On hitting people's cars while parking
Comments
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I think you have to be more philosophical about parking a car on NYC streets. If the OP had not been in the car he would not have known that it was hit. Not much different than a tree falling in the woods. Many people consider bumpers no more than a starting point to define a parking space. Cars on the street are a little like stoops on a brownstone. Sort of quasi public, OK to lean on, to use the mirrors to apply make up or pop zits, put your foot up on the tire to tie your shoes etc. When I first moved to NY, I remember looking out my window and seeing kids leaning on my car, "Jesus H Christ, who do those little shits think they are!" Letting go of that attitude has set me free. I don't even lock my car anymore. Oh yea, I would never buy a new car, that's just crazy.
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Old Time Brooklyn wrote: 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.
Well yeah, but it's kind of a useless post.
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.
She was SITTING in her car at the time, I'm just guessing that she would do what most of us have done and backed up if there was room, particularly after the first or the second time that the idiot hit her. -
Screw you with your "useless." Like your posts are part of the borough's water cooler talk every day.
Problem is most people don't make space. They hog. -
here are a couple of options
http://www.bumperbadger.com/
http://www.bumperbully.com/
people are always going to park using the braille method -
BrooklynJack wrote: here are a couple of options
You're _supposed_ to flip those things in while driving, but ya see knobbies rolling with them hanging all over the place. n00bs.
http://www.bumperbadger.com/
http://www.bumperbully.com/
people are always going to park using the braille method -
Mod note: Stop it with the name calling. The subject at hand is parking. Discussions about how much you dislike one another can be done by pm.
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That post contained useful information, both on and off topic.
Gee.
Surprise.
It's gone. -
Subject: Re: On hitting people's cars while parking
Carmen wrote: 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.)
Poor Carmen, I'm not sure what I would have done in that situation. I get road rage easily so it would not have been good. Thank god I don't have a car anymore, my life has been slightly more peaceful, even if I can't do fairway trips and Ikea runs :-(
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] -
Hey, what about Carmen!?!? She's pretty awesome too. Even if her car's all banged up.
All kidding aside, let's keep on topic gentlemen. -
Um, there's a reason they are called bumpers and fenders. To take bumps and fend of dents.
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yeah, ok, bumpers are made to bump but when you smack into a car so hard that you CRACK the bumper or smash the headlight then I thinbk you are working your parking a little too hard. Both of these things has happened to me. In addition, check this out, I was parked at the first spot on a corner and there was a spot in between me and the car in front of me (because there was a tree that would block you from being able to open the drivers side door). When I returned to get my car, my car (with emergency break on and in gear) was pushed up smack against the car in front for me. I was now the car in the spot that you couldn't open the door cause it was now flush against the tree). some jackoff, I assume with a very large truck, managed to push my car, damage it too, and get himself a parking space to boot! nice world we live in, huh?
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Tapa-tapa the missus and I call it. Backing in slowly and gently, GENTLY, tapping the bumper in from or back of you while parking is allowed. But it should be no harder than as if a person physically bumped into you while walking. Like if you hit a person with your car at that speed they shouldn't fall over or even be hurt. Gently. You're parking so you should probably not being going faster than even 5mph in either direction.
But obviously people are stupid and even the best of us misjudge all the time and just crack into other's car at racing speeds.
ITA that its weird that you sat in your car while someone just slammed into you numerous times. -
5 times? I would have stopped her the first time.
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Subject: Re: On hitting people's cars while parking
Carmen wrote: 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.
My reaction would have been very very different.
[/rant]
But im in shape and weigh in at near 200.
I'd have been outta my car after the first hit.
If asshole hit car again, well,
:evil:
If you dont mind denting my car while i watch
i dont mind denting your car while you watch.
bumper is a protective measure.
not a target. -
You could have got her plate ,reported the accident ,
( she hit an occupied parked vehicle yes ?)
and then had the hospital help you with your whiplash. -
Old Time Brooklyn wrote: Screw you with your "useless." Like your posts are part of the borough's water cooler talk every day.
Ha ha. Good one. That wasn't my point, but I think that you know that. -
Getting back on topic here...
I've been in the situation several times where I've taken more than my share of two "seemingly" available spots, so that I could protect my car. It's not something I like to do, and I've only done it when I could reasonably determine that the remaining space was too small for an average car to get into without banging the hell out of my car. I usually make sure there's at least room for a smaller car to fit, but not enough that someone with a larger car is going to make a bad decision and try to fit where they clearly cannot. I'd rather take the blame for being selfish than to guarantee that some yutz is going to try to fit a 194" car into a 196" spot and damage three cars in the process.
Now before eveyone jumps all over me for being selfish, I'm also one of those people who bypasses spots where I know I can't fit without hitting YOUR CAR multiple times. I don't believe in trying to shoehorn my car into a spot where I would leave one inch in front and one inch in back, just because I can. I don't think it's appropriate or neighborly to needlessly bump other cars (although it happens), or to leave someone else's car in a situation where they can't get out of their spot, which we see in the Slope all the time. -
You're part of the problem then. Because the car behind these two spots or in front of these two spots could be a large car, a small car, a car taking up too much space themselves and then when they leave, you've just perpetuated the problem of a car taking more than their share.
If you want to protect your car, buy a garage space. -
I don't have a car anymore, but I used to. I think there's nothing wrong with touching bumpers with the car in front or back of you as long as you don't slam into it. Even revving the engine to gently rock the car behind you back after making contact is ok. My greatest triumph ever was parking in a space that was just big enough for my car and finding when I got out that my front bumper was touching the car in front of me and my back bumper was touching the car behind me. As far as I'm concerned, that was perfect parking.
I actually agree with OTB here- if you park on the street, expect that your bumpers are going to be bumped. It's what they're for. Leave yourself a reasonable amount of space on one side while trying to maximize the other space when parking in 2 adjacent spots. The idea is for the greatest number of cars possible to be parked on each block.
This is definitely different than hitting into someone's car while they're sitting in it though. -
Carnivore wrote: My greatest triumph ever was parking in a space that was just big enough for my car and finding when I got out that my front bumper was touching the car in front of me and my back bumper was touching the car behind me. As far as I'm concerned, that was perfect parking.
You're exactly the person I guard against. It's a good thing no one was sitting in the cars in front or behind you. -
I'm on the fence. Parking in my neighborhood is slightly better than Park Slope but I've still come out to find some monster SUV with its rear bumper ON my hood. What the fuck? Don't tell me that douche didn't realize it, s/he just didn't care. I'm also uber sensitive when I park my car. I don't want to hit someone's car. I truly don't even want to nudge it. I'm completely embarrassed when I do. If someone were sitting in said car, I'd have gotten out and apologized. Let's not blame the OP for not wanting to start shit with a stranger, but rather these assholes who seem to think they're above even common decency.
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BrooklynGigCenter wrote: [quote=Carnivore]My greatest triumph ever was parking in a space that was just big enough for my car and finding when I got out that my front bumper was touching the car in front of me and my back bumper was touching the car behind me. As far as I'm concerned, that was perfect parking.
You're exactly the person I guard against. It's a good thing no one was sitting in the cars in front or behind you.
Parking the way you do makes it more likely that someone will have to park the way I did that time. -
Thats why I parked half my car on the sidewalk, so people think I'm carayzeee and won't bump it.. Wait, nevermind, just remembered its like that because I drove home drunk yesterday.
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Carnivore wrote: [quote=BrooklynGigCenter][quote=Carnivore]My greatest triumph ever was parking in a space that was just big enough for my car and finding when I got out that my front bumper was touching the car in front of me and my back bumper was touching the car behind me. As far as I'm concerned, that was perfect parking.
You're exactly the person I guard against. It's a good thing no one was sitting in the cars in front or behind you.
Parking the way you do makes it more likely that someone will have to park the way I did that time.
Potentially damaging someone else's property isn't something I would brag about, myself. -
Carnivore wrote:
Indeed!
This is definitely different than hitting into someone's car while they're sitting in it though. -
superjonbot wrote: Thats why I parked half my car on the sidewalk, so people think I'm carayzeee and won't bump it.. Wait, nevermind, just remembered its like that because I drove home drunk yesterday.
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BrooklynGigCenter wrote: [quote=Carnivore][quote=BrooklynGigCenter][quote=Carnivore]My greatest triumph ever was parking in a space that was just big enough for my car and finding when I got out that my front bumper was touching the car in front of me and my back bumper was touching the car behind me. As far as I'm concerned, that was perfect parking.
You're exactly the person I guard against. It's a good thing no one was sitting in the cars in front or behind you.
Parking the way you do makes it more likely that someone will have to park the way I did that time.
Potentially damaging someone else's property isn't something I would brag about, myself.
Read again. I didn't say anything about damaging anyone's property.
Anyway, in the long run, the bumper scrapes you save by parking in two spots will probably be offset by the key scrapes to your paint for parking in two spots (not saying I'd do this, but it seems inevitable). -
I think I'll attempt to throw a little sanity into the road rage mentality that is being displayed here. (glue in cap, dent for a dent , etc) Bumpers used to be ugly metal things that could take a 10mph hit unharmed. Since then, the ratings of bumpers have been reduced to 5mph and for some strange reason all the manufacturers have decided to cover most of these 5mph bumpers with plastic which scuffs easily even if you lightly tap someone. I live in Park Slope and once had someone slash all 4 of my tires for a scuff, and I'm a good parallel parker. Thinking it was just vandalism, I posted signs on the street trying to find out if anyone saw anything. The guilty party actually called me up and wanted some sort of payment for the scuff, totally unable to realize in his head that his reply to the situation was out of hand (he could have very well posted a note on my windshield). The cops were contacted, but did nothing since all was hearsay. So in the end $400 for new tires for me and a wax job for him.
The problem is more simple in my view of things.. it is impossible in a crowded city to escape small dints and dangs (the BUMPER is the place you want a scuff) to the car because of the eternal tight spaces everywhere. I am sure there will be more and more lemmings that will go out to buy those bumper protectors as the love affair with the car continues in the hopes of solving this problem. We in America have too much worth placed in our cars, to an insane degree. Maybe the price of gas going up will reduce the amount of cars on the street and this will all go away. If I sound angry - I have a right. -
joerosato - you paid for a wax job for him after he admitted to slashing your tires? I think a more appropriate response would have been to set his car on fire.
just sayin'...... -
For me it's a matter of pride to not hit a car while parallel parking.
That being said, to the a-hole who nailed my mirror and broke it this weekend, eat a mile of poo.
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