Daft pedestrians and car parks

ross81

Was in Tesco Dundalk today. It was raining heavily and pretty dark despite it being midday. Although some idiot 4x4 was double parked behind me (and not even in the car), I could still just about reverse out. Anyway, as i'm slowly reversing out, all lights on, with head turned back, in the corner of my eye I suddenly noticed a woman running diagonally to my car (with small child in arms), followed closely by a man (also with a child in arms). Definetly would have hit the woman if I hadn't stopped, and due to her running & the slippery surface I imagine the child would have gone flying out of her arms. The recklessness & stupidity of these two utterly amazed me. They could not have missed me moving the vehicle but had obviously decided due to the heavy rain that they were going to make a beeline from the shop (in front of my vehicle) to their own car, ignoring the pedestrian crossing that was only about 5m to my left, and basically sod anyone who gets in their way! :mad:

Anan1

Without meaning to sound smart, always yield to pedestrians in car parks, and always yield to anything when reversing.

Wexfordian

Anan1 wrote: »

Without meaning to sound smart, always yield to pedestrians in car parks, and always yield to anything when reversing.

Yes, but pedestrians have to help themselves as well. I had a situation recently where pedestrians walking down the car park road just kept walking past the back of my reversing car, I couldn't see them owing to a van beside me, they could see me, but kept going anyway. Didn't hit them because I was moving so slowly due to the visibility issue, but they could have helped out a bit...

Anan1

Wexfordian wrote: »

Yes, but pedestrians have to help themselves as well. I had a situation recently where pedestrians walking down the car park road just kept walking past the back of my reversing car, I couldn't see them owing to a van beside me, they could see me, but kept going anyway. Didn't hit them because I was moving so slowly due to the visibility issue, but they could have helped out a bit...

Sure that's par for the course in any car park - all we can do is keep our eyes peeled in all directions for wayward toddlers, runaway trollies and all the rest!

stimpson

From the RTA.

When right of way to be yielded

22.—(1) When starting from a stationary position a driver shall yield the right of way to other traffic and pedestrians.

Edit: And this doozy...

12. (1) Before reversing, a driver shall ensure that to so reverse would not endanger other traffic or pedestrians.

No Pants

I always give way to pedestrians and all other hazards that you find in car parks.

Another way to look at it is if someone is walking/running in the rain and I'm sitting nice and dry in my car, I'll give way to them. It doesn't bother me and it's the decent thing to do.

biko

Yeah it's just one of the dangers with people in rain, all they want to do (me too) is to get to the car.
I almost always reverse into a parking spot, this will allow me to easily and safely drive out of it - just a suggestion.

stimpson

biko wrote: »

I almost always reverse into a parking spot, this will allow me to easily and safely drive out of it - just a suggestion.

+1. You should always reverse in and drive out. If you hit someone while reversing you are in the wrong 99% of the time (according to my insurance co. anyway)

bladespin

stimpson wrote: »

+1. You should always reverse in and drive out. If you hit someone while reversing you are in the wrong 99% of the time (according to my insurance co. anyway)

Heard that before too, good advice, if I could only bring myself to remember it when parking lol.

cython

stimpson wrote: »

+1. You should always reverse in and drive out. If you hit someone while reversing you are in the wrong 99% of the time (according to my insurance co. anyway)

Sorry, but whenever I see this I have to add the caveat that angled parking should be excluded from this. The amount of muppets I see in the likes of Liffey Valley who are parked to drive out of the angled spots (probably having driven right through rather than reversed in, admittedly) is ludicrous, as they either go the wrong way around the one-way system, or have to make a crazy swing.

As to the OP, while the pedestrians should potentially realise that visibility may be impaired by heavy rain, the likelihood of running pedestrians is similarly increased by the same conditions!

Voodoomelon

stimpson wrote: »

+1. You should always reverse in and drive out. If you hit someone while reversing you are in the wrong 99% of the time (according to my insurance co. anyway)

Just don't hit anything when you reverse in.

stimpson

cython wrote: »

Sorry, but whenever I see this I have to add the caveat that angled parking should be excluded from this.

Indeed. I think angled parking should be mandatory for large car parks - it's genius.

Anan1

stimpson wrote: »

+1. You should always reverse in and drive out. If you hit someone while reversing you are in the wrong 99% of the time (according to my insurance co. anyway)

That makes perfect sense, but can also leave your boot inaccessable.

Honey-ec

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Just don't hit anything when you reverse in.

When you're reversing in, you're already aware of nearby pedestrians, what cars are on either side of you, if there's another car behind you etc. as you approach the spot.

That's not the case if you drive in and then go to reverse out hours later.

stimpson

Anan1 wrote: »

That makes perfect sense, but can also leave your boot inaccessable.

If you reverse too far.

Anan1

stimpson wrote: »

If you reverse too far.

In some spaces you'll have no choice if you drive an estate/MPV/mumtruck.

stimpson

stimpson wrote: »

If you reverse too far.

Or if you have a trolley of shopping and it wont fit down between the cars or if you have something heavy or awkward etc. Worse again you have some fool who hits of your car with the trolley or lets it roll into your car while accessing their boot.

Reverse in and drive out is in general a very good rule. Especially people reversing out onto main roads from houses etc but when you are loading or unloading the boot in a car park it makes more sense to drive in.

I also think pedestrians should yield to a car reversing, its lot easier for them to see whats going on in front of them. Its drives me insane when someone walks behind me when reversing.

No Pants

Anan1 wrote: »

mumtruck.

I always refer to them as Kuntwagens (say in a German manner, as one might say Volkswagen). Your word is nicer though.

Honey-ec

Claire Scary Skull wrote: »

I also think pedestrians should yield to a car reversing, its lot easier for them to see whats going on in front of them. Its drives me insane when someone walks behind me when reversing.

Agreed. It's absolute madness to walk behind a reversing car. Yeah, you might have right of way - that'll be a great comfort to your family when they're burying you.

In an argument between a human being and 1,500kg of metal, there's only ever going to be one winner, regardless of who's "right".

Anan1

No Pants wrote: »

I always refer to them as Kuntwagens (say in a German manner, as one might say Volkswagen). Your word is nicer though.

What can I say, I'm a gentle and mannerly poster.