Variations

An uncommon variation of Shotgun, called the Crum variation, enables siblings of the driver to overrule any call made by other passengers. It is generally restricted to elitists and credo baptists. Some observers of Crum Variations also allow for siblings to call "Driver" thus taking the even more coveted driver position. Calling driver only works if the original sibling driver is driving his/her own car.

See also

• Dibs or Bags

External links

• Shotgun Rules at Bored.com
• Rules on T-shirt
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)