Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Reversing in a car park - AIBU?

21 replies

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/06/2014 19:35

I'm a little bit shaky as someone has just hit my car (very slowly, no damage, but, still a bit shaky). I am fairly sure I am right about most of what happened but not sure about all of it.

She and I were parked on opposite sides of the roadway. She needed to reverse out of her space and I needed to drive forwards. We started moving at almost the same time - I think I started slightly before her as I think her reverse lights went on after I started moving, but it was very close.

Now, I remember being taught that if you are reversing, you give way - but my instructor always explained it to me as the reverser. I'd assume it's basically one of those mutual give-way situations where you should never assume either person has right of way, but I was slightly surprised she kept on going.

I stopped and waited, and she had what I thought was plenty of room as I was all of about three foot out of my space. She hit me, very slowly. I didn't get my hand to my horn in time. She got out and said 'I didn't expect you to move!' so I replied that I wasn't moving and I'd stopped. There was someone with a trolley waiting to go past and she agreed with me. And the other lady said 'well I didn't expect you to move at all!' - which I take to mean, she had not bothered to look again after getting in her car and had not realized I would move out of my space at all (ie., she was not looking while she reversed at all).

My car is fine, so this is really petty, but I was a bit cheesed off. I'm pretty sure give she hit me and I was not moving, it was her fault, but should she have given way anyway? Or, if it's not a legal thing (which I think it isn't?), would you in courtesy give way if you're reversing in that situation?

OP posts:
PandasRock · 23/06/2014 19:38

She is clearly in the wrong as she hit a stationary vehicle. Of course she should have checked behind her as she was moving - what if it was a person walking there?

In general, in that situation, I think I would give at to the person reversing, as I can see better what is going on. Don't know of that is official or not.

AtYourCervix · 23/06/2014 19:39

Wine and very sweet Brew

You had stopped. She should be looking where she was going. Her fault.

TheMuppetsIsWhereIShouldBe · 23/06/2014 19:39

i did this (I was the reverser) It was my fault no matter what whomever is reversing is at fault this is why i now reverse into EVERY space however because the elderly people admitted to not looking and not seeing my car moving we agreed on 50/50

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/06/2014 19:40

Oh, that's a point.

I generally do give way, TBH, to most people, as I'm rarely in a hurry. I just wondered about the rights of it.

I do know she's wrong about hitting me and I expect she knows that too once the shock has worn off.

OP posts:
sunbathe · 23/06/2014 19:40

She's in the wrong, imo.

Nice cup of sweet tea?

Booooooooooooooooooooo · 23/06/2014 19:41

Agree with Panda that it was the other driver's fault as she hit a car that wasn't moving. From what you said that she said, it sounds as if she wasn't looking - she could have knocked someone over very easily.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/06/2014 19:41

Oh, sorry, that last was to pandas.

Thank you, AtYour, you are lovely.

muppets - I've done it too. Blush I felt terrible and I immediately admitted it was my fault, and the other person in that situation (driving a lovely posh car! Eek!) was very good about it.

OP posts:
ChunkyPickle · 23/06/2014 19:42

Sounds like she wasn't looking when she reversed - forget cars, what about humans she could have hit!

I think, that I would tend to err on the side of people being idiots, and give way normally (defensive-driving style).

I have been known to force other people to give way to me - but only if I think they've been really cheeky about something (zooming up the outside of a queue of traffic etc)

TheCatsBollocks · 23/06/2014 19:42

If I'm reversing but then notice a car or pedestrian I stop immediately. For everyone's safety. She sounds like she was careless.

TheFairyCaravan · 23/06/2014 19:43

She's in the wrong because you were stopped.

If I was going to drive out of a space and saw someone it was just about to reverse out of one opposite, I'd give way out of courtesy because I would presume my visibility would be better.

Thumbwitch · 23/06/2014 19:45

She's definitely in the wrong. I love how some people just expect the world to stay out of their way.
I have a friend whose car was squished into the barrier by a woman just coming blithely onto the dual carriageway and trying to move across into my friend's lane - without checking if there was anyone there first. Friend couldn't accelerate out of the way (too-small engine) and couldn't brake without being hit up the arse by car behind - so this woman just drove her into the barrier.

Her excuse to the Police, when asked why she didn't check her mirrors/look for other cars? "Oh I never use those, people usually just get out of my way". HmmShock

When reversing, one is taught "mirror, signal, manouevre" - but that doesn't mean you only look in your mirror ONCE! You keep checking that nothing has changed! What if a pedestrian had been walking there?

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/06/2014 19:50

Thanks all, I am feeling much calmer. Smile

I was just a bit stressed.

And thumb, fuck that's a scary story! Your poor friend, she must have been terrified.

OP posts:
littledrummergirl · 23/06/2014 19:51

I was in a car park once when someone reversed into me. Took out the drivers door as well as some of the front wing.

They refused to give me their insurance details and shouted at me. I was a bit Shock but persuaded them to give me name, address and phone number.

Had 2dc in the car with me and when they asked about what we were going to do, another lady came up, gave us her details and confirmed she had seen that I was stationery.

The driver still refused to accept liability telling my dh that she had loads more money than us and would be taking us to court. Dh laughed and said that he would let the insurance company deal with it. Grin

Thumbwitch · 23/06/2014 19:52

Yep! Fiat Pandas can't withstand much - luckily the mad woman stopped when she realised she'd actually hit someone but still... Friend had whiplash but no other injury, thank goodness.

KillmeNow · 23/06/2014 19:53

She was in the wrong.And this is why I always try to reverse into a space if at all possible.

Thank goodness there was no damage done though.

BillnTedsMostFeministAdventure · 23/06/2014 19:54

Flowers LRD

if you were stationary, she was in the wrong.

TheMuppetsIsWhereIShouldBe · 23/06/2014 19:54

it doesn't matter if you were stopped or moving btw the person reversing is at fault no matter what

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 23/06/2014 19:55

Did you get a name and number for the lady who witnessed the incident, and the details of the lady who hit you? Just in case there is damage to your car that isn't immediately obvious.

She was 100% in the wrong - her mirrors are there for a reason, and if she can't use them, she shouldn't be driving.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/06/2014 20:01

Thank goodness indeed, thumb.

SDTG - no, I didn't, and I did think that on the way home, but honestly, she was ever so slow and I really hope there wouldn't be anything. You couldn't even see a mark.

Thanks all for the sympathy. Thanks

OP posts:
superbagpuss · 23/06/2014 20:13

this happened to me, I pulled out forward as someone reversed out. it was do slow I stopped, hand brake on and beeped and she still crashed into me

really minor damage and she looked very stressed so I said don't worry , but she tried to claim it was my fault first until a man can!e over and said I had stopped.

noneofyours · 23/06/2014 21:26

YANBU OP, she was a bad driver. She didn't look when manoeuvring, you were stationary.

I've never been reversed into but enough people have rolled back that I'm glad I leave a largish space. One did bump me once (we were parked on a hill), he forgot to get his biting point.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page