Why is the front passenger seat called "shotgun"?

Question

Just wondering...don't know if I ever learned that.

Answer 1

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In the days of stagecoaches, an armed guard usually sat on the box beside the driver. His job was known as "riding shotgun." That's the reason the front passenger seat of a car is called the shotgun seat. (Before seatbelts, that seat was also called the "suicide seat," because it was the most dangerous seat in the car--the one from which the rider was most liable to be thrown through the windshield in a collision.)

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Asker's Comment:

Nice answer. Thanks! :)

Answer 2

Because in the horse and buggy days, a person sat up top next to the driver with a shotgun handy, to ward off thieves, the driver being too busy driving a team of horses.

Answer 3

The old stage coach drivers use to have a man with a shotgun ride with them and on their right for protection, so the phrase riding shotgun came to be.

Answer 4

cause the front passenger might get shot by a gun since they're at hte front

Answer 5

The History
The history of calling "Shotgun" goes back to the days of covered wagons and the Wild West. On a trip across the plains, the driver of a wagon would hold the reins of his horse team and concentrate on driving. This left him and the occupants of his wagon susceptible to sneak attacks from bandits and thieves. To avoid this atrocious circumstance it became necessary for one person to sit next to the driver with a shotgun and fend off the enemy.

Defending against bandits is no longer the priority of Shotgun however, but it has evolved into a pre driving ritual that is experienced before almost every car ride across America and even the world. Because of the obvious evolution that has already occurred with Shotgun, we ask you to consider Shotgun as a living entity and be aware that it is always changing for the better good of society.

Source(s):

http://www.shotgunrules.com/