In a hurry….to park?
I was speaking to a group of new students I was teaching at Young Driver’s of Canadarecently about parking skills. Learning to drive also means learning to park. Most people don’t put a lot of effort into parking choices and skills after they get their driver’s license. Do you?
We continued to talk about safe places to park. Most drivers are so concerned about getting to where they want to go that they don’t think about how they left their vehicle as long as they don’t get a ticket. If you left your vehicle in an unsafe position, could another vehicle hit your vehicle causing visual damage and cost to you? How upset would that make you feel?
The driver of this mini van decided to park in a no parking zone. Were they special and had special privileges that no one else had? Did they realize they left their vehicle in a vulnerable position that other vehicles could hit it as they turned the corner? Considering there were other open parking spaces across the aisle, this driver never really had to make that parking error. We all see this happen so often, but when the driver receives vehicular damage or a ticket, do they change their parking choices?
The next vehicle I spotted was partially in the parking space next to them in a busy parking lot. This could lead to a driver parking next to them and causing dings in the side of their vehicle. The corner of their vehicle could also be easily clipped by the driver who parks next to them as they swing out of their space. Why leave your vehicle parked like that? Are you in that much of a hurry that you couldn’t correct the position error?
The vehicle in the last photo parked very far from the curb. This leaves the passenger side vulnerable from a sideswipe from two vehicles passing at the same time. Again, what’s the hurry to leave your vehicle parked in that position? Why couldn’t the driver move it closer to the curb so it’s further away from the flow of traffic? Was it their ability to park that caused them to leave their vehicle in that position? Since side mirrors stick out slightly from the side of the vehicle, they could be struck by other vehicles.
Driving also includes parking. Poor parking choices can lead to vehicular damage, financial loss due to repairs and stress. Choose safe places and avoid being in such a hurry…to park.
Fire lane parking abuse is my ultimate pet peeve, I point to signs, I yell at them, and in their non-human-non-intelligent opinions, they are entitled because its there, they are lazy and won’t take long, which is utter b.s. because they park there longer than I take to shop. As for ignorant line crossers, one of our work VPs does this every day in his bright red Audi, not only two spaces, but a handicap space and a normal space, only handicap I see is arrogance and stupidity, yet he makes three times my salary at least, he has also cut me and others off diving for Gardiner ramp at last moment. Does that sound professional to you, would you do business with us seeing that allowed? If you cannot read paint on pavement or signs on posts, the last thing you should have is a vehicle.