To think it was ok to have my engine running??!

[GuinefortGrey]

This morning, driving through a village, I received a text that I had been waiting for and required an urgent reply. So I pulled over into space at the side of the road in order to safely read and reply. Lots of space available, so pulled in adjacent to a garden wall, so not directly outside anyone's house. I left the engine running as I sat there as I knew I would only be a couple of minutes. There are no parking restrictions, all village residents park along the road on that side.

Anyway, head down in phone, I noticed movement outside the car and saw a older lady gesturing as me, making key turning movements. Whilst trying to get my brain in gear to work out what on earth she was trying to say (for a moment I thought maybe she had locked herself out!) another younger woman knocked on my window She said "can you turn your engine off as my neighbour has a condition that is made worse by toxic fumes". To be honest I don't know if she said please or not but the tone was very snooty and immediately got my back up. I had literally been there no more than 2 minutes and was just about to leave. I said "I'm just leaving now" and the woman said "well if you ever park here again make sure you turn your engine off", to which I replied "don't worry I shan't ever stop here again now I know it's such a nice, friendly village" and she shouted "good!!!" behind me as I pulled off.

Seriously, I was not even stopped outside the older lady's cottage, but about 2 metres away next to a garden wall. I feel bad because I should have responded more politely but the woman's tone was so rude, and I immediately felt all defensive and blurted out the first things that came out of my mouth, but I still don't think I did anything "wrong" leaving my engine running for a couple of mins. AIBU??

I seem to attract these "tellings off" by random strangers 🙁 . Had a lady have a go at me for using a poo bag to pick up
after my dog a couple of years ago. Said I was polluting the environment and as we live in the countryside should just leave the dog poo for nature to take care of

[GuinefortGrey]

Lila . That must have been so upsetting for you after such a sad day.

BitOutofPractice you might have a point. This is my first AIBU and I've been far too agreeable. Must try harder

[pimsandlemonade]

I'm glad i found out about the no texting while engine running thing, had no idea.
Does that mean you can't change the music either while enginge is running (car being stationary not while driving)
I play music from my phone via aux cable, I don't mean changing the radio

[diddl]

I think that you were quite rude tbh.

It was a simple request from her-you only needed to tell her that you were leaving now anyway.

I'm with the others who don't know why you would leave an engine running.

Still, at least you pulled off the road in the first place!

[blankmind]

I rented a house which was set higher than the road and had a small front garden. Anyone sat outside with their engine running was annoying with the engine noise, couldn't hear the TV etc but it also meant the exhaust fumes went straight in my open windows, ugh. Especially concerning when I had a young baby.

It's not always convenient to drop everything and close all your windows when some inconsiderate person is sat outside your house with their engine running.

Please be more considerate of other people. You think 'Oh I only did that for a couple of minutes' but if you are the tenth or twentieth person to do it that day, then you may understand why the residents are asking you not to.

[LilaTheTiger]

My job can be sad by its nature Guinness, but it has taught me not to shout/berate people when I have no idea why they are behaving in a way that I don't think is right.

Some people never learn to think outside their own experiences though... You must feel shaken after that too. And we've all learned something from your thread

[WhetherOrNot]

I lived next to the village shop - if I heard "I'll only be 2 minutes" once more I would be a millionaire. This went on from 7 am to 6 pm. And all the fumes went into my bedroom and sitting room windows. It was bloody awful. YWBU. Turn off your precious engine!

[RhiWrites]

Why are people saying the woman who approached the OP was rude? She doesn't found rude to me.

OP it's not too late to make amends. You could write a card and drop it in the house to say in retrospect you wish you'd handled it different and you're sorry for the trouble. They probably felt bad about the interaction too and this way you can make it better.

[OrangeSplot]

Engine rubbings are horrible. Especially diesel. Disgusting build up of smell. I havitually turn my engine off for short tops so as not to pollute people's environment. Easy way to make people's life pleasant.

[CharlieSierra]

It is anti social from a pollution and noise point of view, and if you live in a house which people often park outside it gets very annoying. Also illegal. And you were rude and should have apologised and turned it off.

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

I"ll admit I had never realised this was an issue, and will be more considerate in built up areas in the future. But how do you defrost your cars in the winter?
I drove a new car the other day and it's engine was set to cut out every time you stop, and restarted when you pressed the accelerator. Hopefully this will help people in the future if it gets more common.

[SouperSal]

I drove a new car the other day and it's engine was set to cut out every time you stop, and restarted when you pressed the accelerator. Hopefully this will help people in the future if it gets more common.

About as useful as auto parking. Hill starts are about to get interesting.

[Coffeethrowtrampbitch]

I'm really glad you have agreed yabu op, even though it isn't the spirit of AIBU 😉.

I live outside a school where regularly about 6 parents park with the engine running, usually 10 cars overall. In a tiny street of 7 houses the stink and smell are appalling, and then the kids have to walk through it.

I've asked people to switch off before but don't dare to now due to the abuse I get- only one person has even apologised and turned off their engine.
If you were parked close to a school perhaps it is a common problem for the house owner and you got the brunt of everyone else's behaviour?
Thank you for saying you will try not to do it again, as someone affected by it regularly I really appreciate it!

[Amy214]

Your supposed to turn the engine off and take the keys out the ignition because the law says you are still in control of the vehicle, which is why i never use my phone in the car at all. If i can avoid getting points for silly things then i will

[Amy214]

Idling is illegal aswell isnt it not?

[Buckinbronco]

Some random woman isn't going to give you points on your license though. The legal/ illegal argument is a bit, um, gravel. But it doesn't really affect day to day life

[maisiejones]

I get really irritated when people leave their engines running outside my house. Especially when the noise makes my windows vibrate.

[UpsiLondoes]

I hold up my hand - I sit in car with engine running sometimes. But only when I'm picking someone up and I'm temporarily blocking a drive. I don't want the owners to think I'm parking across their drive and it saves me either driving around in loops or blocking the road

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

Leaving the engine running is such a self centred antisocial thing to do.

YABU.

[SouperSal]

This drives me to distraction. I had to ask the school bus driver to turn the engine off - she sat there daily with the engine running for 25 minutes between her arriving and leaving. She "hadn't noticed" that the exhaust was at pushchair height and in the path of every person collecting and leaving with their children.

I'd guess that 1/3rd of the parents who pick their children up from school in cars sit with the engines running for 10-15 mins before they get out to fetch the children. (Some leave a partner in the car so the engine stays on.). Dedicate flowers need heat in winter and constant air con in summer, it seems.

Selfish cretins.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

One of the mums I know through school lived opposite a school. She got so fed up of parents leaving the engines idling she got the police involved and half a dozen parents were fined.

[maggiecate]

I don't think it's unreasonable to be caught on the defensive when you're taken by surprise, but I don't think she's unreasonable either. I think a clue may be in the 'all village residents park along the road.' So they probably have constant issues with engines idling while people get themselves organised, set their satnav, wait for their other halves or DCs etc. It sounds as if this is someone who makes this request a lot, so have developed a rather rote way of doing it that sounds a bit snooty. She framed it as a request - 'can you' rather than an order 'turn it off.' She's showing concern about her neighbour who presumably has something fairly horrible wrong with her, so she can't be all bad.

[BadDoGooder]

YABU for the environmental aspact alone.
And all the others who think leaving an engine running for 2-15 minutes is harmless.
Think of the cumulative effect of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people, every day "just running it for the heating/to send a text/waiting for the kids"
being slightly uncomfortable for 10 mins is better than tons of extra toxic shit being pumped into the atmosphere, and the extra tons of toxic shit we produce when dig up the fuel needed for all those extra minutes.

Sorry for the rant.

[ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay]

Sorry yabu whether you meant to be or not.

Engine running and using your phone is illegal.