Drivers often act like it’s every man for himself when it comes to finding a parking spot, but they seem to forget that collaboration is the best way to scout one out. If you see someone looking for their car, you might be able to ask them where it is and head over to be the first one waiting in line to snag it. But of course, this only works if you have good manners…
One woman recently shared on Reddit how she managed to get petty revenge on an impatient driver who felt entitled to her parking space. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared.
Finding a parking spot in a busy area can often be a difficult task
Image credits: Vitor Paladini (not the actual image)
So when a driver refused to make any room for this woman to back out, she decided to simply leave the car for a while
Image credits: Jan Baborák (not the actual image)
Image credits: MLiOne
Parking is a stressful experience for many drivers
Driving can often be a stressful experience. Everybody hates getting stuck in traffic, and stopping for gas can put you on edge when you realize that you have to pay twice as much to fill up your tank as you did three years ago.
Aggressive drivers might shoot your anxiety through the roof, and long commutes can make you feel like you spend your entire life in the car. According to a survey from The Zebra, two thirds of Americans experience driving anxiety, and 62% have had a traumatic driving experience.
When it comes to what causes the most stress while driving, Americans report that merging onto the highway is the biggest anxiety-inducing maneuver. But not far behind was backing up or driving in reverse, which puts 19% of drivers on edge. So it certainly doesn’t help when someone who wants your parking spot is right on your tail while you’re trying to back out.
In fact, many accidents occur in parking lots due to distracted driving. You might assume that these are the safest places to drive, as no one should be navigating through them quickly, but this tends to give drivers a false sense of security.
The average driver in the UK spends 91 hours a year searching for parking
A poll from the National Safety Council found that two thirds of drivers in the US would have no problem making phone calls while driving through parking lots. 63% also admitted that they would program GPS systems in parking lots, 56% said they would text, and 52% would use social media. Half of drivers also are guilty of sending or receiving emails and taking photos or watching videos while driving through parking lots.
Clearly, many people make questionable decisions while parking. But what is it about searching for a parking spot that makes some drivers so aggressive? Well, part of the reason for this might be the time that we waste driving through lane after lane desperately hoping to spot a vacancy. According to the British Parking Association, the average driver in the UK spends 91 hours every year, or about 4 days, scanning for parking spots.
Unsurprisingly, 39% of drivers also say that looking for parking is a stressful experience. Some of the most frustrating situations drivers encounter when parking are finding cars parked poorly that block multiple spaces, visiting somewhere that doesn’t have enough spots, maneuvering through parking lots that are difficult to navigate and being unable to find pay machines when leaving.
Aggressive driving may be common, but it can be extremely dangerous
While we can all understand the frustrations that might arise while driving and parking, there’s really no reason to become extremely aggressive, especially towards other drivers. It’s easy to be confident when you’re behind the wheel, honking at others for all the ways they’ve wronged you, but aggressive driving can often escalate to much more harmful situations.
According to AAA, aggressive driving is extremely common, with nearly 80% of drivers admitting that they’ve experienced significant anger, aggression or road rage while driving during the previous month. But what’s even more concerning is the fact that over 1,500 people are injured or killed in the United States each year due to aggressive driving.
Honking at someone while impatiently waiting for a parking spot might not seem like a big deal, but you never know when an angry driver will resort to violence. Everytown Research reports that, “In 2022, someone was shot and injured or killed in a road rage incident on average every 16 hours.”
We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this woman was right for getting petty revenge on this angry parker? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing parking drama, look no further than right here!
Amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the woman joined in on the conversation
Some even had similar stories of their own to share
