To peep my car horn at an annyoing woman???

[fifitot]

At petrol station last night, it was really busy. All the pumps were full with queues at each one. I drove in and was behind a car.

The woman whose car it was took AGES to get back in and move it so I could get to the pump. I waited patiently for her to pay, not her fault the queue was so long. However on her return to the car, she stood and scrutinised her receipt for a while, dug around for her keys for a while, messed with the wing mirror. Eventually got in the car, looked at herself in the mirror, eventually but on her seat belt but THEN took out her phone! I don't think she made a call but was maybe looking for messages etc.

I am normally a non-confrontational person but at this point I just thought 'get a bloody move on there is a queue here!' So I peeped the horn, mainly as a reminder that there were people behind her.

This has happened to me and I usually just say whoops and pull forward so someone can get to the pump.

Unfortunately she stormed out the car and started to shout abuse. It was actually quite funny as she made a bit of an idiot of herself tbh.

I suppose me peeping the horn could be seen as provocative but she did over react I think.

What would you do?

[LaurieScaryCake]

It is illegal to beep your horn unless you are warning them you are there if they're about to drive into you

[Jacaqueen]

This is one of my pet hates as well. I always feel really bad if DS insists in coming in with me to pay and I then have to spend extra time strapping him in.

Our local garage is also a small Tesco shop. There are plenty of spaces to pull into if you are going to be getting some shopping as well as fuel but some people stay parked at the pump whilst practically doing there weekly food shop.

[TheFallenMadonna]

I find horn-beeping really aggressive. But I also find people who faff at petrol pumps really irritating...

[RomanCandleJollster]

No YANBU.... I HATE this sort of selfish lack of awareness - drives me crazy!!!!

I would have done the same thing in the situation you describe.

I HAVE seen people do what you did impatiently, giving the person no time to get themselves back in the car... there is something about queuing for fuel that sends people bonkers...!

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

YANBU - daft cow should have got a move on

[teameric]

I'm glad I don't drive I would get serious road rage, I have no patience with some people at the best of times

[teameric]

and no YANBU

[Gracie123]

I always panic at the pump that I am taking too long (DS messing about as he has learnt to unclip his seat belt and I won't drive until he has it securely on). This frequently leads to stalling the car and taking even longer If someone peeped there horn at me I would probably just get even more flustered.

I think her reaction tells you that she wasn't flustered but actually just a selfish, self-righteous person. I whole-heartedly endorse your horn peeping!

[MrsBadger]

hmm

if there had been no cars involved and she had been in front of you at a busy supermarket checkout fannying about with her receipt / phone etc would you have shouted 'OI GET A MOVE ON!' ?

thought not

Fair enough you might have said 'Excuse me please' or similar, but a horn bip can sound just as aggressive to the hearer.

[Jacaqueen]

Its the same at the supermarket checkout. Those people who have all the time in the world to pack the shopping carefully into different bags rearranging things in the trolley. Who then take ages to find their purse and pay. They then insist on sorting out their handbag putting purse away getting out car keys etc. All done at a snails pace right at the checkout.

I'm not talking about elderly or disabled people.

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

It's the forecourt equivalent of that person who buys their weekly shop, packs it all into bags, and then looks surprised and flustered when they get asked to pay for it, then spend 5 mins searching their tardis of a handbag for their purse.

[MrsBadger]

In the supermarket you would just tut and sigh though (while secretly wanting to kick them) - you wouldn't make a fuss.

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

agreed.

But if this person was at the traffic lights and they had gone green and they weren't paying attention, then I would beep at them.

[jennylindinha]

YANBU, but maybe I would have asked her to hurry up rather than beep... My pet hate is in the supermarket when I am doing the weekly shop and packing the bags and the trolley etc whilst keeping DD happy and the person behind comes and stands right in front of the cashier, in my way and in front the card machine! It drives me nuts and I always have to complain ask them politely to move. Personal space people, c'mon!

[IMoveTheStarsForNoOne]

Jacaqueen - xposts

[emsyj]

Does it really matter if she takes a bit of time to move on? Really? Is life that short? Are you that busy/important? Will that extra 2 minutes really make any difference? I spend my whole life rushing from one thing to the next trying not to inconvenience people and get in the way, and TBH I wish I could be more relaxed about it like this woman. I think beeping your horn actually makes YOU an annoying woman too. You created an altercation when it was unnecessary and caused yourself stress that could easily have been avoided. Why not chill out a bit? She reacted badly too, but IMO you're both as bad as each other!

[OrmIrian]

Not unreasonable at all.

I suspect that the lady in question was actually guilty of in-car passive aggression! Or should that be passive road rage? And deserved to be beeped at.

Note: make-up and phone calls can wait until you are not holding other people up.

[OrmIrian]

But emsyj, she wasn't just being relaxed. Being relaxed is great but not at other people's expense. Of course everyone needs to chill out but you can't force others to do it by being inconsiderate.

[TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied]

YANBU. I'd have held my hand on the horn until she moved. And if she confronted me I'd have given her what for. Selfish cow.

I'm always peeping at idiots.

[PuppyMonkey]

I would have beeped too. Dozy people need a wake up call sometimes.

[IsItMeOr]

YANBU on balance.

I think we need two types of horn - one for emergencies and one for ever-so-politely-wish-to-draw-your-attention-to-the-fact-that-you-seem-to-have-forgotten-where-you-a re.

In her shoes I might have been a bit annoyed to be hooted, but tbh probably more embarassed. I certainly think she was totally OTT to jump out of car and start shouting. If you really must, surely that's what hand gestures as driving off were invented for? Way more passive-aggressive .

[RustyBat]

Of course she might have been looking at her phone because she'd just had a text with bad news and the beep was just the last straw....

What she did was an over-reaction, but looking at some of the posts on the 'new MN' threads, overeaction seems to be becoming normal

[emsyj]

Sorry I don't think that it is that inconsiderate to take more than 30 seconds to jump in your car and move it at the petrol station. It WAS wrong for her to explode in a tirade at the OP tho.

The culture of horn beeping just creates a sense of stress and tension IMO, and it achieves nothing. It is no different from shouting at someone.

[Northernlurker]

I think it was a bit of reap what you sow tbh. You beeping was an agressive act, justified aggression maybe - tghis sort of thing is very annoying, but nevertheless it was aggressive. She responded in kind. To anybody passing by she probably looked utterly mad so I don't think you need to dwell on it to much!

[Morloth]

So beeping didn't actually speed things up did it? I don't beep unless in emergency, just pisses people off and (more importantly) doesn't work.