[dass]

My first choice is to drive, if not then I am a very bad front row passenger. I cannot keep quite without passing feedback to the driver. So, if there is a situation where I am not driving, the left rear seat is the preferred one and I don't see the road ahead either.

[fusionbang]

Originally Posted by saket77

+1. Even I could never get that how can a sleeping co-passenger 'induce' sleepiness to the driver? Anyone?

IMO, I feel that when the co passenger dozes off, the surroundings remain to be silent/calm in the car and also when there is cool breeze hitting your face, you tend to feel drowsy which is natural. And there is nothing which influences the driver to feel sleepy from the co-passenger.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Never could fathom this issue/point at all.
Do you keep looking at the co-passenger when you drive? Otherwise how will you ever know whether the guy is sleeping or just gazing through the window or perhaps listening to the music.

And ... What happens when you drive alone?
Fall asleep?

Silence does irritate me when I have a passenger and no conversations happen. I don't keep looking at the passenger to check whether he/she is awake or asleep. It is human brain tendency to get that kind of drowsiness when the rest are sleeping in the car, IMO.

And when I am alone I have music also to keep me attentive.

Anurag.

[ganeshsp]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Never could fathom this issue/point at all.
Do you keep looking at the co-passenger when you drive? Otherwise how will you ever know whether the guy is sleeping or just gazing through the window or perhaps listening to the music.

It is natural for the person to continuously yawn, just before he/she falls asleep. And Yawning is contagious!

You don't have to remove your sight completely off the road to realise that the person next to you is yawning. Remember, some people also make weird sound while yawning.

Some links for your reference..
http://www.world-science.net/exclusi...09_yawnfrm.htm
http://news.discovery.com/human/heal...l-behavior.htm

Originally Posted by alpha1

And ... What happens when you drive alone?
Fall asleep?

Can you elaborate on this? When you are driving alone, you are on your own. How does it relates to the question of the owner sitting in the front/rear seat?

[Thilak29]

I see it as a continuation of colonial mindset, back in the days of horse carriages the very design of the carriage forced passenger to sit in a different compartment which happened to be the backseat in the carriage.
Later when auto mobile revolution changed things, this got carried over and those who could afford a cheauffer continued to sit in the backseat.
Just like many other things, this continued, became a sign of power and wealth.
When cars came to India, they were either with Government or Royal family, a group who wielded might.
Same continued to this day and it represnts same things for those you prefer backseat.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by ganeshsp

It is natural for the person to continuously yawn, just before he/she falls asleep. And Yawning is contagious!

You don't have to remove your sight completely off the road to realise that the person next to you is yawning. Remember, some people also make weird sound while yawning.

Some links for your reference..
http://www.world-science.net/exclusi...09_yawnfrm.htm
http://news.discovery.com/human/heal...l-behavior.htm


Can you elaborate on this? When you are driving alone, you are on your own. How does it relates to the question of the owner sitting in the front/rear seat?

The yawn phenomena will take place even if you are sitting on the back seat. (based on audio cues)
Will the driver not hear your yawn?
Also does yawning (by contagion) lead to sleep?

In fact on the contrary this is what I read about the contagious yawn phenomena:

At least one study suggests that yawning, especially psychological "contagious" yawning, may have developed as a way of keeping a group of animals alert. If an animal is drowsy or bored, it may not be as alert as it should be to spring into action. Therefore, the "contagious" yawn could be an instinctual reaction to a signal from one member of the group reminding the others to stay alert

Gordon Gallup, who hypothesizes that yawning may be a means of keeping the brain cool, also hypothesizes that "contagious" yawning may be a survival instinct inherited from our evolutionary past. "During human evolutionary history, when we were subject to predation and attacks by other groups, if everybody yawns in response to seeing someone yawn the whole group becomes much more vigilant and much better at being able to detect danger."

My question about driving alone was based on the presumption that perhaps you find it awkward/sleep inducing if there is silence from the co-passenger's seat (due to his sleep). Which would happen also in case of solo driving.

[GrammarNazi]

I feel the seat diagonal to the driver is most suited if you have people like a business partner along.
Reason : You don't have to turn too much to talk (as much as front passenger) or your vision of the driver won't be blocked (- for whatever reason, Ex. You'd be able to see if he's texting while driving). Also you can speak comfortably with the passenger beside and occasionally with the front passenger. So your neck is abit relaxed.

When with family & travelling for pleasure, if not driving, its the front passenger seat.
Reasons : I can take pics - ask directions/check GPS Maps - update expense and distance logs, control a/c temperature, control the music being played/muted.

So, overall I guess where we sit is subjective depending on the situation.

[Mahven]

It might be the effect that comes from ancient times - The chariot driven by whatever the one who drives it is called! while people and kings sits in the rear.

[madhu33]

I have a Manza . I don't have a privileges of a driver in normal routine. However whenever i have that facility of a driver (part time drivers)
i always always prefer the back seat comfort of the Manza.
Makes me feel so special, that Sofa...Those who have got used to the manza back seat will endorse this.

[amitayu]

Almost as a reverse analogy, my mother refused to sit in the back seat when I used to drive (I insisted because i did not like her constant tutoring on how to drive) because it would her son look like some hired driver!!!

[samm]

If I am in the front row, I should be handling the wheel. I don't mind being on the front passenger seat in city commute, if any of my friends are driving.

But on long drives in my Innova with one more family, either I drive or be in the last row, away from the sight of traffic and road. I find the last row of Innova very relaxing.

In cabs, there are no two ways if I'm alone - only the back seat. Two reasons - first, a perception of enhanced safety (I see too many accidents involving cabs especially on the way to airport :(), and the second one, to keep my hand luggage- laptop and cabin bag - next to me on the seat.

[akhilesh51]

Back Seat is traditionally all about status and command. It created a divide between the driver (employee) and the owner.

But, increasingly such social stigmas hold no value or purpose. Head Honchos, CEOs, Actors, and even politicians now a days prefer to be seated in front if not self-driving.

IMHO, Front seats have a lot more to offer pragmatically to the owner than the rear seats unless we are talking about super expensive Long wheelbase luxury sedans or Limousines.

Originally Posted by Mahven

It might be the effect that comes from ancient times - The chariot driven by whatever the one who drives it is called! while people and kings sits in the rear.

the word you are looking for is charioteer (in hindi: Saarthi).

[k_nitin_r]

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

Front seats have a lot more to offer pragmatically to the owner than the rear seats unless we are talking about super expensive Long wheelbase luxury sedans or Limousines.

Even luxury cars are built with more comfortable seats in the front. The Lexus ES350 has a 4-point (in Mercedes terminology, it would be 8-way, because 8 is a bigger number than 4 ) adjustable front seat whereas the rear seats are fixed. The Lexus LS460 comes with better rear passenger comfort, but the seats are still fixed.

Apparently, they assume that if you can afford to buy a car and hire a driver, you can also afford an extra hour of sleep at home instead of having to take a snooze in the car in the back seat.

[Mahven]

Back Seat is traditionally all about status and command. It created a divide between the driver (employee) and the owner.

But, increasingly such social stigmas hold no value or purpose. Head Honchos, CEOs, Actors, and even politicians now a days prefer to be seated in front if not self-driving.

IMHO, Front seats have a lot more to offer pragmatically to the owner than the rear seats unless we are talking about super expensive Long wheelbase luxury sedans or Limousines.

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

the word you are looking for is charioteer (in hindi: Saarthi).
I would like to know how it is off topic

[akhilesh51]

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

Even luxury cars are built with more comfortable seats in the front. The Lexus ES350 has a 4-point (in Mercedes terminology, it would be 8-way, because 8 is a bigger number than 4 ) adjustable front seat whereas the rear seats are fixed. The Lexus LS460 comes with better rear passenger comfort, but the seats are still fixed.

Precisely! That is why I only excluded super super luxury vehicles like maybe S-Class, 7-series (Long Wheelbase), Maybach, Rolls Royce, etc where rear seat (obviously!) would be more comfortable. For all other vehicles, I find front seat most comforting.

Originally Posted by Mahven

the word you are looking for is charioteer (in hindi: Saarthi).
I would like to know how it is off topic

No offence to your post, bro. I was being Off-Topic, hence the smiley.