With so many of you “helping” to expand the rules the world has gone a bit crazy. Just like in Monopoly, rule modifications are a great way to add your own special touch to the rules for your ride, but only the vehicle’s owner can determine “home rules”. If you can believe it, some people even try to make up Utterly BS Rules.
Unofficial Driver’s Choice
- The person in Shotgun is responsible for opening gates, handing out drive-thru orders and navigating to all destinations.
- You can’t point out any mistakes you think the driver has made. You’re a team!
- If the driver becomes incapacitated, Shotgun must take over.
- For difficult routes, the person who knows the way best is Shotgun.
- If someone asks “What’s Shotgun?” They forfeit the ride and must walk to the destination regardless of distance.
- Being as how everyone is created equal, men have the same right as women to the front seat of the car. i.e. women don’t own the front seat.
- You can only call Shotgun for yourself. No one can call shotgun for their slower friend unless the friend has a speech or mental handicap that prevents them from calling it for themselves.
- The owner of the vehicle, if not the driver automatically gets shotgun.
- The owner of the vehicle decides which Shotgun Rules to institute on his own car. All passengers must abide by the rules. This Rule clarifies that not all Rules need be active at any given time.
- No Hump – This rule is relevant if there are five passengers in a car that has only four seats. After a successful Shotgun call is made, the remaining passengers may call “No Hump” to avoid sitting on the hump between the two back seats. The individual failing to make the call, or the last person to make the call, must sit on the uncomfortable, ball-breaking hump. This is a much-feared “seat” to Camaro and Firebird passengers.
- The duty of the Shotgunner to spot all speed cameras and police cars that could pose a threat to the driver and car. If the vehicle is stopped because the Shotgunner failed in his duties, he may be banned from riding Shotgun for a period of time dictated by the driver.
- In the event that the shotgun call ends up in a tie between two passengers, the passengers in the tie may attempt to bribe the driver so that the driver makes the call in their favor. This rule is null and void, however, if the driver institutes the Survival of the Fittest Rules. Examples of bribes are money, food, and soda.
Unofficial Challenge Rules
- If it cannot be determined who shouted ‘Shotgun!’ first, a foot race will commence. First to touch the car wins.
- The driver has the option to reset the Shotgun by shouting ‘Reload!’ at any time between the call and reaching the car. Here at Shotgun Rules, we have kept this as an unofficial rule, as the person who usually reloads the shotgun in the shooter, or in the game of Shotgun, the person calling Shotgun, and not the Driver of the Vehicle.
- The driver can also exercise the ‘Survival of the Fittest’ rule, whereby there are no rules… Whoever can get into the passenger seat first – by any means – wins! The driver must announce the institution of the Survival Of The Fittest Rules with a reasonable warning to all passengers. This reduces the amount of blood lost by passengers and the damage done to the vehicle
- Laser – A person may call “laser” or “Shotgun Double Barrel” after shotgun has been called, to override the shotgun call. Additionally, any passenger who says “No Blitz” after claiming shotgun, may not have it taken away by either the “Laser” or “Double Barrel” rules. These rules hold no precedence over Standard shotgun procedure, and the driver has final say in all calls.
- Jedi – Your friend calls a quick “shotgun”, which is answered quickly by a cry of “Jedi!”. The Jedi call allows all passengers to be eligible for shotgun and allowed to make a mad dash for the passenger door handle with the first one to reach it granted shotgun. Jedi can only be called from 15 feet/5 meters or further away from the vehicle, and must be called immediately after the shotgun call. This rule holds no precedence over standard shotgun procedure, and the driver has final say in all calls.
- If the vehicle is forced to stop for a serious infraction of the Shotgunner, the Shotgunner must relinquish his/her seat, if the driver so wishes. Serious infractions have been known to include spilling any beverage, being annoying, breaking parts of the car, general destruction of property inside or outside the vehicle, etc.
Silly but Fun Unofficial Rules
- ‘The Pirate Rule’: If a passenger is dressed – convincingly – as a pirate, they receive auto-Shotgun. This one is not a real rule as true pirates would never take shotgun, they all want to be captains and have their own ship.
- New “House Rules” shall be subject to either revision or amendment at any time. But, changes and new rules you create during a car ride do not take effect until the next car ride.
- In the event that the front passenger seat in the car is extremely uncomfortable (i.e. has a big hole in it), the passenger who called Shotgun must sit in that seat. The other passengers may ridicule him as they wish.
- This rule from Delaware states that if a given passenger calls a valid “shotgun”, then he or she may not say “shotgun” again. By calling “shotgun” a second time, he or she would automatically forfeit their seat and shotgun is reopened to the other passengers. Other passengers are allowed to try to trick the person who originally says “shotgun” into saying it again, in order to claim shotgun for themselves.
- In the event that there are fewer passengers than capacity would allow, there must always be a passenger riding shotgun. This would include a couple. This is to prevent the driver from feeling ditched, or like a chauffeur.