People reversing out of parking spaces/drives into your path

[alphadog]

I normally reverse into parking spaces in car parks or onto my drive but if I drive in and have to reverse out, I stop and let vehicles pass until it is clear even if I have started my manoevre.


I was in the supermarket carpark this lunch driving along and someone started to reverse out of a space into my path. At first the driver's view of me was blocked by the adjacent car, but once I could see the driver through the window, he continued to reverse rather than stopping to let me (and following traffic) pass.

My question is should he have stopped as I had right of way, or should I stop as the other driver is in the middle of a manoevre?

My gut feeling is the former argument, but would like to know for sure as I seem to remember my driving instructor mentioning something about letting people complete manoeveres that they are part way through, many moons ago.

Ta muchly in advance

Tim.

[selwonk]

Let him finish his maneouver and bask in the warm glow from knowing that you have better manners!

[Minty UFB]

The DSA Theory test Answer to this question is Sound your horn and be prepared to stop.
Imo this is to avoid any collisions and not a guide to who has right of way.

I think that probably you have right of way being on the Main road but if safe to do so then giving way is perhaps the right thing to do.

Someone may come along in a mo and tell me I am completely wrong however such is my opinion

[Flat in Fifth]

I'd argue that from the perspective of the person reversing out that if your manouevre would cause anyone to have to slow, stop or change direction that you should give way and let them pass by.

However if they stop, then they have given way to you, and with due observation all round and establishing that they continue to give way then it is OK to proceed with a thank you acknowledgement at appropriate time.

From the perspective of the other driver ie going along road or car park, I'd argue that you should be keeping an eye out for such hazards, if you see one then mirror, cover horn, consider giving warning if appropriate, be prepared to stop if they continue. Unwise to proceed into a potential conflict situation.

[eccles]

i reverse out on people sometimes in supermarket car parks, i sed to wait until they'd gone past or were out of the way, but half the time people are dithering about looking for spaces, and while you wait for them to pass, they just pull into a space without indicating.
so now i have a good look, and if a car comes once i've started to pull out, i just carry on, it also avoids the after you, no, after you which can happen as well.

[colonel_smith]

I am pretty sure it is illegal to reverse out onto a main road from a driveway...See it happens loads of times and you look at the driveway and think why dont they turn it round on the drive before reversing blind out on to a main road...I guess people must be to lazy to do it...
As for carparks I stopped and waited for someone to reverse and they reversed into me..Luckily no damage..If I am reversing out(which is rare as I try and reverse in)I always wait for traffic to pass..I consider it to be there right of way..

[Oakey]

eccles said:

i reverse out on people sometimes in supermarket car parks, i sed to wait until they'd gone past or were out of the way, but half the time people are dithering about looking for spaces, and while you wait for them to pass, they just pull into a space without indicating.
so now i have a good look, and if a car comes once i've started to pull out, i just carry on, it also avoids the after you, no, after you which can happen as well.

I'd be careful if I were you.

Earlier this year a friend of mine was driving in a car park and some doddering old geezer reversed out of a space, without looking, right into the rear of her Accord as she was passing.

Him and his wife tried their best to blame her "she was going too fast", etc, etc and at first he refused to give her his insurance details but as she'd stopped immediately he was blocked in and going nowhere, I also made her phone the police. They arrived, told him he was clearly at fault and made him give her his details.

[MilnerR]

The way I see it is that you are joining the flow of traffic (like a junction) and therefore have to giveway to those already in the main flow of traffic. I usually reverse into spaces unless I'm likely to have tons of shopping then its parked in the numpty direction.

[Rob_the_Sparky]

It is a car park for ****s sake. Not good manners but hardly requiring a hand on horn or getting irate about. Life is easier and blood pressure lower if you roll your eyes and get on with it rather than getting irate because you had right of way.

If it were a road then it is clearly a different matter as speeds will be very different so potentially dangerous.

Rob

[Timberwolf]

I treat vehicles around car parks and supermarkets (or the school run, for that matter) with much the same caution and distrust as I'd apply to driving around in the few weeks before Christmas.

That is, as an incredibly high concentration of people who are thinking about what they've just bought, whether the ice cream is melting, how much they just spent, what's going to be on television when they get home, putting on a nice cup of tea and a scone... anything but their driving.

This means they will be going through the actions purely by rote, and as such it doesn't matter whether I have right of way or not, because I simply don't register on their list of priorities.

Therefore, I usually keep one hand ready to push the horn for a quick, friendly "wake up!" if necessary.

The other thing is that if somebody has their reverse lights on and is ready to go, I'd usually let them anyway if there's no-one behind. I might have right of way, but some car park spaces (especially the tighter multi-storey jobs) are right miserable places to get out of at the best of times, it's quite satisfying to make things that little bit easier rather than contributing to the pain.

[groomi]

How the hell are you supposed to unload the bloody shopping from the trolley into the boot if you have reversed into a space?

You could always walk if the carpark is too stressful...

Eejit.

[Timberwolf]

groomi said:

How the hell are you supposed to unload the bloody shopping from the trolley into the boot if you have reversed into a space?

I will tell you this from personal experience.

Firstly, you look at the car, looking proudly at how close the rear bumper is to the wall. Then, with gathering comprehension, you tell yourself under your breath, "You fing idiot." Checking around to make sure nobody is looking, you get in the car, start it up, and move it forward a few inches.

Then you load it gradually from the side, walking from trolley to boot several times, all the while berating yourself for being great at parking, but an utter tit when it comes to common sense.

We've all done it. Haven't we??

Edited by Timberwolf on Wednesday 4th October 18:47

[alphadog]

Timberwolf said:

groomi said:

How the hell are you supposed to unload the bloody shopping from the trolley into the boot if you have reversed into a space?

I will tell you this from personal experience.

Firstly, you look at the car, looking proudly at how close the rear bumper is to the wall. Then, with gathering comprehension, you tell yourself under your breath, "You fing idiot." Checking around to make sure nobody is looking, you get in the car, start it up, and move it forward a few inches.

Then you load it gradually from the side, walking from trolley to boot several times, all the while berating yourself for being great at parking, but an utter tit when it comes to common sense.

We've all done it. Haven't we??

Perfection versus practicality! Or you leave enough space to get the trolley to the back with 1/2 an inch to spare, then when you get back there's another car in the adjacent space and you can't get in with the trolley. The joys of modern life

[tvr_nut]

Timberwolf said:

groomi said:

How the hell are you supposed to unload the bloody shopping from the trolley into the boot if you have reversed into a space?

I will tell you this from personal experience.

Firstly, you look at the car, looking proudly at how close the rear bumper is to the wall. Then, with gathering comprehension, you tell yourself under your breath, "You fing idiot." Checking around to make sure nobody is looking, you get in the car, start it up, and move it forward a few inches.

Then you load it gradually from the side, walking from trolley to boot several times, all the while berating yourself for being great at parking, but an utter tit when it comes to common sense.

We've all done it. Haven't we??

Edited by Timberwolf on Wednesday 4th October 18:47

Must admit I have......but no longer as we get we get Sainsbo's to deliver it to the front door. No dinks in the car from clumsy sods opening their doors, no screaming kids, and what's best is you can start on the beer from the second it arrives!

[DJFish]

Minty UFB said:

The DSA Theory test Answer to this question is Sound your horn and be prepared to stop.

And get a fresh baked baguette shoved up your a##e by some irate geezer in a vest

An alternative is to stop, let them out with a friendly wave, indicate and pull into the space they've just vacated.

It tickles me when people won't let me out of my parking space in the morning at the train station (Right next to the front door as I do funny hours) preferring to walk two miles from the back end of the, by that time full, car park.

If it's me reversing, it's reverse lights on, indicate and wait.......but that's just me.

[flemke]

Flat in Fifth said:

However if they stop, then they have given way to you, and with due observation all round and establishing that they continue to give way then it is OK to proceed with a thank you acknowledgement at appropriate time.

From the perspective of the other driver, the one travelling straight on, is stopping your car to avoid an inconsiderate fool, who is about to reverse into the path of your moving car that has the right of way, the same thing as "giving way"?

I don't know the answer, but the HC is logical for the most part, so I would have thought that collision avoidance is not equivalent to giving way.