Page 3 | AIBU to feel angry about people parking too close to my car?

Helene225 · 2026-06-18T23:19:09+00:00

Please be kind I think I’m ND but not diagnosed. I feel crazy writing this so using this anonymous forum to express my anger at people parking really close to my new car! I’ve spent a lot of money on my new car that I’ve had for 3 weeks, today for example I feel so much anger - drove into work really early only a few cars in parking lot. I was sat in my car getting my stuff together when a colleague I don’t know at all but obviously works there parked right next to me, bear in mind car park was literally empty! She continues to open her door which is now touching my car! I got out quickly and asked if she’s okay and asked her to hang on whilst I move over to make room for her to get out. She says, “no it’s okay I’ll manage!”, I feel so angry like WTF she could have parked a little more to the left so her door could be opened easily without banging into my car. Issue with work car park is there are no parking lines indicating where to park so it’s just left to everyone’s common sense on how much room to leave. Not first time this has happened by the way. I just don’t get how people are so inconsiderate. Even with my old car I would open the door so carefully and never park so close that my door would be touching a car! I’m just really panicked I will get a scratch on my car from them. I feel paranoid but I keep seeing a dent where she opened her door into my car but DH can’t see anything,

Squirrelchops1 · 19/06/2026 07:13

I've got a new car for the first time. I just don't sweat about stuff like this in all honesty. My partner would park away from others but I just can't get that bothered. In 30 plus years of driving I've had no issues so 'touch wood' that will continue.

Original poster

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:12

I don’t think it’s necessarily the fact it’s a new car well maybe a little it’s the fact people are so inconsiderate about others property. I think that’s my anger.

OP posts:

youalright · 19/06/2026 07:12

Park as far away from any building as possible the you're less likely to get anyone park next to you.

bignewprinz · 19/06/2026 07:11

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:02

It makes no sense to me why a driver would park with literally a few cm between the car and then open the drivers car door which hits the next car and then struggle to get out! The car park was empty. I managed to park with enough room to open my door and get out without wriggling against the door! Gosh majority of you sound like awful drivers btw.

I agree she sounds like a bad driver (or a bad parker). A lot of people on the road lack common sense. I've been driving a long time and see it all the time.

You'll get more zen about your car as it ages, it's inevitably going to pick up bumps and scrapes.

But yes, as someone also ND (since you mentioned it) I do always notice and get annoyed by bad parking. Parking too close, parking over lines, not parking straight, not giving others enough room to get out, making someone's ability to get off their driveway difficult etc.

Yesterday I asked my builder to move his van as he'd partially blocked my neighbour in. A plethora of other spaces available to him elsewhere on the road, btw. 'She can get out can't she?' he said. Well yes she can with a lot of manouvering, but let's not piss off the people I have to live next door to, hun.

Original poster

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:11

Sirzy · 19/06/2026 07:07

so did you park as far away from the entrance to the workplace as possible?

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I parked as far away from the entrance as I possibly could

OP posts:

Flamingojune · 19/06/2026 07:10

UniquePinkSwan · 19/06/2026 07:08

I knew an SUV hater would be on quickly 🙄

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They are rather big

Flamingojune · 19/06/2026 07:09

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:08

Bash! I hear the noise so got out quickly and saw her wriggling out of the drivers seat with the car door pressed against my passenger door.

edited to add not being mean but she is a little overweight which I don’t understand d why she would struggle to wriggle out when she could easily have parked more to the left and left room to get out easily. There was a whole row of space

Edited

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But no marks

Original poster

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:08

Flamingojune · 19/06/2026 07:07

Bash or just touch

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Bash! I hear the noise so got out quickly and saw her wriggling out of the drivers seat with the car door pressed against my passenger door.

edited to add not being mean but she is a little overweight which I don’t understand d why she would struggle to wriggle out when she could easily have parked more to the left and left room to get out easily. There was a whole row of space

OP posts:

Backedoffhackedoff · 19/06/2026 07:08

I think this is really normal with a brand new car, you’ll calm down and ease into it after a few weeks. Yes it’s a huge amount of money and they’re beautiful brand new but it’s a car and you have to use it as one.

UniquePinkSwan · 19/06/2026 07:08

ToffeeCrabApple · 19/06/2026 05:38

Also how big is your car? I often find the people who are precious like this are also the ones driving huge SUVs that are really too large for UK spaces and don't leave room for surrounding cars to open their doors.

I knew an SUV hater would be on quickly 🙄

Sirzy · 19/06/2026 07:07

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:06

It’s quite big! There’s never a shortage of space.

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so did you park as far away from the entrance to the workplace as possible?

Flamingojune · 19/06/2026 07:07

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 06:59

Ummm well duh she could have left a bit more space for her car door to open without bashing into mine! She was struggling getting out! Wouldn’t it make more sense in an EMPTY car park to leave a tiny bit more space so she can actually get out?

Edited

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Bash or just touch

Original poster

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:06

Sirzy · 19/06/2026 07:05

how big is this car park?

a lot of car parks for workplaces I have been in are small with fairly tight spaces. People need to park close together to get enough people in. If people start parking off centre in spaces to give themselves more space it leads to less cars fitting in!

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It’s quite big! There’s never a shortage of space.

OP posts:

somanychristmaslights · 19/06/2026 07:05

Best thing you can do is park in a corner so at least one side is protected. A lot of people can’t park well!

Sirzy · 19/06/2026 07:05

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:02

It makes no sense to me why a driver would park with literally a few cm between the car and then open the drivers car door which hits the next car and then struggle to get out! The car park was empty. I managed to park with enough room to open my door and get out without wriggling against the door! Gosh majority of you sound like awful drivers btw.

how big is this car park?

a lot of car parks for workplaces I have been in are small with fairly tight spaces. People need to park close together to get enough people in. If people start parking off centre in spaces to give themselves more space it leads to less cars fitting in!

fuckeditupbadly · 19/06/2026 07:04

samantha9 · 19/06/2026 06:44

@Watercooler@JacquesHarlow
Women finding it harder to park is actually a thing but it’s because cars are built around men’s bodies. Women tend to be shorter than men and sit lower in the car. This means it’s much harder for women to see the white lines in the mirrors. Most women don’t realise how much less vision they have around the car than men and so don’t raise the seat but just drive lower down. This is why women often drive/ park leaning forward over the steering wheel while men sit back. They sit back because the world is designed for them and women have to make all the adjustments to get a level playing field or in this case similar vision.

Oh come on ..this is a bit of a reach. Im a short woman. I can and do adjust my seat, use mirrors and everything. Not everything is about the patriarchy and if there are some design hangovers that do this, we are capable of making adjustments.

Original poster

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 07:02

It makes no sense to me why a driver would park with literally a few cm between the car and then open the drivers car door which hits the next car and then struggle to get out! The car park was empty. I managed to park with enough room to open my door and get out without wriggling against the door! Gosh majority of you sound like awful drivers btw.

OP posts:

Original poster

Helene225 · 19/06/2026 06:59

ToffeeCrabApple · 19/06/2026 05:34

Issue with work car park is there are no parking lines indicating where to park so it’s just left to everyone’s common sense on how much room to leave. Not first time this has happened by the way.

Well duh this is why she parked next to you then. When there are no lines people park by the existing cars to ensure the space is filled efficiently.

Ummm well duh she could have left a bit more space for her car door to open without bashing into mine! She was struggling getting out! Wouldn’t it make more sense in an EMPTY car park to leave a tiny bit more space so she can actually get out?

OP posts:

Superhansrantowindsor · 19/06/2026 06:59

parking lot? Are you in the US? Cars do seem to be ridiculously big there so can imagine prangs happen more often. Seems odd she’d park right next to you in the car park was empty. Perhaps park further away from the entrance so people are less likely to park near you.

Watercooler · 19/06/2026 06:54

samantha9 · 19/06/2026 06:44

@Watercooler@JacquesHarlow
Women finding it harder to park is actually a thing but it’s because cars are built around men’s bodies. Women tend to be shorter than men and sit lower in the car. This means it’s much harder for women to see the white lines in the mirrors. Most women don’t realise how much less vision they have around the car than men and so don’t raise the seat but just drive lower down. This is why women often drive/ park leaning forward over the steering wheel while men sit back. They sit back because the world is designed for them and women have to make all the adjustments to get a level playing field or in this case similar vision.

Yes cars are built around men's bodies I agree. But that doesn't mean that women are less likely to use their mirrors. We have spent a lifetime having to work around male centered designs and we do it very well!

samantha9 · 19/06/2026 06:44

@Watercooler@JacquesHarlow
Women finding it harder to park is actually a thing but it’s because cars are built around men’s bodies. Women tend to be shorter than men and sit lower in the car. This means it’s much harder for women to see the white lines in the mirrors. Most women don’t realise how much less vision they have around the car than men and so don’t raise the seat but just drive lower down. This is why women often drive/ park leaning forward over the steering wheel while men sit back. They sit back because the world is designed for them and women have to make all the adjustments to get a level playing field or in this case similar vision.

frozendaisy · 19/06/2026 06:27

What is the point in having a nice car if you are going to be paranoid once point of imagining dents when someone parks near you in a car park?

It’s yours, if it gets a scratch or dent it won’t make the slightest difference to driving it, that is can carry you safely from A-to-B.

It’s a car, you will be out in all weather, hitting potholes, small stones bouncing up, environment, weather, other moving hulks of metal around it. It’s not a delicate glass vase basically.

It’s just a car.

Maybe try a CBT exercise to train your mind to not spiral about it.

Zanatdy · 19/06/2026 05:46

Park further away from the entrance as if you parked up front, people will do the same. But if you’re this paranoid, then buying a new car probably isn’t for you.

Watercooler · 19/06/2026 05:44

JacquesHarlow · 19/06/2026 03:36

The "Weird phenomenon" you speak of btw is one I agree with, but which has a clear explanation -

British drivers, especially women (and I'm a British woman) are just appalling at using their mirrors properly.

I see it all the time at work, at supermarkets etc. People who see one car parked in an empty car park, and then use that car as a "reference point" to drive straight into a space.

It's so frustrating because of course if a person could drive properly, they could just go to an empty space, reverse , and use your mirrors to line up the lines in your reverse view.

Instead, people would rather use an existingly parked car as a lazy reference, which tends to leads to lots of shuffling around to create relative distance.

I hate lazy drivers here, I don't think YABU at all @Helene225 and support you. You should be allowed to have nice things, people should just learn to drive.

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British women don't use mirrors properly? I'm curious. Which nationality of women do use mirrors properly? Are British men taken into a secret side room for extra mirror training? Is it the boobs? Do they get in the way of mirror adjusting? Are men using their genitalia somehow to get better mirror positioning?

ToffeeCrabApple · 19/06/2026 05:38

Also how big is your car? I often find the people who are precious like this are also the ones driving huge SUVs that are really too large for UK spaces and don't leave room for surrounding cars to open their doors.