To think this is a 4x4 hate crime..

[Ponyofdoom]

because someone scrawled 'can't you park any closer' in felt pen on my driver's window in Sainsbury's today and pushed my mirror in? I am indignant because I had parked absolutely squarely between the lines, with a good 6 inches spare. The other vehicle was a huge van taking up at least as much room as my large 4x4. I'm not BU am I? Grrr.

Hate crime ?

That's annoying.

It's not a hate crime.

If you can't get the pen off you can report as criminal damage.

'hate crime'

Most supermarket spaces are quite small and some big 4x4s do take up the whole bay leaving little room for people parked next to them. However since the car next to you was a van YANBU to be indignant! :o

Yeah the 'hate crime' bit was a joke/exaggeration for comic effect Mumlechum1. I suspect that might have been part of the reason though..I think its going to come off Feak thanks :-)

YANBU mainly because it was a van next to you.

I do hate getting back to my car and seeing a great hulking Chelsea tractor next to it though, especially if I've got both DCs to get in the back.

Was the van there when you parked BTW or did it park whilst you were in the shop?
As for 'hate crime' some people hate 4x4s for lots of reasons. 'Crime' - possibly if you can't get it off. They shouldnt have done it as it's vandalism.

Yeah I feel bad about taking up space, but it's not a Chelsea tractor, its a genuine 16 year old, manky, farm workhorse used for towing large trailers.

Maybe they had to swing your mirror in so they could get past? That's not damage, of course.

Presumably it was done by whoever was there before the van?

You should have just parked in the disabled spaces like the other 4x4 drivers.

It was not on your windscreen it was on a bit of paper under your wiper blade (only joking it wasn't me well unless you were in tesco today and your cars really a Audi)

yanbu

The van was there first. I did look and check I had parked well before I left as I am considerate and I got by OK, but I am skinny...

Do you need a 4x4?

If you don't then YABU.

---

K insurance industry figures from Churchill show that urban 4x4s are involved in 25% more accidents than saloon cars and do far more damage.[2] Admiral Insurance also recently released figures showing that 4x4 drivers are 27% more likely to be at fault in the event of an accident.[3]

The RAC Foundation says, "You could blame some of the higher accident rate for 4x4s on size. Drivers who are new to these cars might not realise how wide they are. There is also psychology involved - if you feel more secure inside a big 4x4, you might drive with less care than you should."[2]

The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro-NCAP) carries out crash tests on cars available in Europe. Of the top 10 cars tested since 1998, none is a 4x4, and only three off-roaders make it into the the top 20 (see below).

Big 4x4s are right at the bottom of the class when it comes to pedestrian safety, getting an average Euro-NCAP crash test score of just 4 out of 36, compared with 10 and 13 for large and small family cars, respectively.

In October 2005, the British Medical Journal called for health warnings on 4x4s because of the dangers they pose for pedestrians,[10] and when new test results were released in November 2005, the only car with a zero rating for pedestrian safety was a 4x4 - the Jeep Cherokee.[11]

The UK Transport Research Laboratory released its annual report of deaths on Britain's roads in March 2005, providing hard evidence that the growth in popularity of big 4x4s is causing problems for road safety - 2004 saw the highest number of road deaths in seven years, reversing a long-term decline.[1]

The TRL blames the increasing mismatch between the size of vehicles on the road for a 1% rise in people killed in accidents in 2004. Passengers in 'super minis' were 12 times more likely to be killed than people in a 4x4 when these vehicles collided. The principal factor is the extra weight of the larger car, as well as extra height, which can override the bumpers and side impact protection on the smaller vehicle.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists in the UK has warned drivers of urban 4x4s to be more careful behind the wheel.[4]

Also in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has described 4x4s as "totally unsuitable for the school run."

Did you leave enough room for them to get into the van?

Weird. Why would they come back to the van, write a note and then go away again?

Surely if you are within the white lines you are parked correctly and not taking up anyone elses space so the van driver sounds like he was being unreasonable.

Ahh, you see, even 'chelsea tractor' haters can't moan now as it's the real thing used for what it was made for!!
:o
People are v strange.
although I did have to climb over from the passenger side because my ample bottom couldn't squeeze into the drivers seat once

I hate 4 x 4's. They are such a poser's car.

Trioof I could get between the vehicles fine though there wasn't a huge amount of room. It was the passenger side of the van though. Itsall, my 4x4 is a necessary work vehicle, I have driven it for years, its too slow to cause much damage :-)

When I rule the world all 4x4s will be banned. Except normal car-shaped ones which people with horseboxes may keep.

MarySA that funny, mine is a manky old wreck, defo not a pose mobile :-)

Well as usual I didn't read the thread properly. So sorry OP you are entitled to your 4 x 4 as it's used for a proper purpose.

Kingfu the van people wrote on my car and drove off. I remembered it was a van from when I parked.

Well.. mainly used for what it was made for... :o

Cross post. Sorry again!!