See, how it works is the driver unlocks your door, lets you in, and you then lean across to unlock his or her door.

My mom taught me this when I was a teenager. Always unlock and open the car door. You don't have to close her in like you are the keeper of the door, as some find it uncomfortable. But if you do, make sure any jacket or dress is inside, please.

She also pointed out that unlocking your passenger's door first is always polite, male or female.

I haven't asked her since then about electric locks and remote devices.

Sadly I have not had much of a need for girlfriend car etiquette in my life. I have to brush up and check out the political correctness before I go to Arizona...someday.

I'm a compulsive door-opener/holder.

If you're that close to someone, you pretty much have to keep holding it open, because the alternative turns to active rudeness.

But it's amazing how many people don't.

But it's amazing how many people don't.

People you're actually with? That's horrible. There's a sort of unspoken elastic band around you, the moreso the fewer of you there are. Closing a door in the middle of that strikes me as appalling.

Some of us are just oblivious to the people walking too close behind us. I've had to apologize many a time because I didn't realize someone was entering a door behind me.

When lots of people (that i'm not with) are coming, I find when holding the door it helps to make the slip inside as soon as possible, and hold it open from the inside until the next person grabs the door. Then continue on.

I held too many doors too long until I perfected this technique.

I'm told it's common among door holders.

I've had to apologize many a time because I didn't realize someone was entering a door behind me.

Are these people in your group, though?

I meant that as a general comment, not necessarily in terms of people I was with. The level of rudeness does increase for people you are with.

I have one friend who insists on doing the car door opening, and the cigarette lighting, etc. With him it's partially born of being raised that way, and partially a matter of creating the opportunity to snark at me about my lack of social graces because I'm almost always wrong-footed by it. Eh, it's fun.

What the hell does "auto-genuine" mean?

Something I'm finding annoying currently is guys who stand back to let you out of the elevator first. (Talk about your first-world problems.) But my office is on the top floor of the building, so when I'm going down, I'm always in the back. Then we get to the ground floor, and no one frigging moves. Just get out already. Why make me push past several people to get out first - and that supposedly in the name of politeness?

I don't object to guys who just stand back and give you an "after you." I don't expect or require it either. But when your rigid adherence to social niceties actually has the effect of making me behave rudely or feel uncomfortable, hasn't the point sort of been lost?

I'm at the post office every day, and I notice that I usually hold the door for anyone behind me, once they have the door, I let go and continue on. If it's someone with a lot of packages, I let them go through first. Elderly people always go first.

I'm also large with the ma'am and sir if it's an older relative or a work superior.