When you were a kid, as a passenger in the car, did your mom throw her arm in front of you when coming to a sudden stop?

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Major-Internal-1963@reddit

No. Kids weren’t allowed to sit up front.

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big_galoote@reddit

I do this now, even though it's usually my purse or my dog riding shotgun, and both are buckled in.

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ValuableMoment2@reddit

Hell no, we had the Chevy Citation Wagon with the rear facing seats in back. The fucking door stopped us when dad gunned it at every stoplight

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StressBall41@reddit

I used to get clotheslined whenever she needed to see to the right

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Gold_Abies_5985@reddit

The karate chop to the chest,I remember it well 😂😂😂😂

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Ok-Yak3147@reddit

I do it even if no one is in the car. Its just a sudden reflex now😂

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Mermaid_Lily@reddit

YES, and she continued to do it for the rest of her life, even though I'd been wearing seatbelts for all that time.

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otbnmalta@reddit

Of course. We didn't wear seatbelts back in the day. I do it as well and my kids are fastidious in wearing their seatbelts

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LongLiveTheRat@reddit

I still do this to my 21-year-old son.

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_Roxxs_@reddit

I don’t think our cars even had seatbelts back in the 60s

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Correct_Security_742@reddit

Lol. I was standing in the seat holding on to the roof of the car. I should have died so much as a child.

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overit_2032@reddit

I have, in fact, been clotheslined by my mom and have, in turn, clotheslined my kids. It is the circle of life.

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ofthrees@reddit

in the year of our lord 2026, i throw the arm out for my fucking water bottle.

it was so annoying when my mom did this, but sure enough, i've been doing it for DECADES now. my kid, my cats, my water bottle. can't escape it.

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Hifi-Cat@reddit

Yes. And her sister (80) did that to me (60) last year. If we hit something my 227# would have taken off her arm.

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retrokezins@reddit

I don't remember but I do remember we had one car ever there were no seat belts in the back.

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YukonSunset@reddit

I'm in my early 50s, and if my mom (in her late 70s) is driving us somewhere, to this day she does that.

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Timesurfer75@reddit

Do it to her now that she is the passenger in that seat!!!!

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Cookiecakes71@reddit

Karate chop to the throat!? Absolutely

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2ndChanceAtLife@reddit

I had a co-worker that did this back in the 90’s. I laughed so hard.

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Not my mom-my grandparents or my dad. I was 16 with my grandfather going somewhere and I was quite large enough for the seatbelt but here came the arm. I said "I think I got it now, Pa". 🤣🤣🤣 but I had quite forgotten about that so thank you for the memory🥲

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60andstillpoir@reddit

Yep!! More than once.

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ArlapOfDion@reddit

Ina role reversal, I did that for my mother.

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b_o_m@reddit

My mom didn't get a driver's license until I was 16, so no. So only got one finally because she said she wanted to get one before I did, but she never really drove me anywhere.

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Due-Island-4731@reddit

Frank Costanza’s move

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FKpasswords@reddit

Stop short !!!

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zoestar198728@reddit

She still does this to me and im like 3 x her size

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Motor_Struggle_3605@reddit

Yes. She had to. I did not wear a seatbelt until I started driving.

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jderflinger@reddit

Oh definitely. I caught myself doing it to my wife before. We call it the Mom Arm.

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AllReihledUp@reddit

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DcubedWY@reddit

Yes, she ended up punching me in the stomach once when she slammed on the brakes. I’ve never done it that I can remember.

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brockclan216@reddit

My mom would do this. Of course, when I was preschool I remember standing up in the seat next to my mom while she was driving.

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cnowakoski@reddit

Oh yes. The fastest arm in the west

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Pattycakes1966@reddit

I have done that. I even sometimes do it now when crossing the street with my kid

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Exciting_Pass_6344@reddit

My wife has a scar on her forehead because her mom did that while filing her nails ( middle of the bench seat )

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kmwade66@reddit

She did, and I do

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QueenBBs@reddit

Absolutely. I do it to my kids today and my 16 year old has started doing it to me.

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StudyObjective4286@reddit

Mom did pull my face off the dash when my drunk aunt slammed on the brakes so hard it threw me off mom’s lap. They made sure I wasn’t dead and off we went. Still have a scar.

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Reader47b@reddit

Yes, even after I started routinely wearing a seatbelt. The habit stuck, I guess.

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No-Regular-4281@reddit

I think you meant do we dokie now to our own kids? The answer may shock you - it’s yes! Buuut! Front seat kids are much older now due to laws

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Inkblots2000@reddit

Yep. And she still does it, too! 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

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TheSwedishEagle@reddit

Yes, even when we were wearing seatbelts.

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Taodragons@reddit

I did it to my dad and got the most baleful glare lol

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kimmykam-28@reddit

Don’t you stop short with me!

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CharismaticAlbino@reddit

My mom didn't, but my grandma who is only 5 years older always does. She drives like hell on wheels though, so it's necessary lol my grandma is awesome

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Familiar_Award_5919@reddit

How is your grandma only 5 years older than your mother?? I gotta hear this story.

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TheNolaCatLady@reddit

Yeah, I need the 411 on this as well.

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Crafty_Fan_6202@reddit

All moms do. I also do this. But I am not a mom.

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weelassie07@reddit

I had a friend do that for me as a passenger in their car. I felt so loved. 🥰

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Personal_Secret_234@reddit

Yep all the time

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seagulledge@reddit

My mother did that. She also drove a Ford Pinto. We're lucky to be alive.

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stuck_behind_a_truck@reddit

Yes, and my husband will still do this to me now.

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Delicious-Cut-4323@reddit

I grew up with shoulder belts. I do it to my grown kid when he’s in the car. I do it to my empty passenger seat when I’m alone in the front.

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Stillwater-Scorp1381@reddit

Always

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BertaRocks@reddit

She did it to me like six weeks ago taking me for a ride in her newest car. I’m 45 years old.

I was also reprimanded for saying “hey lady, hit your brakes, not me!”

We also fought over who would push the buggy.

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Athrynne@reddit

She did it even when I was an adult.

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Bright_Broccoli1844@reddit

My boyfriend did this to me.

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042AF@reddit

I’m sure she still would. I do it too.

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Ill-Secretary8386@reddit

Yep. Cause we were never buckled in

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LuxInTenebrisLove@reddit

Same

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Curious_Ad_3614@reddit

Yes and l did it to mine

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travel432@reddit

You don’t do that?

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Harley_Mom@reddit

Lol yes and I do the same thing even when the person is strapped in.

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Ok-Celebration7935@reddit

Yes

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Emily_Postal@reddit

Yes!

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ViQueen331965@reddit

Yes!

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rottenbox@reddit

My mom did that, but then she grew up before seat belts and was in her 20s when cars came with shoulder belts.

She mostly stopped when I, as a 7 or 8 year old, pointed out that my shoulder belt would do a far better job than her arm.

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orneryhenhatesnimrod@reddit

Never. If I hit the dashboard with my face that was on me. But she could reach into the very back and smack me. When I asked what that was for she'd tellthat I knew what I did. My siblings always thought that was funny

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DJFeanyx@reddit

My mom has done it every time I've been in a car with her, up until she stopped driving. Well, except when I drive.

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Criseyde2112@reddit

My 16 y.o. son did that to me, too, lol. I guess it's a universal human instinct.

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42lurk@reddit

Yes. And I do it too!

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Mulliganplummer@reddit

My grandmother did, don’t remember my mom doing it.

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my-coffee-needs-me@reddit

No. My mom made me wear the seat belt.

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mfigroid@reddit

We only had lap belts back then, whippersnapper.

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my-coffee-needs-me@reddit

So did we, dumbass.

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littlefire_2004@reddit

Or none of the car was of enough

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mfigroid@reddit

True. And we lived!

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WeirdcoolWilson@reddit

When seat belts first became standard equipment, there was no shoulder strap - it was a just a lap belt. The Mom Arm maneuver was to keep the passenger’s upper body from moving forward into the dashboard. It became as automatic reflex for her to throw her arm in front of us when making a sudden stop

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WaterwingsDavid@reddit

The shoulder straps first appeared in 1968. Back then both lap and shoulder belts were 2 piece, like on jetliner. The more modern seat belts came along in 1974.

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WeirdcoolWilson@reddit

We had old vehicles so maybe that’s why I’m remembering this the way I am. There was a shoulder strap but it, as you said, was separate from the lap belt. You had to take it down from a holder above the windows and hook it in as a separate movement so 90% of the time, we didn’t wear the shoulder part. It was a pain in the ass to be honest so we just didn’t bother most of the time

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WaterwingsDavid@reddit

So this wagon would have been a 1968-73. I have a coupe 72 wagons with the shoulder harness that clips on the roof.

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old-cigar-smoker@reddit

Yep. My wife still does it! 🤣

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littlefire_2004@reddit

I'm a wife and a mom and I can confirm

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Dr_MJI@reddit

Mine does it even when I'm driving, I've started reflexively putting my arm up to block her after she starting giving me chest bruises. She doesn't care for that move.

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SJExit4@reddit

Yes, with her lit Winston 100 cigarette between her fingers

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Lemonking_@reddit

I used to stand between my mom and dad in the front seat of an old red Studebaker. Yes, arms were flailing all the time.

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Newtimelinepls@reddit

I do that to my kids still. It's a habit from my mom doing it to me.

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Special_Cranberry679@reddit

I do it yo whoever is in the front… just a reflex.

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Honeybadgerposter@reddit

Yep.

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New_Olive5238@reddit

Nope... i was getting thrown around all over the back seat... lol

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chaosrulz0310@reddit

She still does even with a seatbelt….i am almost 50,

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NotEasilyConfused@reddit

Yes.

I do it, too.

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Lcky22@reddit

I do it if I have a bag or anything on the passenger seat. And also if my adult son is sitting there. My mom never did it to me cause I always sat in the back so my sister could have the front cause she got carsick. Plus in the back I could play or lay down or read or anything

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Own_Fudge8296@reddit

Of course 🤣I still do that!!

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SeaworthinessUnlucky@reddit

Yep! No seatbelts because we didn’t want to be trapped in our burning car after a crash!

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2needles2paradise@reddit

Yes!

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BoulderNerd@reddit

I’ve done that for the dogs too.

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katamino@reddit

Lapbelts? You think we were using the lapbelts, assuming they even existed in the car at all?

The answer though is yes

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sashmii@reddit

Oh,yeah this was standard for my mom. When I was a baby she had to make a panic stop when an old lady walked in front of her car. I still have the scar on my forehead 70 years later from hitting the dash.

So she would throw out the panic arm every time she had to brake hard.

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Detroitdays@reddit

I do it still to this day.

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Sutemi-@reddit

Yeah, because I was sitting in the front between my Dad and Mom on a bench seat and we were not wearing seatbelts. And my Dad liked to pass slower drivers on 2 lane country roads. My Mom would put one hand on the dash, one on me, inhale sharply and hold her breath.

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basement_egg@reddit

i wouldn't want my mom to stop short with me

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browneyedgirl79@reddit

Oh absolutely 💯!

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Jennyreviews1@reddit

Oh yes, my dad did this… And I did it to my children who are now grown… now it’s ridiculous because they have shoulder harnesses lol

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Eurotrash0031@reddit

I (49 and forever in a seatbelt) do it for my child. To be fair, for everyone in the front seat. Once for my handbag.

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slothboy@reddit

My wife did it to me last week lol.

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Prairie_Crab@reddit

I’m 63. My older sister (70) still occasionally does it to me! 🤣

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Ok_Entrepreneur_8509@reddit

I do it too. But only because my mom did. I had to explain why I did this to my gen z friend recently.

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KrispyAvocado@reddit

I still do it

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SarahCornflake@reddit

🤣🤣

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Nopedontcarez@reddit

My mom did it. I still do it to my wife because she doesn't always pay attention and the belt hitting her hurts her chest (stupid bypass surgery).

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Apart-Cream-4940@reddit

Yes. She did when I was grown too

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SarahCornflake@reddit

Of course, isn't that standard mom-arm seatbelt?

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eatitwithaspoon@reddit

He stole my move!!

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FlightExtension8825@reddit

Settle down Frank

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gerwen@reddit

He stopped short!!

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DragonTHC@reddit

The M.R.S. was never actually going to work, but it sure made them feel better.

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Important_Caramel577@reddit

Yes. My best friend does too. 🤣

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Ok_Industry3016@reddit

Yep!

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Burto72@reddit

Yep.

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mimi6614@reddit

My mom never drove but she still threw her arm out to protect me in the back seat. She then did it from the passenger seat as I drove her around until her final ride to the hospital last year at 84.

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Bitplayer13@reddit

When I was 19 o was a passenger in a girls car and she did it to me when she had to brake hard. I was twice her size. I never laughed so hard. Never forget that

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Jwheat71@reddit

My mom did it. My wife does it to me when she's driving.

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thagrrrl79@reddit

Yup. She still does it the rare times she drives. I do it, too, whether or not someone's in the car with me.

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Altruistic_Worker600@reddit

Yes, and I remember that our car at the time (an old Chevy II that sounded like it was wheezing) had a metal dashboard.

Flash forward 45 years and I myself did it to a grown friend one night when some jackass ran a red light.

So yeah, we become our parents ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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Grtpumk369@reddit

Yes!

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SusannaG1@reddit

My mom was still throwing her arm out for me in the passenger seat when I was in my late forties (when she stopped driving). I always thought it was very sweet.

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Glittering-Sky1601@reddit

She was too busy lighting her cigarette with the windows closed.

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WeirdcoolWilson@reddit

🤣🤣🤣😷🤧

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Hippie-chick-4ever@reddit

I feel that, 100%!! LOL!

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Significant_Ruin4870@reddit

My mom did, and I do. My rational mind knows that in a true emergency I won't be fast enough or strong enough to do any good, but still.

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Repulsive_Client_325@reddit

The Seinfeld “stop short!”

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largegreenvegtable@reddit

" how dare he stop short with my wife!"

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birkenstock1977@reddit

That's my move!

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cgi_bin_laden@reddit

I still do this instinctively for anyone riding in the front seat of my car. Lap belts, shoulder belts, airbags... still throw my arm up in sudden, unexpected stops.

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iYankFan4@reddit

Yes! And I still do it to my kids, who just turned 19 in March.

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MotherRaven@reddit

Aww they value your life. That is awesome because it’s a reflex

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Quix66@reddit

Yesss, that’s my feeling about it.

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Quix66@reddit

Yes! My grandmother did too!

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Neither_Remote_4818@reddit

Yes.

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LadyNorbert@reddit

My mom still does it to this day. So do I, and I don't even have kids!

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ProfessionFun5170@reddit

Yes, and now I do it even if no one is in the car with me

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Fluid-Engine3578@reddit

Yes. All the time. I still have a scar on my eyebrow but the Jeep dashboard faceplanted into but she tried.

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annemarie6229@reddit

Yes!

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MoonriseNebula@reddit

Yes. Also over my face during violent scenes in movies.

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WeedBubby@reddit

Yep! And I still do it to anyone riding shotgun with me when the opportunity presents itself.

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PahzTakesPhotos@reddit

We never rode up front.

But I do it, to my purse or cane. Sometimes it's my camera bag. Sometimes it's my basket that I carry at the renaissance faire. No matter what it is, it is safe as a baby in it's mother's arms, if that mother slammed into that baby with her full strength.

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OutlandishnessFew773@reddit

Yes. all the time.

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ImmediateBug2@reddit

My husband does this to me! I guess his mom did it to him, and he can’t shake the habit.

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tmmao@reddit

I still do it to my kids, even though now we are seatbelt wearers. My bestie does it to me, lol.

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jermo1972@reddit

All the time.

I miss that Chick.

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techie1980@reddit

I kind of think that this is one of the things that we don't talk about newer generations missing out on: sitting in the front seat of the car. It was realistically the only way you could have a full conversation with an adult without someone getting distracted.

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EvilDan69@reddit

When I was in a kid, with my uncle driving, in my grandpa's station wagon, huge, woodpanels, fully loaded... we were on a country road , gravel, crested hill only to see it was a t-junction with your typical country road massive ditch on the other side. As my uncle pumped the brakes frantically, and we took air over the ditch, I believe both my mom and aunt put out their arms to protect the small kids, because passengers had lap belts back then. Nobody had shoulder straps. This is why people did it.

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WaterwingsDavid@reddit

Those old wagons were the best!

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EvilDan69@reddit

Yeah, after going airborn, and pegging into the opposite side of the ditch, everyone was mostly fine. We had every seat filled, mix of adults and kids. My cousin Rock and myself were in the rear side facing seats, sitting face to face. he took a flying gas lantern to the arm and the glass shattered, but it was only a scratch.

A local farmer came by with his tractor saying we were the 2nd or 3rd that week. He was used to it and did not mind helping out. Pulled the vehicle up and out of the ditch. The bumper needed replacing, there were concerns about the radiator, but otherwise it was fine. We were lucky it was soft dirt, but I believe my uncle kept it under control by pumping the brakes. this was pre ABS brakes.

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WaterwingsDavid@reddit

Sound like it was either a Country Squire or Colony Park with the side facing rear seats.

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Azbisbeeing@reddit

Only if I wasn’t in the little space between the back seat and the rear windshield. You know, where you look out to see behind you? Also, if she had a screwdriver (the cocktail) in her hand she wouldn’t just take both hands off the wheel. She wasn’t some kind of monster!

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chipinserted@reddit

Did you even have a mom if she did not do this

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Safe_Statistician_72@reddit

All the time.

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hikingyogi@reddit

I still do it.

Last time I did it I was driving my 88 year old friend and a truck turned in front of me. I gave her an unintentional boob grab. She laughed and said it was the most action she'd had in a long time.

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Coyote_Secret@reddit

That’s so funny 😆

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VR46Rossi420@reddit

I do it to my wife all the time 😏

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Coyote_Secret@reddit

Yes, my husband does it to me 😁

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TXSunDee@reddit

Yes and I do it too! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

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TurboLicious1855@reddit

I still do it and apologize each time. I apologize for trying to save their lives. Lol ridiculous.

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missdawn1970@reddit

Yes, and we didn't even use lap belts.

We lived in a hilly area until I was about 6, and I would stand up in the car going "WHEEEE!!!" as my mother drove up and down the hills. Or I'd lay in the "way back" of the station wagon.

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Mydreamsource@reddit

That was our seat belt. My brother used to stand beside her while riding in the car. Times have changed.

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KuchDaddy@reddit

omg, my sister and I would both be standing on the passenger seat holding on the the "oh shit" bar.

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CypressRootsMe@reddit

My boyfriend’s mom did this to me in high school. We both cracked up afterwards.

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MelissaYael@reddit

Yes! I have a terrible relay with my birth mom (I’m adopted) she’s selfish and manipulative. But she did this when I was a kid and to me it’s the only act of love. She preformed.

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Crafty-Shape2743@reddit

No, and we didn’t have seatbelts. Sigh…

But when I was in my 30’s and dating a man who did this, I realized I had found my life partner. Yep, I married him! 23 years, going strong, and he still does this!

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Electrical-Cod5329@reddit

My mum does it and I’m 50 next week

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Finn_704@reddit

Yes, and ido it now to whoever is in the passenger seat. And I do not have kids...

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Relative-Quality4382@reddit

Still do it!

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Breklin76@reddit

Yes. And I, instinctively do the same for my passengers - my kid or not.

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CyanideSeashell@reddit

Did this just this week to my 31 year old colleague on a work trip. Luckily we're friends, but I had to apologize for instinctively reaching out like she was a kid. It could have been super awkward.

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OkAssumption7372@reddit

Hahaha still do this.

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BaronessF@reddit

My "kids" are 22 and 24, and I still fling my arm out. They think I'm nuts.

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Various-General-8610@reddit

Mine are 35 and 30. My very logical son will always ask me if I know that he will most likely break my arm if we're in an accident.

In my Mom brain he is five years old, not 35.

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Various-General-8610@reddit

Yes. I still do it, even if no one is sitting there.

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redditwinchester@reddit

My mom did it and I do it too (no kids).

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austinaggie5279@reddit

Yep, and I still do. It’s a reflex

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Lonely-Ad-5340@reddit

I’m 44 and she still does, and now a wife that also does it

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DramaticErraticism@reddit

lol yes, I used to HATTTEEE this so much, especially as I got older. Definitely led to some yelling in the car from me, cringe memory unlocked.

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Ozdiva@reddit

Not me, but Mum used to do it to Dad. Surprised he never crashed.

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kkbobomb@reddit

I did. Funny thing is my 20 year old does it too!

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No_Today_4903@reddit

Yep! I do it too, did it last week when I had to stop suddenly. My daughter was like mom wtf? It’s a reflex, but I do wonder if anyone ever kept their kid from flying out before seatbelts were a thing lol?!?! I was always belted in and my kids definitely always were as well.

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Dull-Confection5788@reddit

Yes! My aunt did this. Then, suddenly I’m in a movie and we’re following the car that cut us off through the suburbs on a quiet Tuesday night to abruptly park at the end of their driveway so my aunt could yell “ARE YOU STUPID? THERE ARE KIDS IN THE CAR!” Then we headed home for tea and toast. This happened multiple times

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GalianoGirl@reddit

I did it to a friend when I had to make a sudden stop. We both laughed.

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slade797@reddit

So you’re still laughing?

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OldNorthBridge@reddit

My mom was like Hong Kong Fuey with that chop!

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Think_Seaweed_7314@reddit

No,but my brother would open the door and push me out.

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VinceP312@reddit

Lol

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soleiles1@reddit

I still do that with everyone in my front seat. Just a reflex. not that it's going to do anything.

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VinceP312@reddit

Even I do that now as an adult with an adult passenger with a seat belt on if I know I'm about to do unanticipated sudden brake slamming.

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JellyfishFit3871@reddit

I'm 56. My mom still does this.

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CaptainLollygag@reddit

I'm 56 and * I * still do this. Whyyyyy.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

aaaaahhhhh she still cares!

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JellyfishFit3871@reddit

Or doesn't want blood on the dashboard?

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Megnificent_Philly@reddit

Mine too!

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Chibi-Skyler@reddit

Yes!! And it was so instinctive, she was doing that to me when I was in my 20s.

Along similar lines: When she was cooking and would say, "Here, taste this and tell me if it needs more seasoning," she'd load up the spoon, bring it towards my mouth, and open HER mouth because that's how parents would show babies when spoon-feeding them!

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AggravatingBobcat574@reddit

You mean the original seat belt?

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Sufficient-Spray-367@reddit

It’s called the Mom Arm. And often it was holding a cigarette.

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Awkward-Actuator-596@reddit

I have a very vivid memory of standing in the back of my dad's van - no backseat. My dad was driving my much older brother in the passenger seat. Long story short daddy hit the brakes hard, had Sean not put his arm out I would definitely have been thrown through the windshield. I dislocated his shoulder but I only sustained a concussion. Not the first time my boomer siblings saved my life- cause my parents weren't paying attention

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MrRetrdO@reddit

Yes! Both parents would do that!

I caught myself doing it too!

Had a friend in the front seat. I'm driving down a main street, someone pulls out on me. I simultaneously hit the brakes & put my arm out.

The dude just looked at me and started laughing. We had a good laugh about it.

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Elguapo361@reddit

My dad did, but Mom was more concerned with dropping her cigarette.

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OakandIvy_9586@reddit

Mom is 76 and still does this to whoever is seated in the front passenger seat if she stops suddenly. Freaks the grandkids out.

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lostnfound818@reddit

I still do, even when no one is in the passenger seat. It’s just instinct at this point.

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blissfulhiker8@reddit

This is what I was going to write. I still do this every time.

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Rahshoe@reddit

No, but my dad did

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Notyerdaddy@reddit

Old memory unlocked. Once I was in the car with my step father when he had to slam on the brakes. No arm, no seatbelt. Just me hurling against the dashboard and then onto the floorboard. Then, it was “what the fuck are you doing there? Get your ass back in the seat before someone see you!”

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ThermosPickerOuter@reddit

Nope. I was 4 when I flew head first into a sharp, thin dashboard. I’m 56 and still have a scar on my forehead.

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Luggage-of-Rincewind@reddit

Me too!

I was safely stowed in the back of the car… stood up and looking out between the two front seats, when my Mum rammed the three month old car into a truck. Me: Headfirst into the dash.

I wish dashboards had more padding back then. 🤣

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anb1017@reddit

I did this to my work tote yesterday 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Ray_The_Engineer@reddit

Yep, my mom certainly did this. No car seats, no seat belt laws, we just floated around in the car at 70mph.

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Avadragon@reddit

No one wore seat belts back in the day. Also the whole get in thr back of the pickup truck was normal. It wasn't until 86 that the seat belt law passed here and it wasn't until 93 that they could pull you over for not having it on. Your parents arm was the seat belt. My own mom would flip the fuck out if you messed with the belts in her 1974 Pinto wagon. If you moved them it might mess up the look of her car. I got knocked out hitting my head in the dash of that car when someone blew a stop sign. Even after that she wouldn't let anyone touch them on her next Pinto.

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elladoherty@reddit

Both of my parents did this until their death. It's deeply ingrained stuff.

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Serious-Mongoose-387@reddit

yeah for several years

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MagnumPIsMoustache@reddit

I do this to my wife all the time (and grab her boob). Then we say something about stealing Frank Costanza’s move.

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lopix@reddit

Pfft. No. If I died, I died.

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Former-Crazy-9224@reddit

Every adult I rode with as a child did this (but I was never in a seatbelt) and I did it to my kids. My daughter pointed out once that the seatbelt is holding her just fine, which it of course is. So now I very dramatically do it once in a while just to make her laugh and I typically do it when the stop itself isn’t even very sudden.

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Hot_Stranger_2563@reddit

Yeah, my mom did that and drove a stick shift car, lol mom's will be mom's.

What's funny is she was driving me to a doctor's appointment when I was 50, and came to a hard stop on the freeway and did it, full seatbelts and airbags notwithstanding, I said something like"mom, don't ever change!" and kissed her on the cheek.

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CtrlAltComment@reddit

No she would just say, shit! Or dont put your feet on the dash, if we have an accident your legs will be crushed.

If I put a seat belt on she'd be offended and remind me she used to race cars.

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geneaweaver7@reddit

My grandmother did this to me once when she was the passenger and I was driving. She almost caused me to lose control of the car and run off the road. There was no reason for her to have done it since we were not at all close to the car in front of us (about 8 car lengths away if not 10). One of the last times I drove her anywhere.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

Nope. I always rode in the back. I really didn't start riding in the front until I was 14-15ish.

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LoverLips76@reddit

No but my partner does this.

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CantFeelMyLegs78@reddit

Yes, and she still refuses to wear a seat belt. She will let her car ding ding ding the whole time she drives. She actually still throws up her arm when she makes a sudden stop at the age of 77

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miniwhoppers@reddit (OP)

A dear boomer friend of mine refuses to wear her seatbelt. Believes it’s government overreach.

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chickensoup_77@reddit

My dad did, yes. I now do it to my kids even tho they’re adults. Hahaha

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Scrappyl77@reddit

Yes. And u don't ro my kid who is finally old enough to sit in the front (unlike me being 3 and riding shotgun).

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Kanya_Mkavry@reddit

I think so? That's the kind of thing I don't remember.

I do it, so I must have learned it somewhere.

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slouchingninja@reddit

I actually did this the other day for my dog, laughed out loud at myself in the moment, and my kid (in the backseat) asked what was so funny and I had to tell him about this learned habit from my mom. Fwiw I do buckle my dog in, but I feel bad if sudden stops make her stumble or slide on the seat.

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EllaMcWho@reddit

She still does - at least my 18 year old niece is the victim now. I refuse to let her drive when I’m in the car.

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Kindly_Jellyfish_451@reddit

My sister and friends have done it too, even with a seatbelt! Always makes us laugh because of course it wouldn’t do a damn thing in a crash.

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OverMlMs@reddit

No, but this was only because she was short as hell and sat so close to the steering wheel it was physically impossible for her to reach the passenger seat like that. She was also a narcissist, so I doubt it crossed her mind unless there was someone else in the car she could impress.

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Colibri918@reddit

That's just instinct. It's not generational.

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GeneralPatten@reddit

Yep. Every. Single. Time. Worst part was, my mother was a nervous wreck when she was driving. A car pulls up to the end of their driveway as we're approaching... she'd immediately brake and ¡THWOP! goes the arm across my chest. She comes up on a kid riding their bike down the road, and the kid decides to stand up on the pedals to speed up... brakes and ¡THWOP! goes the arm across my chest.

Strange thing is though, without realizing it, I grew to view it as kind of an expression of caring/love. In my early years of driving, in my teens and early twenties, I'd do the same (not nearly as overreactive as my mom, however) when I had my girlfriends in the car with me. If I had to make a sudden, hard stop, I would consciously tell myself, "¡THWOMP! her"

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Lanky_Comedian_3942@reddit

Stopped short!

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MilesAugust74@reddit

That's MY MOVE!!!

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tc_cad@reddit

Yep. Instinctively she threw her arm in front of me, as her car was about to be hit, on the drivers side door.

It was a low speed crash, icy roads in the middle of winter, a car just rolled into the intersection and hit us.

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iamdecal@reddit

52, I do it now still to my wife/daughter/ grown ass friends/ who ever else is who’s sat in the passenger seat.

When I was a kid I generally travelled kneeling on the back seat so I could play with toys on the rear parcel shelf - I remember at least twice I “woke up” in the front footwell or trapped between my parents seats.. and probably more times I just don’t recall !

And yet … you should see the way my parents strap in thier grandkids now :-)

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Apprehensive-Cat-421@reddit

Yes!!!

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Starkville@reddit

Yes.

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jrob321@reddit

When I was 9 years old (1974) my mom was a new driver and went to swat a bee away from my face while driving a '71 Pinto Runabout. She turned the wheel while doing so and we hit a telephone pole at 55mph. Right before impact, she swerved back to the left and the car slammed into the pole broadside.

The pole was cut off at the base. The car looked like a horseshoe afterwards. My wrist was broken because I was rolling the window down to get the bee out of the car.

I would have been killed, but I was wearing my seat belt.

Near death experience at 9 years old changed me forever.

My dad got home from the Giants game that night and wept at my side because - after looking at the damage the car sustained - there really was no sane reason anybody sitting in that seat should have survived.

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Mondschatten78@reddit

Ooof, reminds me of an accident my grandma had. If I'd been with her in the passenger seat that day, I doubt I'd be whole, or even here. Someone speeding t-boned her, and the passenger seat was all kinds of crumpled up and shoved against the driver's seat. She had stopped by the house that morning to see if I wanted to ride with her, but I'd already gone to a friend's house.

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jrob321@reddit

Fate...? Butterfly Effect...? Funny how life works out sometimes.

How many people who were never once late to work missed their train ir had car trouble on the morning of 9/11...? Or missed their flight? Or perhaps rebooked their flight that morning to one of the four that were hijacked?

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Glen_Fairy@reddit

Yes, and I do it to my kids.

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LDawnBurges@reddit

I’m a Mom and my children are all grown snd have their own children… I still do this!

And yes, I’m completely aware this is an excellent way to get your arm broken and to seriously injure your passenger, in a real accident, when airbags deploy.

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bravenewwhorl@reddit

Absolutely!

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Individual_Check_442@reddit

For some reason my mom didn’t but my dad did. Maybe she didn’t feel strong enough to stop me.

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No_Profile_3343@reddit

My mom arm works great. Brings a laugh every time.

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bewildereddragon@reddit

No. Because my dad was an engineer, seatbelt use was drilled into me from a very young age. So much so that when I was about 9, I missed out in a trip to get ice cream because the car didn’t have enough seatbelts. (I made the decision. Dad was at work. I’ve made that same decision for myself and my kids many times since)

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Swimming-Pride5012@reddit

I didn't have a seat until I was almost 9.

We had a panel van for most of my formative years. Dad had customized it so I had essentially a bed in the back, but no seat and definitely no seat belt.

Before he built in the bed, my parents tried putting a lawn chair in the back but that slid around too much.

The 70s were a blast!

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Appropriate-Weird492@reddit

I do it. Learned behavior. Them groceries aren’t going nowhere.

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I-used2B-a-Valkyrie@reddit

No but she has zero maternal instincts, not surprising.

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WeirdcoolWilson@reddit

Yes

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interspeciesMama@reddit

We were 6, no seat belts in the beginning but all sat at the back. But ... though I do not have the human children I tend to do it with anybody even with seatbelts. I don't even know I'm doing it until it is mentioned to me. Have no understanding as to why.

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Correct-Condition-99@reddit

Of course. It was the M. E. R. A mom emergency restraining arm) device. Pretty common aftermarket equipment in most 70's and early 80's cars. They were mostly fazed out once we became teenagers, or were big enough to sit in the way back in the station wagon.

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ZweigleHots@reddit

Yes, and she did it once when I was in my 20s because she was so used to having my much younger sister in the passenger seat.

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Shamajo@reddit

I remember being the back of a station wagon with friends and it was fun to be thrown around the back seat by my mum swerving wildly around corners.

We would be slamming into each other laughing but yelling "ow!" because even 5 kids slamming into each other, or being thrown on the floor hurt!

But we loved it. No seat belts or mum arms because she was the one fish railing down dirt bumpy roads.

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trUth_b0mbs@reddit

Yes.....and I do that with my kids even though they're strapped in haha. Guess old habits die hard.

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biwinumberone@reddit

Humorist Erma Bombeck references this protective maternal reflex in the essay, ""When Did I Become the Mother and the Mother Become the Child?" from her book, "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits." It's a bittersweet reflection on the role reversal that happens when an adult child starts to care for an aging parent. Heartwarming read.

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ScarInternational161@reddit

Erma is the BOMB!!!!

I still have all her books (they were my mothers)

Shirley Jackson (the haunting of hill house) wrote a book titled "Life Among the Savages" while she is known for her horror, this is an Erma Bombeck worthy comedic read and I cannot recommend it enough!!

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willfullyinert@reddit

No. If anything, she crashed a little harder.

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whiporee123@reddit

My wife still does. Even if it’s me sitting next to her.

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Electrical_Report458@reddit

My spouse, seated in the passenger seat, would reflexively do this and knock one of my hands off the steering wheel! Not the preferred method of improving safety.

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0pensecrets@reddit

Hell my kids are in their 20's and I still do it lol

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mrsredfast@reddit

For sure. I’m 58 and pretty sure she’d still do it if I ever let her be the driver.

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Winter-eyed@reddit

My mom did, my older sister did, even my dad did… nut my older brother woulda let me fly thru the window

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QueenRotidder@reddit

yes, and I do it sometimes to other people now. I don’t even have kids LOL

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shan68ok01@reddit

Me too, but I did frequently drive with my nieces and nephews. It's only embarrassed me when the only thing I was "saving" is my purse that hit the floorboard anyway because my arm his at the top of the seat.

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Ok-Mind-3915@reddit

“Mom arm”

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gatorgopher@reddit

The first time I saw it happen, I was 16, my friend was driving, hit the breaks and her arm automatically went out across me. I was so confused. She was confused I didn't know what it was.

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bizzybaker2@reddit

Mom did it all the time, heck I just did it to my 22yr old son and I was in the passenger seat lol

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Mondschatten78@reddit

Mom, Dad, and all grandparents lol

I have a memory of one of my grandmas stopping me from actually hitting the dash in her Nova when I was like 4 or 5. No accident, just a hard brake because someone pulled out in front of us at the last minute.

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Yankee6Actual@reddit

Absolutely.

Supplemental Restraint System before airbags were a thing.

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itcantjustbemeright@reddit

My little 5’ tall mother did this to my 400lb 40 year old brother one day.

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dubgeek@reddit

Yes. I remember that happening a couple of times.

Bonus: I also remember being allowed to stand up in the front seat while mom was driving when I was 5!

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Strict_Emu5187@reddit

Shit, I remember being allowed to "drive" by sitting on dad's lap doing 87 MPH on highway.

Be advised - im joking about the 87.🙄

I'm sure it was around 85

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One_Local5586@reddit

Once I was out of a booster seat, I rode on a wooden stool in the back of the station wagon

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JoyDVeeve@reddit

I'm not a mom but I do carry a backpack and I did that to my husband the other week

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Auseyre@reddit

I do that to this day, ironically enough, usually to my mom who I picked up the habit from.

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Armthedillos5@reddit

I do this to grocery bags and sometimes an empty seat reflexively.

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Trolkarlen@reddit

My friends who are moms instinctively do this.

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hatchhiker@reddit

No, I got a bloody nose from slamming into the dashboard

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Anonymous_user_2022@reddit

I think it’s because there were no shoulder seatbelts and only lap belts.

I'm almost a Boomer (1969), and I've never experienced anything but three point seat belts.

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Degofreak@reddit

I distinctly remember single strap seatbelts. 1967

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Anonymous_user_2022@reddit

I guess it's down to location. I live in Denmark, so maybve we gt the thrre point seat belt as standard earlier. After all, it was invented by a Swedish engineer in 1959.

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Own_Celebration5462@reddit

Did she? She still would if I was the passenger. I do it with my kids.

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KC5SDY@reddit

Oh yes. That is where I got it from. I have done it to passengers in the past just out of instinct.

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CapitalD7086@reddit

My mother did this. Often.

But one time… I was casually just watching the goings on as we were driving and a car pulled out into traffic like 100 feet in front of us and casually came up to speed. She must have been looking in the mirror or something because she suddenly realized it was there, and it wasn’t before…. She whipped her arm across the divide and knocked the wind out of me. And my little 13 year old self goes…. Mom… gasp… just hit the car next…. Time…. Gasp…. Mom then rolls in laughter and it’s a fond memory.

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threedogdad@reddit

of course, nobody used seat belts back then

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toiletcleaner999@reddit

I still do this to whomever is in the passenger seat. Ill even throw an arm across the seats so whomever is in the back is safe lol

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Gloomy-Community-199@reddit

Yes and now I do it to whomever is in the passenger seat. 😂

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Efficient-Editor-242@reddit

I do it now.

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butterflygardyn@reddit

I did this recently to my daughter. She's nearly 30. 🤣

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Strict_Emu5187@reddit

Of course that was our seat belt

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Degofreak@reddit

Mom had developed such a habit of that after three kids. One day she had to drive her boss somewhere and did it to him.

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Away_Bit_3382@reddit

We may have had lap belts, but they were not used. They were stuffed into the seats.

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notguiltybrewing@reddit

Accurate

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bluegeocachingmonkey@reddit

Pfft. I was the recipient and deliverer of "The Arm". 😏 Passed it along to the next generation.... which refuses to get drivers licenses, so I guess the tradition in my family dies with me.

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notguiltybrewing@reddit

It was dad and most people rarely wore seat belts that I can recall. I didn't start wearing seat belts regularly until a bad experience in the mid 80's where I slid through a wet (and probably oily) intersection and ended up stopping without a collision but basically being face to face with another driver that I just about slid into. I'm sure the look of terror was mutual.

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Bubbly_Following7930@reddit

No because we were never sitting in the same row. She's me in passenger seat up front and we'd be in back.

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Ok_Andyl8183@reddit

Did she stop short?

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Realistic-Currency61@reddit

She stopped short... That's MY move.

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Mdan@reddit

My GenX wife does that to this day with me, her GenX husband.

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FlexyZebra@reddit

My mom did this and still does. It’s an automatic reflex now. She’s even done it to adult passengers before. She did it to a large chested friend and they both laughed hysterically.

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Lovethatspookystuff@reddit

Still do this today! And I think of a scene from a Seinfeld episode every time (stopping short!)

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Educational_Bid_5315@reddit

I was hoping someone would bring this up 🤣

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CornTreeRoad@reddit

Stopping short?!? That’s my move!

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CitizenChatt@reddit

Don't cop a feel on your mom, bro🤣

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Ancient-Cow-1038@reddit

Yes. Even though I had a shoulder belt.

I do it myself.

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Sundore@reddit

No, one hand on the steering wheel and the other one holding her cigarette

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Illustrious-Fun-549@reddit

I can still feel the clothesline to the neck....

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memeof1@reddit

I still do this for whomever is in my passenger seat regardless of their age. Safety first 🤭

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atlredneck@reddit

As a kid I was always in the back seat getting slung all over the place in a big impala land yacht

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Timely-Tourist4109@reddit

I still do this. Even with shoulder straps

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videoman7189@reddit

Yes. Even after shoulder restraints became common she would put her arm out. Old habits die hard is the phrase that comes to mind.

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Philcoman@reddit

Yes, and she still did it when I became an adult and had shoulder straps.

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ChrisRiley_42@reddit

Yes, but she said it was because she was used to doing that to keep her purse from going flying and dumping everything.

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-Granby-@reddit

Yes she did and I still do it to my wife/daughter in the passenger seat to this day. It's just a reflex.

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BurntSiennaSienna@reddit

Ugh I still do this. It’s a reflex.

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SheCantGoHome@reddit

I do this in the hall at my workplace. The bathroom door is just outside my office and when I’m walking people out, I have instinctively thrown the arm to make sure my client doesn’t get walloped by the door when someone is exiting the bathroom. Funniest part? It’s to the left, but that mom action still kicks in.

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KrisCole9884@reddit

My husband (48) does this to me(42) every time we are out even though im wearing my seat belt.😆

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ChessieChesapeake@reddit

Me too. Us husbands are sneaky that way.

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Ok-Cantaloupe-5025@reddit

I have a friend who does it when I’m the passenger in her car. We’re both 59 and never had kids. Must be a core childhood reaction LOL

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ChessieChesapeake@reddit

I still do this. It’s my sneaky way of copping a feel when my wife is in the passenger seat.

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fridayimatwork@reddit

Yes well into my adulthood

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dafuqizzis@reddit

I remember my friend (a mother to two toddlers)—she’s about 5’7” or so, relatively slender— was driving me somewhere. I think to pick up my car from the shop or from school or something stupid like that. Anyway, somebody ran a red light and she slammed on brakes and her arm instinctively went out to hold me against my seat.

I’m just over 6’2” and, at the time, about 225lbs.

I laughed so hard, but it was a really sweet gesture on her part.

But yes, my mother regularly did that, too.

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VincentVan_Dough@reddit

She still does and I’m almost 50. I think it’s muscle memory and instinct. I don’t think there were over the shoulder seatbelts in the early 80s although I distinctly remember wearing them by the late 80s/ early 90s and she still did it. My kid is an Alpha and of course she had the rear facing car seat in the back and didn’t sit in the front seat until she was 9 or 10 and made the weight/height requirements yada yada and yet… if I brake hard, my arm instinctively shoots out 🤷‍♀️

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EarlJHickey00@reddit

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SquirrelBowl@reddit

r/UnexpectedSeinfeld

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tk-093@reddit

I can't here for this.

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No_Panic_248@reddit

I still do it, even if no one is in the car. Reflex I guess

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coryphella123@reddit

I do this myself all the time.

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meb1616@reddit

When I was in grad school about 29 years ago I was in the car with my dissertation advisor in stop-and-go NYC traffic. We came to a sudden stop and she threw her arm across me (a then 30 year old) just out of pure mama instinct. We laughed about it after. Old habits stick!

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Ok-Lingonberry-8261@reddit

Yes

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202reno@reddit

Just did this to my son the other day and said my mom used to do this to me. He asked why and I told him because we weren’t wearing seatbelts. He said wow.

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Huevo_con_Chorizo88@reddit

My mom did and I still do it to my family members.

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Curious_41427@reddit

Yes, my Mom and Grandma both did this. When I was taking my driving test, I asked if I needed to do it with the driving instructor. He was not amused.

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Lucky-Resolution890@reddit

How else do you think I survived her driving 55 on the highway?

Every now & then I return the favor when I’m driving her around 🤣

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Mobile_Aioli_6252@reddit

Except when I was bad, then I was on my own

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draggar@reddit

Wait, you weren't just loose in the back of the station wagon?

But, in the rare times I was in the front seat - yes.

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