On hitting people's cars while parking
Subject: On hitting people's cars while parking
Ok. I get it. Owning a car in nyc is not only an exercise in patience, but also means that you need to deal with the fact that you're car is going to get destroyed parking it on the street (as a sidenote, my car sustained almost no damage during the 18 months I lived in bedstuy and now looks about 15 years old after 6 months of parking in the slope...I digress.)So I'm sitting in my car, parked, today waiting for alternate side to end (about 5 minutes till the half hour.) I see minivan pull up beside the car in front of me (sort of) and I realize she's going to try to wedge into the spot left in front of me (very tight.) She proceeds to try about 4 times to just back straight into the spot, then appears to give up and not only hops up on the curb, but then hits my car about 5 times WHILE I'M SITTING IN IT and shes trying to park. Basically it was bumper cars between be and the car she was pulling behind. I mean, this was enough force to actually slide my car backwards a slight amount. So I get out and throw up my hands like "wtf" and the woman just looks at me and goes "Oh I'm no good at parking this big van" as she walks away.
I was so outraged that I didn't respond. A large part of me would love to go back and call the cops but I know they're not going to do anything since this seems to be common practice but seriously- would you try to park like that when the owner of the other vehicle is SITTING IN IT?!
gkjnsdkl nieuhfdng. Sometimes NY living infuriates me.
[/rant]
Comments
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It is a common practice...
You know your options: 1) get rid of your car, 2) beat the shit out of violators, 3) deal with it. Dings and dents on your 2003 Honda Accord carry as much consequence as, oh let's see, spilling milk.
Just curious, at what point in your years as a New Yorker did you all the sudden develop this expectancy of common courtesy on the roadways? It doesn't exist, it never has. -
I would just assume that you wouldn't hit someones car while they're actually sitting in it. I mean, bumping while parking is one thing but i would def circle the block for an hour instead of risking hitting a car with its owner watching me.
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You should have gotten out of the car right then and there and spoken to her about it.
And, that sucks too, very rude, i couldn't imagine just walking away with a flip of the hand -
Yea, when I had my car (before it got smashed to smithereens last year WHILE IT WAS PARKED) I would get out the very second someone tapped it. Can't just keep letting them bump you cause then they think you don't give a shit, when clearly, they are assholes!
People suck Carm- sorry you had to deal with that. -
You should have waited until she left, and then let the air out of all of her tires.
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I honestly can't believe that you sat in your car while someone bumped you over and over again...
I honestly can't believe that you had no response for her "whatever" attitude... did you immediately think that you were going to rip her a new asshole on the brooklyian? -
she was prolly scared of her, the people who engage in that kind of behaviour are usually pretty tough.
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I'd say Y & M hit the nail on the head... middle aged, mini van owning women who can barely drive are pretty bad ass.
I think I'm getting a boner. -
That sucks about your car getting bumped, I feel for you... but my motorcycle with the bent handlebars that got knocked over 2 weeks ago thinks you are whining.
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It is not common practice to hit a car when the owner is in it.
Add me to the list of people who are amazed that you let this person get away with hitting your car multiple times and then she totally blew you off. I don't know how I would have reacted, but if I reacted the way you did I think I would be too embarrassed to repeat the story here. -
What should I have done, went up and punched her in the face? I mean, I could have made a scene but its not like calling the police and reporting it as an accident would have done anything. I guess I sort of expected an apology just out of basic human to human respect and when she just scurried off I was a bit shocked. The fact that I didn't fly off the handle and act like a lunatic doesn't make me embarrassed as everyone seems to be implying I should be.
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Well.. just allow us all to be embarrassed for you. It DOES take a village.
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Can you sue her, just for the sake of it? IT's just unacceptable. If I were you I would have been jumping out and yelling at her right there, taking her driver's licence no. and reporting to police or something as reckless behavior or damage to the property or something. Regardless or not I look lunatic. She should not be allowed to park in Park Slope if she could not hundle.
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I don't think I can hundle either. Hundle?
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Subject: Re: On hitting people's cars while parking
Carmen wrote: and I realize she's going to try to wedge into the spot left in front of me (very tight.)
Why weren't you parked up to the car in front of you? Was there space behind you? If you're like most of the alternate-siders, the whole lot of you probably wasted about 2 extra parking spaces by taking up way more than you need to park your car. So yeah, I'm sure this person did try to slam into that spot. To me, the problem isn't her shitty parking skills but how people re-park when alternate side is over. -
Carmen wrote: What should I have done, went up and punched her in the face? I mean, I could have made a scene but its not like calling the police and reporting it as an accident would have done anything. I guess I sort of expected an apology just out of basic human to human respect and when she just scurried off I was a bit shocked. The fact that I didn't fly off the handle and act like a lunatic doesn't make me embarrassed as everyone seems to be implying I should be.
I can understand what you're saying. I've made an ass out of myself on several occassions for screaming at jerk offs who try to park ON my dog while he's taking a shit at the fire hydrant. Somehow, training my dog to curb and curbing him in an area where no cars are supposed to park isn't good enough for these people. I've gotten my self into a snit - for what? They don't give a shit and they aren't going to start just because I've called them every name in the book. -
Subject: Re: On hitting people's cars while parking
Old Time Brooklyn wrote: [quote=Carmen]and I realize she's going to try to wedge into the spot left in front of me (very tight.)
Why weren't you parked up to the car in front of you? Was there space behind you? If you're like most of the alternate-siders, the whole lot of you probably wasted about 2 extra parking spaces by taking up way more than you need to park your car. So yeah, I'm sure this person did try to slam into that spot. To me, the problem isn't her shitty parking skills but how people re-park when alternate side is over.
I was backed up to the car behind me. Why does it matter if I pulled forward to the car in front or backed up to the car behind? -
carry a can of yellow spray paint in your trunk. it might come-in handy.
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prezst wrote: carry a can of yellow spray paint in your trunk. it might come-in handy.
And a can of gap-filling glue. Good for the locks, and for the valves on the tires (after you've let the air out of them). -
Or there's always the "green" option...
Still, you can't paint, glue, banana, whatever, unless you apply a healthy dose of WTF-are-you-doing-horn-honking while the battering is underway. Maybe she thought you didn't care (until she was done battering your car). Some people need instant feedback and behavior modification. -
It's super crappy that she kept hitting your car, especially with you in it. I know that I freak out parking if someone is sitting on a stoop watching me. I get extra careful.
That said, I'm puzzled as to why after the second tap you didn't get out of your car and wave at her to roll down her window. You wouldn't have had to be a jerk, and you could have nicely said something like, "Hey, I'm in the car behind you and you've hit me twice. I don't think you're going to fit without hitting me again."
Hindsight is 20/20 but if there's a next time, just flash a big smile and get out of the car! :-) -
bumpers are made for bumping
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calm head is mistaken. Bumpers are made for preventing serious damage to the car in the event of an accident.
When bumpers bump, they get horribly scratched and dented, and reduce the trade-in value of the car. -
What an id ee oooot.
I would have been inclined to lose my cool. -
There's a parking shortage. So you try and fit in any spot you can. Like I said, if people didn't park like pigs it'd be less of a problem.
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Carmen wrote: [quote=Old Time Brooklyn][quote=Carmen]and I realize she's going to try to wedge into the spot left in front of me (very tight.)
Why weren't you parked up to the car in front of you? Was there space behind you? If you're like most of the alternate-siders, the whole lot of you probably wasted about 2 extra parking spaces by taking up way more than you need to park your car. So yeah, I'm sure this person did try to slam into that spot. To me, the problem isn't her shitty parking skills but how people re-park when alternate side is over.
I was backed up to the car behind me. Why does it matter if I pulled forward to the car in front or backed up to the car behind?
Yeah, Carmen. It's all YOUR fault your car got hit several times! -
I didn't say it was her fault. I asked how she was parked. A lot of people leave room for their trunk so that 15 people can stand behind their car and watch them unload.
But if you park your car around "Park" Slope and think you're not gonna get slammed by people jamming into spots, you're a bit naive. -
calm head wrote: bumpers are made for bumping
thats what i've always thought too. finally, someone around here with a clear, calm head! -
calm head wrote: bumpers are made for bumping
Exactly my thoughts! =D>
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