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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Can someone tell me why I was hooted?

61 replies

milly848 · 29/11/2018 21:28

It's bugging me....

I got in my car tonight, which was parked in a quiet, woody residential road. My car was parked on the right hand side. It was facing the 'wrong side' as I had earlier turned around before parking.

I turned my headlights on. I then looked, and waited for the road to clear. A car driving towards me then hooted me a lot of he drove past.

I am so confused - me engine wasn't on, I wasn't even moving, yet I was hooted? Did I do something wrong, parking on the other side of the road? By turning my headlights on? Any insights appreciated.

OP posts:

Nojobistoobig · 30/11/2018 07:41

What Jack65 said about the headlights being angled

Purplejay · 30/11/2018 07:49

You would have dazzled him. Side lights would have been better until he had passed. It is really hard to see to overtake someone who is parked on your side of the road with their headlights on.

howabout · 30/11/2018 07:57

You should have waited until you had started your engine and ready to manoeuvre before turning your headlights on.

Teateaandmoretea · 30/11/2018 08:13

As long as we are not endangering anyone, and are obeying the rules of the road as best we can, all the rest is down to the state of mind of those who over react by sounding horns, revving engines, doing one finger salutes etc.

^^this. He was being a twat. And the armchair perfect drivers on here are probably shit in real life. Give it no further thought. I always think that some people must have extremely high blood pressure from the stress levels that driving seems to cause them. It's a hell of lot safer to worry about what you are doing and keep your eyes on the road than spending your life gesticulating at others for some imagined slight.

MaxTeyon · 30/11/2018 08:17

It's a hell of lot safer to worry about what you are doing and keep your eyes on the road than spending your life gesticulating at others for some imagined slight.

It’s probably easier to keep your eyes on the road when you’re not being dazzled due to some illegally parked numpty.

Teateaandmoretea · 30/11/2018 08:22

Perhaps but most people on the road are idiots so this is the environment that we all have to drive in. So make sure you aren't going too fast and have time to stop. You can see the cars parked the wrong way, this is a likely scenario.

Antigonads · 30/11/2018 08:23

You were totally incorrect. If he hadn't hooted you, then you would never have known.

Teateaandmoretea · 30/11/2018 08:43

You don't even know that's why he did it. Perhaps it was because he thought she was going to pull out on him and he couldn't stop. We weren't there.

CaliHummers · 30/11/2018 10:53

the armchair perfect drivers on here are probably shit in real life

No-one's arguing they're perfect and there's no reason to think they're shit in real life. Everyone makes mistakes but choosing where to park is a very deliberate act. Friend of mine parked somewhere that used to be legal to park in but had become illegal at certain times of the day. Very small sign announcing the changes that she didn't see so she parked and got towed. That's an honest mistake. Parking facing into oncoming traffic at night is a different category since it is clearly stated in the Highway Code.

No-one is perfect but we can all try to stick to the basics.

Teateaandmoretea · 30/11/2018 19:26

There are a lot of shit drivers Irl, it's not that unlikely. Yeah she should have thought/ waited before turning her lights on fair enough but the self righteous braying over something pretty minor is frankly staggering. The cars were clearly there, the driver should also anticipate it happening. I get dazzled by other people's headlights when I'm driving all the time. It's called winter.

Saracen · 01/12/2018 00:28

Last week I was trying to pull out from a side road while a stationary vehicle sat pulled up on the main road to my right with its lights on - so, a similar position relative to me as what you are describing. Yes, the headlights were dipped, but they dazzled me completely. I couldn't see a thing in that direction. It's worse if they are those horrible LEDs. I waited quite a long time as I wasn't even sure what the vehicle was doing, then I guessed it must be pulled up.

I expect the driver was sounding their horn at you because they couldn't see anything. They may not even have been able to tell whether you were moving or what you were up to, and they wanted to make sure you knew they were coming.

Not everyone who sounds their horn is doing it to express annoyance or communicate the idea that you are doing something wrong. It may be that the driver was just using the horn for its intended purpose: to alert you to their presence.

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