in the driver's seat

Idioms  

1. Also, in the saddle. In control, in a position of authority. For example, With the boss on vacation, Mr. Burns was in the driver's seat and enjoying it, or She waited until after the election, knowing that she'd be in the saddle then. The first expression dates from the 1800s, the second from the early 1600s. Also see at the helm.

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Example Sentences

Win those two, and the Kings are back in the driver’s seat.

From Los Angeles Times

With more options now to put kids in the driver’s seat, parents must consider how much agency they want their financially curious teens to have with minimal supervision, and how to educate them about the role investing plays in building wealth.

From MarketWatch

“This structure ensures parents stay in the driver’s seat during the learning years, while giving kids real, hands-on experience that prepares them for financial independence,” Jennifer Seitz, Greenlight’s director of education, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch

“The appointment of Brandon Craig at BHP is effectively like putting the chief engineer of the ‘copper engine’ in the driver’s seat,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

She nods to where a neatly mustachioed man sits in the driver’s seat of an automobile on the street.

From Literature