do you *have* to get the closest parking spot? (1 Viewer)

[Chris Hovanic]

Problem is... the people that cant back in, probably have just as much of a hard time pulling in forward.

I had the pleasure of watching a visitor of my neighbor try to park on the street. She pulled passed a parked car on the street up to the curb, then attempted to back up along the curb to the car that was already parked. FIVE attempts later she had the car sorta parked. The Nose of the Car was off the curb about 3 feet and the rear tire was up against the curb. I just had to laugh.

Thoes are the people that scare me, cant even back up straight. I bet they have a hard time merging too... but I guess that is a whole different thread.

 

[Ted Lee]

I guess that is a whole different thread.

i guess i could have a mod change the title to something like "car parking - and the things that drive us nuts!".

bet that would get some responses!

 

[Hunter P]

Ted,
The person backing out of the parking space would be at fault. The person driving down the lane has the right of way. Had this happen to me in high school and the cop charged the parked car with "failing to yield the right of way."

 

[Ted Lee]

my friend told me about a study done by two researchers at penn university. this is the transcript he sent me.

Two researchers at Penn State university observed people in a shopping mall parking lot as they were leaving.2 They noticed that departing drivers (both men and women) took eleven seconds longer to vacate their spot when someone else was waiting for the space than when no one was there. Even the implication of "pressure" by just waiting can evoke resistance. Instead of hurrying up, they tend to take longer. This power-based behavior is counterproductive because it takes longer for them to leave and engenders hostile reactions. So why do people do it? They investigated the issue further by sending in cars driven by a student who honked at the departing driver. Drivers who were honked at took even longer to depart than drivers who were not honked at. The researchers attribute this "territorial behavior" to people's desire to proclaim rightful occupancy of a space. When this right is questioned by a hostile honking motorist the tendency is to reaffirm rightful ownership, and this is accomplished by taking even longer to vacate the place because the power struggle is the focus

also, you guys might get a kick out of this website:

http://www.drdriving.org/rages/parking.htm

the quote above is about three-quarters down the page.

 

[MarkHastings]

The researchers attribute this "territorial behavior" to people's desire to proclaim rightful occupancy of a space

I don't see it that way. I see it more as a controlling issue. My car is parked legally and I have the right to leave whenever I feel like it (as long as I'm not loitering). If someone were to honk at me to leave the spot, I would purposely stay there because I'm not about to let someone tell me when I should leave the spot.

It's like anything in life. Imagine if someone yelled at you to do something right before you were about to do it. I.e. You're just about to open a door and someone angrily yells "OPEN THE DOOR!", you'd probably stop just to piss them off. Nobody likes to be told what to do (even if they were going to do it in the first place).

 

[Yee-Ming]

Problem is... the people that cant back in, probably have just as much of a hard time pulling in forward.

Good point. Either way it's annoying to the rest of us.

One thing I noticed, it has to do with the amount of space available. When on holiday in Tasmania, and more recently New Zealand, where car parks out in the country are, well, big, uncongested, and in many instances not marked at all (i.e. no individual lots), I noticed many pulled in forward, never backing in. At one car park at a national park, instinct had gotten the better of me and I'd backed in, only after leaving the car did I notice NO ONE else had backed in. When there's so much space, it hardly seems necessary.

In contrast, in town where car parks are smaller, the mix was more even between park-forward and back-in. Whilst here in congested Singapore backing in is much more common, indeed in some small car parks there are signs asking drivers specifically to reverse-park.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yep, just like when someone is tailgating me and instead of going faster I slow down.

Try and push someone to do something and more than likely they'll do the exact opposite.

 

[Dave Gorman]

Yep, just like when someone is tailgating me and instead of going faster I slow down.

Just as long as you aren't one of those moronic imbeciles that does that while puttering along in the passing lane not passing anyone at all...

 

[Ryan Wright]

Nobody likes to be told what to do (even if they were going to do it in the first place).

I agree.

The people around here used to be good drivers. However, I've noticed a huge increase in stupid behavior. The new thing is for people to force their way into your lane. Traffic will be backed up and there's not enough room for them. Instead of putting on their blinker and waiting for somebody to let them in, they just start merging into the car next to them. This has happened to me several times in the past month, and I've seen it happen to other people too! The natural tendency is to slam on your brakes and narrowly avoid an accident, meanwhile letting the asshole get away with his actions.

The last time this happened to me (and I naturally slammed on my brakes) I decided it wasn't going to happen again. And yesterday afternoon, as I was driving my family down the freeway @ 30mph in thick traffic, some asshole tried it again. He just started merging! And I mean right next to me; I'd have to drive off onto the shoulder to avoid him. I saw him look at my truck, so it wasn't a matter of not seeing me. He simply figured he could force his way in.

So I held my lane and laid on the horn. He continued coming over, until the last second, when he had to slam on his brakes and was nearly rear-ended by the guy behind me, who was also honking at him. He proceeded to flip me the bird in full view of my 6 year old daughter. I was pissed. But what could I do? Nothing. So I just sat there and stewed, enjoying the possibility that some day he will pull this stunt on the wrong person and take a bullet to the head.

I hope one of these clowns hits me some day. I'd proceed to have all sorts of neck and back pain requiring large sums of money. In an actual accident, I'd never do something like this. But if you're going to hit me on purpose because you're an arrogant fu**, I'll extract every bit of legal revenge I can get away with.

 

[Chris Hovanic]

Ryan I agree 100%... (BTW I own the road so get the F outa my way! ) What is it with drivers? Is it just because there are so many more people on the road?

I drive a 4 lane highway halfway to work. Posted speed limit is 55 MPH. It angers me to no end when some tool is in the left lane putting along at 45 and will not pull over to the right lane. I refuse to pass on the right!

The Oregon Drivers Manual clearly states to travel in the right lane unless passing or avoiding an obstruction. It also states that you should only pass on the left.

I realy think that you should have to pass a drivers test every few years. Not that it would stop the idiots from driving.

 

[MikeAlletto]

It angers me to no end when some tool is in the left lane putting along at 45 and will not pull over to the right lane. I refuse to pass on the right!

I see that everyday. I will pass them on the right. I'll ride their bumper if its in the left lane and if they don't get the clue I'll pass on the right if its clear. I don't have time to be held up by a moron.

 

[MarkHastings]

The other reason why I like to park fairly far away, is so that when the parking lot IS full, I don't get all frustrated by having to park far away (i.e. I'm already accustomed to parking far away).

I also hate those damn spaces that are reserved for people with those red carts...or whatever those damn things are. What the hell is that all about? I can understand handicapped spots, but these other "reserved" spots are ridiculous!

I just park far away to avoid frustrating myself further with these moronic ideas.

 

[MickeS]

Yeah, that is actually a major reason I do it to. The peace of mind of not having to look for a spot, feeling rushed by someone waiting for my spot when I leave, not having to figure out if the car will fit between two badly pakred cars and so on is definitely worth the extra 30-60 seconds of walking.

 

[Joseph Young]

Yeah, that is actually a major reason I do it to. The peace of mind of not having to look for a spot, feeling rushed by someone waiting for my spot when I leave, not having to figure out if the car will fit between two badly pakred cars and so on is definitely worth the extra 30-60 seconds of walking.

[rant]EXACTLY.[/rant] See, sometimes people park farther off to avoid any headaches or frustration, especially in parking lots that were designed by idiots.

I also agree with what Ryan says about an increase in stupid drivers in the last couple of years. I don't know how the internal mechanisms of the DMV work, but something tells me it's very lax there now. Just about anyone can pass a driver's test.

When I was 18, I was rear-ended by an uninsured, wanted felon. I was waiting for a red light to turn green, and trapped behind about 20 cars, with nowhere to go, and glanced in my rear view mirror. Saw a car barreling up behind me at 40-50 MPH. Hit me at full speed.

The guy was HUGE, but some other drivers managed to corner him. He took out a crowbar and started trying to pry out what was left of of the rear third of my car's body.

A year later, after I got just enough compensation to buy a car of lesser value. That was all I got.

I have had virtually no tickets in 10 years (parking tickets in San Francisco don't count, they're basically revenue streams for the city). I had a dad who taught me to drive long before the farce that is 'driver training.'

With each year, SF Bay Area traffic gets worse and worse. There are more cell phone drivers here than almost anywhere else. Everyone's jockeying to get into position when merging, or getting in a correct lane, and almost nobody does it with finesse or confidence. More often than not, driver behavior here is ignorant. Ignorance breeds hate and anger. A driver who screams and flips you off because he cut you off, a driver who honks his horn because you can't pull out fast enough, a driver who yells and shakes his fist because your car can only go from 0-60 in ten seconds as opposed to 2... these morons deserve all the bad karma that is coming their way.

Joseph

 

[Ted Lee]

i also see the increase in stupid drivers, but with more and more people on the road, this is inevitable.

And yesterday afternoon, as I was driving my family down the freeway @ 30mph in thick traffic, some asshole tried it again.

i totally back you holding your ground, but do you think this was a good idea - especially considering you had your family with you?

the only reason i say that is because of the last alteraction i had (the pulling over, getting out and yelling at eachother manouver) with that guy who almost hit me backing up. after it was all said and done, i thought about how much real danger i could have been in. what if the guy was a total psycho and shot me or something? really, in the grand scheme of things, would it have been worth it? of course not. ultimately my safety (and my family's) comes first.

i guess i learned a life-lesson that day -- just chill and move on. it's just not worth it.

 

[Yee-Ming]

A driver who screams and flips you off because he cut you off,

Recently, while trying to leave my building, some moron had stopped his car at the lane leading to the carpark into and out of my building. This made it extremely difficult for those of us leaving the building to turn into the main road, it was about 6.30 so rush-hour was in full effect, it's a busy road, and by blocking the exit those leaving couldn't pull into the first lane, but had to go around him straight into the second, which as you can imagine was really hard, leading to a major backing-up of something like 8 cars trying to leave the building.

When I finally got into the main road, there was also a red light so I was stopped right next to this moron, who was blithely ignoring all the mayhem around him. I was so fed up, I rolled down my window, rapped on his and yelled at him, "You're blocking the road!" Shortly after that the light changed.

At just that moment, a lady had approached the car and as I drove off I could see her getting into that car in my mirrors -- obviously the moron had been waiting to pick up his S.O.

He obviously was quite pissed off with me for pointing out his misdemeanour, since he promptly engaged in a chase after me, flashing his lights, and trying to get in front of me to cut me off. I just drove on and ignored him and eventually he had to take a turn different from me.

Twit. Moron. A$$hole. Cretin.

 

[Tony-B]

I don't care about where I park. I just park where it is easy to get into and out of, and usually away from everyone else. There are plenty of idiot drivers out there, and I don't want the car to get hit. So what if you have to walk a little? It's good for you!

 

[MikeAlletto]

We have a law that requires use of a hands-free kit if you want to use your cellphone, i.e. no driving one-handed with the other hand holding the phone to your ear. You can't compound the offence if you get caught (i.e. just pay the fine) so a Court appearance is mandatory, which is a nice deterrent, and as an additional penalty the phone can be confiscated.

I hate those stupid cellphone laws some cities have. If they are going to outlaw cellphone and car use they should also outlaw eating, shaving, reading, putting on makeup, taking care of the kid in the back seat, flipping through cd's and everything else people do while driving that is just as dangerous and sometimes more so. The cell phone laws are just a kneejerk reaction that doesn't solve the problem: People don't know how to drive and don't know how to stay concentrated on just driving. The point that its a cell phone is not relevent.

 

[MarkHastings]

If they are going to outlaw cellphone and car use they should also outlaw eating, shaving, reading, putting on makeup, taking care of the kid in the back seat, flipping through cd's and everything else people do while driving that is just as dangerous and sometimes more so.

You just inspired me to post a new thread that I've been wanting to start.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=145451

 

[Josh Lowe]

Your reasoning for parking far away may be to avoid dings but that is not how people see it. People see a car parked way out there as someone with a huge ego. They grab the farthest spot to say "Hey, this is my car. It is a work of art. Don't park near me because I'm not parking near you because I don't want to be near your car because I'm better than you and don't trust that you'll park normally. I fear you will purposely damage my car because my car is better than yours."

Dude, you have a serious inferiority complex. I park my car further away because it helps ensure that someone won't ding my door or I won't accidentally ding someone else's door when loading up before I leave, pure and simple. If you feel so threatened that you need to deliberately mess with people who like to keep their cars in good shape to make yourself feel big, then don't be surprised when you come out to find your own car dented, keyed, or worse.