Which driving habits of your spouse aggravate you the most?

The torrential downpour caused a multivehicle pileup on a busy interstate highway in deep Texas. Several police cars, ambulances and tow trucks had arrived at the scene. A few motorists stood near their crunched-up cars, still in a daze from what had just happened.

From the fast lane on the other side of the median, I slowed down just enough to take a few photos of the chaotic scene. Click, click, click. I didn’t think twice about doing it. I’m not sure if it’s the journalist in me or if other gapers do this, too.

It’s one of my worst habits while driving, taking fast photos of anything that catches my attention. On my recent round-trip trek to Texas, I took at least two dozen photos while either cruising at 80 mph (the legal speed limit on some Texas highways) or chugging along at 20 mph in construction zones or bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Catchy billboards. Road signs. Tourist attractions. Welcome signs. Interesting vehicles. Traffic jams. Click, click, click. Like I said, it’s a bad habit.

At a hotel in Arkansas I read a related story about the most aggravating driving habits of spouses or partners. It ranked a top 10 list of complaints from couples while driving together that usually veer into an argument.

No. 1 on this list? Using a phone while driving. “Guilty, your honor,” I thought to myself.

The other most annoying or dangerous driving habits include speeding, tailgating, dozing off behind the wheel, passing others recklessly, repeated braking, not using turn signals, staying in the wrong lane and listening to music too loudly.

After returning home from our trip, I shared this list with my online readers, asking if it hit home for them with their spouses. It turns out that this top 10 list of complaints could have been a top 20 list.

“No. 11: not following directions, whether on a map or a digital device,” wrote Barbara S.

This was a common response about a spouse’s driving habits, typically about men, not women. No. 11 doesn’t apply to me. I relied heavily on my GPS throughout our trip, so much so that I find it hard to believe I once used print road maps to get anywhere.

Somewhere in Illinois (a rather boring state, like Indiana), I opened up an old Rand Mcnally map to remind me how I used to get around on vacations. (Watch a video of our experience on my Facebook page.) Before digital GPS technology, I would use a highlighter to mark my entire route on a map, with written footnotes along the way.

While on the road, I remember keeping these maps under my leg for quick access. This of course made them even more impossible to properly fold back into their original shape. Years later I would print out mapping directions from a desktop computer before my trip, keeping the stapled papers under my sun visor to repeatedly check it. Ah, the good old days, huh?

No. 12 on the list of readers’ complaints? When their spouse bounces on the gas pedal to the beat of the music on a radio. I agree. I’ve experienced this. It’s annoying as hell. And dizzying for passengers.

No. 13: Road rage. It could be as harmless as grumbling under your breath at other motorists. It could be as dangerous as yelling obscenities or threats at strangers who also may have road rage. (I would probably take a photo of someone doing this to me.)

Karen U. said her pet peeve was when her husband would continue driving during a trip with less than a quarter tank of gas. Why? “To see how far we can make it before we need to stop for gas,” she said. “It didn’t always turn out well.”

Tiffany S. noted a familiar argument between couples on the road — windows down versus air conditioning. Another popular complaint is when the driver takes their eyes off the road to sightsee.

“I constantly tell my wife when she’s driving that it’s my job to sightsee and it’s your job to get us there safely,” said Frank L. “But she can’t help herself sometimes.”

Colleen S. said her husband has a bad habit of turning the steering wheel toward whatever side he’s looking at while sightseeing.

“So we’re always drifting into the other lane or off the road,” she said. “I’m the one watching the road and yelling at him. It drives me nuts.” (Pun intended, she said.)

Brian P. said his wife has mentioned to him every complaint on the list except for falling asleep behind the wheel. “But after 30 years, I think she has finally given up. She tries to sleep when she can,” he said.

Emily J. spoke for women whose husbands get upset behind the wheel when their wives let out “unnecessary gasps” due to aggressive or erratic driving. This has happened when my fiance is in the passenger seat. She doesn’t mean to gasp. It just comes out, if a car gets too close or if I thread the needle between speeding vehicles.

Every time it happens, I calmly tell her, “I got it.” She still gasps. I understand.

At one point while driving through that wicked storm in Texas, I looked over to see both of her hands near her face, as if she was watching a horror movie. Without saying a word, I gently lowered her hands to her lap.

I might feel the same way if she was driving through a storm and we had just passed a serious pileup. I’ve caught myself attempting to use a passenger side brake that doesn’t exist.

In these instances, Paula K. reacts like many spouses who shared their experiences.

“To keep the peace, I bury my face in my phone and pray,” she said.