Tackling car reversing out of driveway

[0markymark0]

Taking my daughters to school one of them scoots along the path. There's at least 2 driveways where the drivers reverse out without being able to see pedestrians. The trouble is that both come from obscured driveways where their view is limited. My kids know to look out for reversing cars but I am petrified of a car reversing out without seeing them.

Obviously the sensible thing for the drivers to do is reverse in so they are coming out forwards. I cannot conceive of the ignorance to do it any other way. The fact that hedges block their view means they should not be reversing blind onto the pavement no matter how 'carefully' they think they are doing so. In my mind, if a manoeuvre cannot be done safely, it should not be done at all.

I would like them to either learn to driver properly and reverse in. If they cannot, they should trim the hedges so they can see (or have someone guide them out if not practicle), failing that, they should not be attempting the manoeuvre at all.

If I see this happening again, should I say something to them?

[eybic]

Are the houses on an "A" road?

[kambites]

Whilst I would always reverse into my drive in that situation, if they're reversing out they should be moving slowly enough that they aren't at risk of hitting a pedestrian, and any pedestrian on the pavement should be moving slowly enough that they don't hit the car.

[0markymark0]

eybic said:

Are the houses on an "A" road?

No, residential road. I live around the corner on a similarly busy road and we only every reverse our 2 cars in.

[0markymark0]

kambites said:

Whilst I would always reverse into my drive in that situation, if they're reversing out they should be moving slowly enough that they aren't at risk of hitting a pedestrian, and any pedestrian on the pavement should be moving slowly enough that they don't hit the car.

A couple of times they've just simply started reversing, much faster than I would deem safe. My kids came to a stop which I'm pleased about. They're little so may not be seen in rear view mirror.

Once, I was ahead and as I passed the driveway it started reversing. I stood there as my little kid may not have been seen but I would have been. The guy still moved backwards. I shouted out and he stopped. Should have had a quiet word with him.

[Motorrad]

Not your business to be telling other people how to park their cars IMO. You're completely correct of course that if they had half a brain they'd reverse in however the only thing you can control in this instance is the behaviour of your child. So change it before she gets hurt if you perceive it to be a risk. I'd prefer not to read about her being hit by someone as she scoots down the pavement.

[Snowboy]

If I was in your position I'd put a polite note through the door asking the driver to be careful of pedestrians.

It might even be possible to contact the local pta and gave some help from the school to create a few leaflets to distribute around the area.

[0markymark0]

Motorrad said:

Not your business to be telling other people how to park their cars IMO. You're completely correct of course that if they had half a brain they'd reverse in however the only thing you can control in this instance is the behaviour of your child. So change it before she gets hurt if you perceive it to be a risk. I'd prefer not to read about her being hit by someone as she scoots down the pavement.

Of course, It's only becuase it's been close-ish so far that I'm tempted to have a word.

[Motorrad]

0markymark0 said:

Of course, It's only becuase it's been close-ish so far that I'm tempted to have a word.

I can see why, they sound like idiots. Problem is how many words are you going to need to have with how many other drivers? You could end up spending half your life confronting people/writing them notes and I suspect they'll likely ignore you anyway or get aggressive.

There are a lot of assholes out there who don't care about their selfish and dangerous behaviour best course of action is to leave the scooter-ing to a safer time when lots of people aren't reversing blind out of their drive ways when presumably in a rush to get to work.

[Sid's Dad]

The only reliable solution is to teach your kids to stop and look before walking past a driveway. Telling other people how to drive their cars rarely had the desired effect.

[0markymark0]

Motorrad said:

I can see why, they sound like idiots. Problem is how many words are you going to need to have with how many other drivers? You could end up spending half your life confronting people/writing them notes and I suspect they'll likely ignore you anyway or get aggressive.

There are a lot of assholes out there who don't care about their selfish and dangerous behaviour best course of action is to leave the scooter-ing to a safer time when lots of people aren't reversing blind out of their drive ways when presumably in a rush to get to work.

I appreciate your point but no way am I going to let car drivers take over paths as well as the roads. Pedestrians (and scootering kids!) on paths are the priority everyone else must give way. It's hard with your own kids but I'm not preventing their freedom and great health benefits of scootering be taken away by a couple of selfish idiots. I do drill in to my kids to watch out for reversing cars but I think any more close-ish incidents will have me stopping and having a little chat with the driver.

[yellowjack]

0markymark0 said:

A couple of times they've just simply started reversing, much faster than I would deem safe. My kids came to a stop which I'm pleased about. They're little so may not be seen in rear view mirror.

Once, I was ahead and as I passed the driveway it started reversing. I stood there as my little kid may not have been seen but I would have been. The guy still moved backwards. I shouted out and he stopped. Should have had a quiet word with him.

Be careful if you do decide to have a word. There's a particular house near me, and near several school and a 'T' junction, where a particularly retarded family live.

Dad thinks he has the right to stop and direct traffic while his wife reverses out, and his son (I presume it's his son, anyway) doesn't like it when you make him wait a few seconds to reverse out behind you, and tailgates you up the road, weaving madly (with hundreds of kids on their way to the THREE schools along that road!) and making all sorts of rude/threatening gestures whilst turning an odd shade of purple

I ignored the dad one evening because I was turning right off the main road onto the smaller one, and stopping would have meant the back of my car remaining dangerously exposed to traffic approaching from my left, while his wife faffed about. He followed me (on foot) up to the school where I was attending a parents' evening, and demanded to know why I didn't stop as he'd "clearly instructed me to". I asked him where his warrant card was, and laughed in his face when asked what I meant, before he went on to threaten to damage my car. I told him that he was pretty stupid to make such threats when I knew exactly where he lived.

The saddest part of all this is that their garden has disappeared completely under block paving, to the extent that they can park all three of their cars in there, and all still have plenty of space to turn around within the property to drive out forwards.

On another note, I once asked a friend why he reversed out of his drive in the morning, meaning he was often left fuming because no-one would stop to let him out for minutes at a time. "It's easier" was his answer. He couldn't see my logic, which was to reverse in when he got home, when he was in less of a hurry and the traffic was reduced, and then he'd be able to nip out forwards, requiring a smaller gap in traffic than if he was reversing. The "does not compute" look on his face said it all really. I reckon it's just a simple fact that most of those who drive in forwards, then try to reverse out onto busy roads, are just that little bit 'special needs' when it comes to driving

[Sid's Dad]

And there's no such thing as "right of way" when it comes to kids. The fact they have right of way makes not a blind bit of difference to what happens if a car reverses out without seeing them. Teach them to look all around them for hazards. And if was me, I'd have them walk to school, not scooter. Every child I know scoots along at speed, with no brakes, and has neither the ability nor the desire to stop and look around them for any hazards.

[Spare tyre]

a lot of people are lazy - and avoid reversing by putting it off for later, later is the following morning

the fact that they have to reverse at some point is worried about later

[0markymark0]

Sid's Dad said:

... and has neither the ability nor the desire to stop and look around them for any hazards.

Surely that's the driver's responsibility on a path, not the child's?

I know, I always try to protect my kids but the cars are (potentially) at fault. I could stop them scooting, I could also keep them locked in their bedrooms until 18 but I want fit, healthy kids (I'm not doubting you do too) and would want the drivers of the cars acting dangerously to alter their behaviour, not children making their way to school.

I do appreciate the comments here but it saddens me that kids making their way to school have to accommodate the wrongful actions of cars - why did it get like this??

[yellowjack]

Sid's Dad said:

And there's no such thing as "right of way" when it comes to kids. The fact they have right of way makes not a blind bit of difference to what happens if a car reverses out without seeing them. Teach them to look all around them for hazards. And if was me, I'd have them walk to school, not scooter. Every child I know scoots along at speed, with no brakes, and has neither the ability nor the desire to stop and look around them for any hazards.

This is exactly why the terminally stupid, who insist on reversing out of their properties, instead of reversing in like sensible folk, need to be challenged over their stupidity. It's not rocket surgery to work out that you have a better chance of seeing and identifying hazards when you are looking forwards and travelling forwards, than if you are twisted around in your seat looking through the rear window of your car. So why insist on reversing out onto the road, where there is potential conflict with both pedestrians and other vehicles, when they could reverse into the driveway, where there is a considerably reduced likelihood of meeting someone or something that wasn't there a second ago?

[thatdude]

If you are worried about your kids or other kids or other people getting hurt, then do have a gentle, quite word just explaining your worries. Importantly, keep up the education of your kids (although it seems you're doing a grand job so far)

I personally always reverse into the driveway so I come out forward. A couple of times coming up my road I;ve had to leap on the anchors because someone has reversed quickly out of their driveway; it is quite lazy IMO to drive straight into the driveway, and leaves many people quite exposed to an accident

[Motorrad]

0markymark0 said:

Surely that's the driver's responsibility on a path, not the child's?

I know, I always try to protect my kids but the cars are (potentially) at fault. I could stop them scooting, I could also keep them locked in their bedrooms until 18 but I want fit, healthy kids (I'm not doubting you do too) and would want the drivers of the cars acting dangerously to alter their behaviour, not children making their way to school.

I do appreciate the comments here but it saddens me that kids making their way to school have to accommodate the wrongful actions of cars - why did it get like this??

To be fair they shouldn't really be using scooters on the pavement either if you're concerned about their safety. I can just imagine the complaining thread on 'old dears net'- some little sod nearly ran me over on the pavement.

http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformati...

[0markymark0]

Motorrad said:

To be fair they shouldn't really be using scooters on the pavement either if you're concerned about their safety.

...fair point

[Motorrad]

It's a bloody shame though that your kids can't just make their way to school without encountering such problems