A man has sparked a debate after sharing his unusual seating arrangement for car journeys with his wife - though he insists there's solid reasoning behind it. He detailed how a four-hour drive to his mother-in-law's residence to celebrate New Year with his wife's relatives ended up creating a sour beginning to 2026.
Taking to Reddit, he explained: "My wife, 37, gets nervous about driving in traffic, so I always drive when we visit her family. She also tends to get car-sick on longer drives and needs to sit in the front seat to help ease it. She has tried taking Dramamine in the past, but she had an allergic reaction to it, so she doesn't take it anymore.
"I love my wife with all my heart, but she is not good at sitting shotgun. She has huge reactions to any change in traffic."
"Grabbing the handle, putting her hand on the dash, gasping, telling me to watch out, etc. It's not like I'm an aggressive or risky driver - I've never had a speeding ticket or been in an accident."
During the journey, his wife continuously reacted both physically and vocally to everything unfolding on the road - even bouncing in her seat when incidents occurred.
Consequently, he devised a solution, acknowledging she wouldn't be pleased, but maintaining it would enhance their safety whilst driving.
He continued: "It's very distracting to have someone next to you doing that sort of thing while driving.
"I mentioned this to my wife numerous times during the drive, and she always deflected the blame onto me for the way I was driving.
"When we were getting ready to head home, I told my wife she needed to sit in the back and our 14-year-old son would sit up front with me. I told her it was either that or she drives us home.
"She got upset with me and started giving excuses about her car sickness. I told her to take some NyQuil or something else to help her sleep, but she refused and told me I was being a jerk.
"I told her she could drive then, and she refused that too. Eventually, she reluctantly got in the back seat with our 11-year-old daughter.
"The ride home was much easier traffic-wise, and my wife sat almost completely silent in the back seat the entire time, pouting."
However, once they got back, his wife had a go at him for the way he'd handled things, revealing she'd felt unwell throughout the journey but kept quiet.
He continued: "She said she 'didn't want to make a big deal out of anything'. She told me I humiliated her by making her sit in the back and that I should have been more considerate of her feelings."
Responding to his story, one reader remarked: "Her backseat driving is worsening any perceived danger by distracting you.
"This is a safety issue. You gave her multiple options. It might not be your wife's fault that she has this level of anxiety, but it is her problem to manage."
Another user chimed in: "I'm medicated for generalised anxiety. When my daughter got her learner's permit, we discovered I'm a terrible passenger.
"I talked to my doctor and increased my meds because my daughter needed me not half-panicked over nothing."
A third user commented: "She sounds like she has major issues and needs a professional. She was an actual danger with all her distractions."