Why do people park on the road when they have a driveway?

[martin84]

Sort of following on from the 'why do people park next to you in an empty car park' thread.

There's a road I travel on my way to work where every house on both sides of the road has a driveway, even the smallest of them could probably squeeze two cars on and keep them off the road. Yet most of them park their cars on the road and it's a reasonably busy road - it's even a bus route - so I have to ask....why?

Surely you'd keep your car off the road if you could, rather than park it on the street in the cycle lane on a bus route? I also wonder how many of their insurance companies believe the car is on the drive.

[TVR Sagaris]

If it's a busy road it's probably a hassle trying to get a car off the drive in the morning.

[Dave Hedgehog]

to stop knob jockeys parking eyesore vans outside your house?

[redgriff500]

My wife keeps hitting the gate post so she parks on the road.

My mates wife arrives home first and leaves first so either she or he has to park on the road as you can only get the last car on the drive, out first which is pretty common with short narrow drives.

[Jasandjules]

Dave Hedgehog said:

to stop knob jockeys parking eyesore vans outside your house?

And also to stop people parking outside your driveway blocking you in....??

[martin84]

TVR Sagaris said:

If it's a busy road it's probably a hassle trying to get a car off the drive in the morning.

That's the ironic thing because everybody parking on the road means it's harder to see what's coming. If everyone parked on the drive it'd be nice and clear. But the rest of us including cyclists and buses are essentially having to make do with half a road because they cant be bothered to park properly. If anything it's made more busy due to how they park.

[Defcon5]

Dave Hedgehog said:

to stop knob jockeys parking eyesore vans outside your house?

Tell me about it. The guy opposite me has the biggest Merc Sprinter I have ever seen, its like a lorry. Bright red with added rusty sills.

[Hairy Bob]

martin84 said:

I also wonder how many of their insurance companies believe the car is on the drive.

My insurance is cheaper if my car is parked on the road than on the drive.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Defcon5 said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

to stop knob jockeys parking eyesore vans outside your house?

Tell me about it. The guy opposite me has the biggest Merc Sprinter I have ever seen, its like a lorry. Bright red with added rusty sills.

lovely

must be great working your nuts of to pay the mortgage so you can come home and stare at a van

[martin84]

Hairy Bob said:

My insurance is cheaper if my car is parked on the road than on the drive.

Now that makes no sense at all.

[lexusboy]

We have 2 cars at our house (mine and my mothers) and our drive could probably accomodate 3 cars but we only ever use it for one.

Reason being, we both come and go at various times so if I was to come home before her and park my car down the drive I would then be blocked off if I needed to go out that night so rather than faffing about moving cars about every time it's easier just to leave on out on the road and whoever gets home first gets the drive

[Defcon5]

Dave Hedgehog said:

lovely

must be great working your nuts of to pay the mortgage so you can come home and stare at a van

To be fair it is parked as close to his house as he can get it (No way would it fit on the drive). Its the guy who parks next to him that pisses me off - he lives about 200m away on a different street. White stheap curtainside Transit van with the curtains open.

I actually dug up half my front garden to fit another car on so I wouldnt annoy my neighbours.

[martin84]

I think people should always keep the car off road if possible. Town roads in this country weren't built with the idea that one day every tom-dick would have a car and there's not enough space. If I had it my way I'd double yellow line every such road.

Yes I do have off road parking, can you tell?

[SS2.]

martin84 said:

Hairy Bob said:

My insurance is cheaper if my car is parked on the road than on the drive.

Now that makes no sense at all.

Insurers claim that one of the reasons for this is that a car parked on its drive will be more likely to suffer a key theft than if it was parked on the street.

[martin84]

SS2. said:

Insurers claim that one of the reasons for this is that a car parked on its drive will be more likely to suffer a key theft than if it was parked on the street.

But surely it's also more likely to be crashed into if it's on the street?

[Trevor450]

lexusboy said:

We have 2 cars at our house (mine and my mothers) and our drive could probably accomodate 3 cars but we only ever use it for one.

Reason being, we both come and go at various times so if I was to come home before her and park my car down the drive I would then be blocked off if I needed to go out that night so rather than faffing about moving cars about every time it's easier just to leave on out on the road and whoever gets home first gets the drive

My wife and I do the same apart from her MX-5 always gets the drive being a soft top. The Benz stays on the road and the TVR is behind the gates next to the house as that doesn't get used every day. It would be way too much hassle to swap cars around all the time.

Living in a narrow road means that the traffic is slowed a lot due to the parked cars which is a bonus.

[SS2.]

martin84 said:

SS2. said:

Insurers claim that one of the reasons for this is that a car parked on its drive will be more likely to suffer a key theft than if it was parked on the street.

But surely it's also more likely to be crashed into if it's on the street?

That's as maybe, but the fact that premiums are often cheaper for street parked vehicles indicates that insurers must view this as less of a risk than vehicles which are parked on private driveways.

And not forgetting that vehicles parked on driveways can still be subject to accidental damage, anyway..

[Trevor450]

SS2. said:

martin84 said:

SS2. said:

Insurers claim that one of the reasons for this is that a car parked on its drive will be more likely to suffer a key theft than if it was parked on the street.

But surely it's also more likely to be crashed into if it's on the street?

That's as maybe, but the fact that premiums are often cheaper for street parked vehicles indicates that insurers must view this as less of a risk than vehicles which are parked on private driveways.

And not forgetting that vehicles parked on driveways can still be subject to accidental damage, anyway..

I think the risk of being stolen is lower due to any potential thieves not being 100% certain to which house a car on the road would belong to in oder to steal the keys.

[mrmr96]

martin84 said:

Sort of following on from the 'why do people park next to you in an empty car park' thread.

There's a road I travel on my way to work where every house on both sides of the road has a driveway, even the smallest of them could probably squeeze two cars on and keep them off the road. Yet most of them park their cars on the road and it's a reasonably busy road - it's even a bus route - so I have to ask....why?

Surely you'd keep your car off the road if you could, rather than park it on the street in the cycle lane on a bus route? I also wonder how many of their insurance companies believe the car is on the drive.

Because they have two cars, the husband parks on the drive (but he's at work so you don't see his car) and the wife is at home with her, less valuable, car on the road.

[Willy Nilly]

I can get my tractor on my drive and my car