These Are Your Unbreakable Road Trip Rules

“My family’s rules for ‘Punch Buggy’ c.1973

“Punch Buggy will be played during any road trip exceeding five minutes, weather, lighting conditions and parents’ tolerance level permitting.

“Punch Buggy shalt not be played on the way to or from church, because God.

“The call ‘Punch Buggy’ will be followed by the vehicle’s color and relative location; for example: ‘Punch Buggy, Blue, 3-O’clock.’

“The player initiating Punch Buggy must call any special rules at the start of the game. For example ‘Double-punch for Green’ or ‘No punch for white.’

“VW Busses, Karman Ghias, Things and Squarebacks do not count.

“Convertibles count, and are worth a double punch if the top is down, but must be called, e.g. ‘Punch Buggy convertible, Red, 11-o’clock’ to count.

“Buggys in driveways, parking lots and dealerships do not count; the car must be on the road and clearly visible to both players. Buggys in drive-thrus are considered ‘in-play’

“Reverend O’Conner’s Buggy is NEVER in play, because again, God.

“Incorrect or false Punch Buggy calls will result in a double punch-back.

“Punches are to be delivered squarely ONLY to the upper arm of your opponent after a legal Punch Buggy call. Punches should be hard enough to be felt but not enoughto hurt or leave a mark. A hit to any other area of the body, accidental or not, are subject to a parental-issued penalty.

“Any game of Punch Buggy ends when someone cries, falls asleep or calls for a time-out, or when snacks are being distributed, or Dad is listening to the ballgame.

“Time out is called if a police car is in proximity.

“Punch Buggy games end when the ignition is shut off.”

Did you get all that? Good.