Shotgun rules: Half of siblings admit to front seat car battles

• Over a quarter of Brits (26%) confess to heated ‘shotgun’ disputes on road trips 
• A whopping half of siblings admit to significant rifts on family road trips over who claims the coveted front passenger seat
• With over a third of Brits (39%) gearing up for a summer road trip, new official rules launched by Tempcover, backed by research and JB Gill of JLS, to help end the Shotgun debate for smoother summer journeys

Summer road trips are here, and so are the arguments. New research reveals the true scale of Britain’s ‘Shotgun’ battle - and finally settles the official rules for that coveted front passenger seat.  

With over a third of UK adults (39%) gearing up for a summer road trip with friends or family, competition for the front passenger seat, often praised as the best spot in the car with its extra leg room and the opportunity to play DJ, can be tense. 

A survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by temporary car insurance provider Tempcover, found that one in four (26%) confess that disagreements over Shotgun rules have led to arguments on road trips. The tension is real, with a shocking 42% even refusing to get in the car because they didn’t get their way. 

Siblings are the most common opposition at the heart of this conflict, with almost half (49%) admitting to arguing when it comes to bagging the prime spot. More shockingly, three in 10 (30%) have even had disputes with their own children over the front seat.

Some people admit to resorting to sneaky tactics to win the battle. Just under a third (30%) of Brits claimed they would help the driver navigate to secure the front seat, while 28% even feigned travel sickness as a ploy to get out of the back. 

In a bid to help keep Britain's roads drama-free this summer, Tempcover has put the debate to rest, launching the Official Rules of Shotgun, backed by the research.

TOP 10 RULES OF SHOTGUN

1. Anyone with a physical need overrules ‘shotgun’ (height, weight, bad back etc)
2. The driver has final say and can overrule ‘shotgun’
3. The first person to call ‘shotgun’ gets the front seat
4. If two people call it at the same time, it’s up to the driver to decide
5. ‘Shotgun’ only lasts for one leg of the journey. It starts again for the return trip
6. ‘Shotgun’ is final – once called, you can’t recall it
7. The ‘shotgun’ winner must be ready to leave at the driver’s preferred time, otherwise ‘shotgun’ rights are withdrawn
8. You must be able to see the car to call ‘shotgun’
9. ‘Shotgun’ resets once people get out of the car (e.g. if you stop at a service station and then continue the journey)
10. Calling ‘shotgun’ more than a certain time before a journey makes it invalid e.g. more than 24 hours before

According to the research, the highest priority for the front passenger seat should go to anyone with a physical need, such as being pregnant, tall or having a bad back, with 22% claiming that this overrules all other ‘Shotgun’ claims.

The passenger with the longest legs was surprisingly named as one of the most worthy claimants for Shotgun, alongside the oldest person on the journey.

Other rules to emerge from the study included anyone who calls Shotgun first bags the front seat (17%), that Shotgun only lasts for one leg of the journey (11%), whilst 9% insist you must be in view of the car when you make your claim.

It all comes down to the driver for some, with 12% believing the driver should be the ultimate tie-breaker, whilst one in 20 (5%) say a quiz question should decide the winner.

To weigh in on the Shotgun debate, Tempcover has partnered with JB Gill, member of British boyband JLS, as he recalls his days on the road with the band ahead of their upcoming tour. 

JB, who is encouraging Brits to use the official Shotgun rules to avoid any potential car squabbles, said: “Calling shotgun before a car journey has sparked friendly competition over who gets to ride in the highly prized front seat for generations! Ever since I first started driving, the front seat was always the one that every passenger wanted and as you can imagine, it’s led to MANY heated debates!

Every driver has their own shotgun rules so having official rules thanks to Tempcover means there’s now a neutral way to make the decision and (hopefully) help the journey start smoothly from the off”.’

This summer, the rules of Shotgun will be more applicable than ever, as 36% of Brits will be travelling with more than four people, and 17% plan to borrow a bigger car to accommodate larger groups, so the potential for car seat drama is higher than ever. This is where temporary car insurance comes in.

Marc Pell, Managing Director at Tempcover, which offers temporary car insurance for those borrowing a bigger car and taking turns behind the wheel, added: “With summer here, more people are taking to the road with friends and family.  

“We asked people to share their ultimate shotgun wisdom to keep the rules simple and the process fair - helping car journeys start with fewer disputes over who gets the coveted front passenger seat with its better view and extra legroom.

“And if you share the driving, you can all take it in turns to ride shotgun too.”