Driving Parking Rant

originally posted by: JHumm
Growing up on a farm we learned to drive from an early age 9 or 10 , farm car was a Volvo 122 2 door I think, it has a 4speed and was fun to drive.
We were taught to back up, we were always reversing and it was fun. We also learned how to drive in the snow, doing donuts was always fun .
Seems like alot of kids these days aren't as excited to drive as we used to be......they don't know how fun it can be and also safe at the same time.

Yes! It's crazy to me how kids these days aren't motivated to drive. I got my restricted license ON my 14th birthday. Driving was freedom! More than half of my high school students don't drive. They don't want to. I truly can't wrap my head around that.

originally posted by: KansasGirl
a reply to: Boadicea


Regarding your comment about the six drivers' time being more valuable than yours: well, yes.

And there I disagree. I plan my time wisely and generously so that I can be patient and courteous and let others do what they need to do, and I do expect others to do the same for me... actually, no, I don't expect them to. But I think they should. Everyone should for everyone.

If it's one on one, and you've got just one car waiting on you to do your back-in parking, fine. Make the one person wait.

But in the OP's example, you have six other drivers waiting. I would say, and I think most considerate people would say, go with the majority. Making 6 other cars wait for you is selfish. One car, ok...maybe two. But six other drivers: again, go with the majority. But if you're ok with that, I guess I'm glad I don't live in your town.

I thought the OP's example was about someone who was having trouble backing into the spot, hence the vehicles piling up and having to wait. I wouldn't back into a spot either if there were more than one or two cars behind me, but for the safety factor, since vehicles farther back wouldn't necessarily know what was going on that far ahead, increasing the chance of accidents.

The rest of the stuff you said regarding "what else should I not do in order to cater to others?" was all just ridiculous. Left turns we have to do. Stopping for pedestrians we have to do.

Again, it's not ridiculous here! We've had roads where left turns are prohibited during peak traffic hours, and some folks are not happy about it, but enough people complained to have those restrictions put in place. There has been a lot of street widening projects the last 10+ years, so not as much or often. And it seems more and more areas have put in roundabouts and speed bumps to curtail through traffic in more residential and industrial neighborhoods, which also helped. But not everyone thinks we have to make left turns. We also have jerks that honk and get all worked up if a car in the right lane isn't turning right at a red light. I expect those roads will be widened at some point too.

But I think we can agree that, yeah, people are jerks. I guess we just have different types of jerks, eh?

Your "catering" examples don't fit in the same category and I think you, my friend, know it.

Actually, no, I don't know it, as per the examples I gave above...

You like to argue.

Well, yes, but that's an entirely different matter! (I would have just agreed, but had to throw some objection in there... I didn't want to make a liar out of you )

About the drivers ed requirement: I'll defer to you there, then. I guess it depends on where you live, and in my area you have to have drivers ed before you can even take the exam for your license.

I'd say "lucky you," but apparently that hasn't worked out so well for you...

When I visit my family in the Midwest, I expereince none of these or other asshole maneuvers.

Now I'll say, "Lucky you!"

We agree on this: society in general is less courteous.

But I know you're right about jerk drivers in general -- I just think there's a whole lot of idiot drivers in the mix as well. And the truth is, I do my best to do my shopping and be home before most people are out of bed just to avoid all the jerks and idiots. Empty streets are so much more pleasant to drive on. And I'll do my best to schedule other things around peak traffic hours, again to avoid the craziness. It wasn't always like this, but then the California refugees came...

And, the test for licenses don't include all of the skills we have to use, you are right about that. When I took my drivers license test when I was 14 (in Kansas you can get a restricted license, to drive yourself to work or school unaccompanied when you're 14), I had to parallel park, diagonal park, back up parking, and other things they don't have to do to get a license today. You have a good point there.

And I'll bet you appreciate having those skills, eh? I know I do. They are valuable skills to have. And I appreciate them enough that I made my kids learn them too, even though they knew they didn't have to know it to get a license. But if they wanted to drive my cars...

And I was easy on them compared to my dad! Although I had to do all that for my driving test, my dad made me change a tire, check and top off all the fluids, check the battery, and jump start a car before he'd let me get my license. My sister taught me to drive her stick shift, I wonder if he would have made me learn that too if I didn't already know?

a reply to: Boadicea

There are some things in driving that aren't optional and make people wait, for example needing to turn left from one lane at a light with oncoming traffic, the light might even have a flash feature or a green arrow to let you go at some point, but some don't. The traffic going the other way could be very steady, this could cause a huge back up behind the turning car.
To me I view that as totally different, because at some point I am that guy too when I am driving, but the back up guy holding people up unnecessarily in a parking lot.....I am never that guy, and thus the rant.

Also I want to add some area's of parking lots are always extra busy just because everybody is using that part because of where the entrance or exit to the mall is, there are other spaces freely available where it would be much easier to back in without making so many people wait because it is a less traveled area.

My secondary rant is people who pick the absolutely busiest section of the mall to back in, and struggle to do so, frustrating all the other drivers that are now waiting.

a reply to: Blue_Jay33

Okay. I get it. That's your thing. I've also provided examples where others would find your left turn too big of an inconvenience for them. That's their thing. Everyone can have a thing to complain about, or everyone can take responsibility for themselves, understand the totality of circumstances, and plan accordingly for themselves.

Given all the idiot things that drivers do that actually put my life and other lives in danger, this isn't even on my radar.

a reply to: Blue_Jay33
If you would bring a bit more time, you would be more relaxed with things like this. I know, bussy world but how much time did you spent ranting about it now? Think about it.

There are some places where it makes sense to back into. For example if you have a dead end parking lot and it is only a bit wider than a car, 3/4th of the drivers can not be bothered to park forwards and straight.

If I drive in there forwards, I then have to readjust the wheel several times before I get the car straightened out if just someone on my left or right did not park straight.

If I drive in there backwards, I do not have to care as much about how the left and the right car is parked.

In this particular parking lot, I always go in there in reverse already, reverse up the whole lot as soons as the way is clear. 15 cars can park there on each side. I can even circle around some quirky parkers very easy because of how the car behaves when driving backwards.

Just imagine someone cuts from one side into your parking space and you have to back out. The front of your car can not swivel, you have to back out straight, turn the tires to one side as much as possible, pull straight, turn tires, reverse again and then you finally can drive out.

If you go in backwards so the front faces the road, you can drive out in one swing and be on your way. Without stealing time from others even, unlike you would, if you were in that situation