Evidently where I live, if you see another car backing out of its space with cars or trucks or SUVs impeding its vision you want to keep driving at 40 mph in a 10 mph area and expect it to see you. No breaking. No slowing down. You just expect the vehicle that can’t see you to stop, then get all pissy when they impede your progress.
When another car is backing out, what is the right thing to do? Stop and let them out? At least slow down so they can see you?
Geez, I hate these situations. I was backing out of a spot at Target one day, and a soccer-mom looking type was waiting for the spot. I checked right and left, saw a van sitting behind her, and started to back out. The van decided he didn’t want to wait for me to back out, whipped around the soccer mom, went right behind me, and I hit him a glancing blow. I never even saw him – young kid, 19, in a hurry, yadda yadda yadda. No damage to his van, $1200 to mine (groan). The ultimate indignity being that it was my fault, because even though he whipped around the lady, into the wrong lane, while I had already started to back out, the cop mentioned that there are no specific lanes in parking lots, and whoever is backing out never has the right of way no matter what happens.
Since this happened, I have become the jerk who will NOT back out if you are waiting for my spot. Fuck it. There’s too much chance of miscommunication, and if there’s an accident, I’m sure it will somehow be my fault again. I’ll sit there until you get frustrated and leave. Then I’ll back out when it’s all cleared out.
This is a real pet peeve of mine. When I back out blind, I expect that if I’m about to back into someone, they’ll either stop and let me out or honk so I can stop the reverse. It’s not like I’m trying to get into an accident – I really can’t see. Half the time, though, people act like I’m the asshole and just keep on going, with me having a near miss.
Frankly, these days, when I back out, I’m always bracing for the crunch. Especially here in the Denver metroplex where parking at major shopping areas seems to have been a complete after thought. The idiots who planned the Park Meadows mall and surrounding area should be shot.
"the cop mentioned that there are no specific lanes in parking lots, and whoever is backing out never has the right of way no matter what happens. " Such a blanket statement as this by the Cop, really hits home. But, isnt it so true? Like some people immediately start entering an elevator, before letting people off. The application of a little patience and understanding, and everybody wins.
I’ve heard the same thing from a friend; she was told by her insurance company that in ANY instance that you are driving backwards (getting out of a spot, backing up to park) that you are responsible for any accidents. Sucks hunh.
Like the other guy said, back into spots. Its not that hard. And learn how to parallel park in one shot; even better, learn how to get the car in parallel going forwards. The less people you tick off in traffic, the better.
Frankly, these days, when I back out, I’m always bracing for the crunch. Especially here in the Denver metroplex where parking at major shopping areas seems to have been a complete after thought. The idiots who planned the Park Meadows mall and surrounding area should be shot.
Have to agree with you there! I’m either in my small car and can’t see anything because of the cramped parking, or I’m in my van which is long and worrisome to turn in the small spaces allotted. I usually just say f-it and park way the hell out so I don’t get dinged by careless people on top of it all.
** the cop mentioned that there are no specific lanes in parking lots, and whoever is backing out never has the right of way no matter what happens.**
That you may not have had the right of way (I’m not convinced that’s necessarily true), doesn’t mean that the other drivers has no liability. He still has an obligation to exercise reasonable care. Whipping around one driver that is clearly waiting for another to back out is likely negligent, if not reckless, behavior.
Since this happened, I have become the jerk who will NOT back out if you are waiting for my spot. Fuck it. There’s too much chance of miscommunication, and if there’s an accident, I’m sure it will somehow be my fault again. I’ll sit there until you get frustrated and leave. Then I’ll back out when it’s all cleared out.
You should reconsider this. It is possible to be reasonably cautious without being an ass. People back out of parking spaces millions of times a day without their being an accident. The fact that it happened to you once doesn’t mean that you should never do it again. That would be like refusing to ride a bike because you crashed once. And, frankly, the world doesn’t need more jerks on the road.