But it's OUR drive...

[amammabear]

Our drive is directly opposite the drive of the house opposite, it's a quite, dead end street so not much traffic. When I reverse off if, I turn as I do so that I'm facing the right way on the road and then off I go, the person who lives opposite however (in his perfect BMW with private plates...) doesn't do this. He instead reverses straight across the road, onto OUR drive, then drives off again.

Normally this only annoys me a little, but today, as I was reversing out of our garage I noticed he had his reverse logged on and then started moving so I stopped outside of the garage, on the drive. By the time I'd stopped, I noticed that he was fully back on his own drive. So because he saw I was going to be in his way, instead of reversing properly, onto the road instead of someone else's property, he went back out of reverse, and drove back on.

So being annoyed, I waited. And waited. And the insert name for irritating person here waited too. Eventually I had to leave, shaking my head at him, and watched in my mirrors as he priced he had been specifically waiting for our drive by reversing straight across as usual.

AIBU to be annoyed about this? It's our private property, that we have to pay to buy and maintain? I know it's quite a little thing and it doesn't usually bother me too much more than a minor irritation, but today it really infuriated me.

If you have other issues going on at the moment it's possibly exacerbating the annoyance you feel over this one. Really, live and let live.

And MaddieElla, you properly made me laugh out loud

In fairness privatepike I'd probably forget and drive into it myself... Lol

Maybe people only post pics of the expensive cars, who knows, the only thing I know is this behaviour is not linked to the type of car you own. Arse holes drive all different types of cars. Clapped out ones too.

Probably cheddar like I said, before now it's only been a minor irritation, but the fact he refused to leave today solely so that he could use my drive rather than simply doing it correctly really annoyed me.

He drives a BMW, what else do you expect? He owns the car, the road and your drive. be grateful he allows you some of his oxygen.

True bluntness but I'm only thinking of one specific manner of being an arsehole... if I started listing ways I get annoyed at other drivers, I'd be here all day! Lol

Viques

"He drives a BMW, what else do you expect? He owns the car, the road and your drive. be grateful he allows you some of his oxygen."

*disclaimer- other, sensible, BMW drivers do exist... Lol

The bloke in a BMW who overtook me, a motor bike, another car and a lorry in one go, on a blind bend, may well be trying to dis-prove that though... And in fairness, I know him and he really is an arsehole.

Don't get me started on driveways. Mine is used by all and sundry as a thoroughfare to next door. We have partial fencing separating the two but there is a small gap where you can get through. People use this gap rather than just opening their gate. Even next door themselves do it. It's only a minor issue but it just annoys me so much lol.

The worst thing is when I hear a load of talking by my front door and see that next door and their entire extended family have congregated on my door step to say their goodbyes...they've cut through my drive and then stopped for a natter. I'm too much of a wimp to raise the issue with them though. We're going to fence it all off son though DS can ride his trike when he gets a bit older. :)

Sorry, typo. That last sentence should say "we're going to fence it all off soon though so DS..." etc etc

I think you should reverse onto his drive, frequently and repeatedly.

There is a risk that he won't mind, in which case you are snookered for future complaints.

Alternatively, place an attractive but very noticeable garden urn in the way. You may like to install a small Christmas tree with flashing lights. The one in my pic is concrete, which will easily dent a car, and is heavy, but you can get plastic replicas. If filled with grow-bag or peaty compost, it will be quite light and easy for you to shift.

BTW there is nothing wrong with personalised numberplates if tasteful. I changed my name after buying my 1997 Carina, P16 LET

Yabu, why does it matter? I honestly don't understand why this is a big deal unless he is blocking your access/squashing plants/leaving mud in the drive etc. I find the OP a little confusing but it sounds like by doing this manoeuvre it may improve visibility and make it less likely that something might get hit maybe, which could surely only be a good thing.

I'd get irritated by this too.

We have a block paving driveway with a very steep camber at the edge. Anything driving directly on or off it tends to scrape its exhaust and leave marks on the driveway.
New family moved in opposite us with a grown up son who was a builder with a pickup truck. He started doing what you describe at 6.00 am in the morning as he left for work. His exhaust revving woke our son and scraped the drive.

At the end of the first week I went across with a 'Welcome to your New Home' card and asked the parents to ask him to stop doing it. They were embarrassed as hadn't realised, and told me he'd had his van in the garage for a damaged exhaust and a bill for £300!

Friend of mine had her cat (asleep on the drive) killed when someone reversed into her drive without looking. Her daughter found it when she came home from school

YANBU

I have to admit this would irritate the life out of me. I would start doing the same to him.

Acquiescence it really doesn't improve visibility or make it safer, it's just lazy.

I agree, it's the casual view that he has a right to use other people's drives that would be the most annoying. No sir, you do not have a right to use other people's property without asking just because it would make your life a tiny bit easier.

Speak to your NDN who has access rights, do they need to use the drive for a couple of days? Can you just park at the end and sod him... (If I was your NDN I'd be completely on board with the pettiness)

Ooo, dinosaurs... They might be on holiday soon...

Our last house was in a small cul-de-sac with 3 houses, two of the drives faced each other like yours. Our neighbour used to do this all the time despite there being enough room in the centre of the road for him to back into.

One day I pulled into my drive and the next I knew neighbour had backed into my car pushing me into our garage door. He had the audacity to try and blame me for coming into my drive without alerting him

He couldn't accept that it was entirely his fault and his insurance had to pay for the repairs on my car and the garage door. He wasn't impressed and never spoke to us again. He never used our drive again though

Your opening post already seemed very petty. I would have assumed he was being polite enough to let you go first by waiting for you to leave. Then you said this:

'I mentioned that he has his posh BMW with private plates as this (like many others I can mention) also seem to be the same sort of people that abuse p&c spaces and disabled spaces so that they don't get their perfect car scratched- it's the sense that their car is so important that they can ignore all the rules because they're property trumps everyone else's. It's not that ALL drivers with that sort of car do it of course, but it's never someone with a car like mine clapped out old Vauxhall, they're always the shiny expensive ones.'

Think you have too much time on your hands and a chip on your shoulder about certain cars. Btw I'm disabled and would be the first to complain if people were abusing disabled spaces for the sake of protecting their cars but I've never seen it.

Regarding the reversing issue, our old neighbours used to do this in their convertibles the posh twats and can reassure you that in over 10 years there was no extra wear and tear to the top of our drive

That's ridiculous bookeatingboy

it would really piss me off too, especially as it is a bmw. no surprise there then as often driven by entitled selfish twats

I suspect that if I'd been you this morning I wouldn't simply have faffed around for a few minutes and then left, I'd have "remembered" something I'd forgotten and gone back into the house. I might then have made myself comfortable watching from a front window to see what he did about it ...

Only when they're on one they shouldn't be privatepike

The only sections of the drive with really heavy wear are where I park, where the neighbours park (on the bit they own) and the entrance area, it being the only bit that all of us (including Mr BMW) use.

I never understand why something like this bothers anybody. He's a neighbour and his wheels are fleetingly touching some ground you own. His reversing onto your drive may make his life easier and has no impact on you. He waited for you to leave - i can't see the problem with that at all. Isn't it a bit mean spirited to feel this way?