To be annoyed at people in large 4X4 pickups to complain that parking spaces too small

[Ripeberry]

Hi, I had parked my car neatly within the lines marked out for the parking bay and was just returning back to it when a woman in a MASSIVE pick-up truck parks right next to me and so i have to wait as she gets out of her car.
She almost bashes my side of the car and then she gives me a look an says "Its not my fault these spaces are not big enough"
I had to really bite my tongue as she had two school age children with her as i would have loved to have said "well, most people drive normal cars and we don't all have a fat arse like you"
Because, no kidding, she was a fat arsed lady, almost totally round, no wonder she can't fit in spaces.
God help her if someone blocks her in, should be a funny sight trying to crawl in the boot to move the car.
Sorry about the rant, but she really got on my goat.
AB

i completely didn't catch a word of that, dal21.
and marsha, i marsha marsha marsha'd you the other day... surely you took that as a sign of approvl?

Oh doesnt matter; i just found the debate interesting - but cannot go into effort of trying to explain myself. MN is keeping me entertained as i make myself put my feet up and rest.

Pedestrian safety gets me too btw - but its speed limits that get me...irrespective of the cars people drive. but that is a whole other thread!

Aitch yes it did, i remember! But i was sinking, sinking, and generally getting very low. And thinking of packing my bags to leave the country due to the general state of mn
A week goes past and sheepishly i come back to the computer
lovely to be marsha'd tho lol

oh damn i want to write that again without the last 2 emoticons
,.,.. looks like im doing facial gymnastics

Ripeberry, havent time to read all these posts but wanted to point out something to you directly.
I have a big car, which on a polluting the planet level, I dont agree with and accept all criticism for it.

However, I got the car after 2 serious car crashes with similar big vehicles.
I drove a normal car (as you call them),I had a small baby at the time, we were rushed to hospital etc as baby was hurt and I had major spinal injuries that have lasted yrs since.
I chose to buy this big car to protect myself and my little ones.
Now that might not be PC and cause all sorts of bickering to follow, but I DO take great care indeed, I drove very slowly and I dont bash other peoples' car doors.
Did you ask her why she drives it? Or did you bitterly jump to conclusions?

A summary.

Ripeberry is right but unfortunately conflated arse-fatness with 4x4 driving.
Both are evil, but one does not logically follow the other.

Boco is right.
Aitch is right.
Expat is right.

Icing it is ok for your disabled dh to drive a jeep.

Jeremy Clarkson is never right.

oh god. returns to i've got a gun to keep me safe argument. ka-BOOM! i can understand that you feel vulnerable but all you are doiing is to a problem that makes more people have more chance of enduring spinal injuries. or worse.

not sure i'd go so far as to say that having a fat arse is evil, toomanydaves... but yes, apart from that your summary is entirely fair and correct.

Only read start of thread but what springs to mind is What if her twins were elsewhere, for example- just because she ahd 2 kids with her doesn't mean she doesn't have more, or as in our case parents who need ferryinga round a lot as well.

YABU and I want to know why you were so fascinated by her arse. Is it your property?

I live up a hill in the sticks and have a bike, a clapped out citroen ds [my pride and joy!] and shank's pony [my legs in other words]

I manage to live my life and function just fine and whenever I can, I bike and walk as much as possible.

I hate driving and on a bike I get fit and see a whole lot more of the countryside.

That doesn't add anything to this debate, but I just felt like posting all that useless info

lol at evil fat arses! Imagining them plotting to increase carbon emissions and fart in your general direction.

Tnogu, good for you.

TnOGu, now you really are muddying waters by saying you live in the country AND still don't need a 4 x 4 (I'm sure a townie will buy your passport off you)

Boco are you saying that the fat-arsed lady in question was not only polluting via her vehicle but also probably farting more due to her over-sized arse ?

I live in the country and i dont' even have one of those buggies with huge off road tractor wheels. Can't really accuse them of polluting, but funny that they're more of a north london thing that a country thing - despite the fact that there tend to be pavements in NL. It doesn't make me cross though, as it poses no actual threat.

As I undestand it, the high centre of gravity of 4x4's and their accompanying propensity to roll means that on motorways at least, they are not necessarily safer than many smaller cars.

Tirnanog - some jackeen is going to have a field day at your description of life in Wicklow!!!!!

Ah, they'd only be jealous

WRT safety iirc they're safer in a collisi0n int erms of A)bull abrs if they ahve them and B) they generally come off better than the other car due to size.

FWIW I only think you need them n the country if you live down the end of a long track or spend a lot of time on farms. And most poeple who are rural do neither, like everyone else (and raiseed in Somerset so qualified to say this) most tend to live on large estates or new developments just like everyone else. I spent the vast majority of my life on a council estate much like those everywhere else, we did live in a tiny village after a while but the road was adequate if not stunning. TBH the only time we could have ever done with one was when we were doing the carnivals and spending weekends down on the farm in the mud, even then we coped with a Proton well enough.

Safer in a collision - yes although at the expense of the other vehicle. Not safer overall though due to likelihood of rolling at high speed.

Isn't that the case with all huigh sided vehicles that they can roll at high speed (mind you I know people who ahve rolled mini's- and I mean the old style ones too.....)

They just look a pain (apart from the environmental stuff) to me- expensive maintenance, tyres etc. We DO ahve a larger car (Espace) because of disability but that's as far as we'd go, tbh.

Unless you do a lot of towing of course- far better for caravans etc to be towed by bigger cars 9doesn't have to be a 4X4) for safetyr easons. And apaprenlty caravanning rather than flying abroad offsets the carbon of a 4 X 4 effectively. Indeed apart from the 4X4 factor thats why most farmers I know use them- for towing heavy trailers around with fencing or sheep.

I havent read all posts. We used tyo have a 4x4, and was involved in major car accident, while driving my little daewooo car
We were pushed into another car carrying 2 kids and preggy mum and a nan. Friends said to me "oh you wouldnt be so bad off if you'd been driving your big car". Im so glad we werent. If i had we would have pushed their car right under the car transporter ifront.

Needless to say we sold 4x4 quickly after accident, and now have smaller car.

blimey, lisa that's awful. love to your sisters btw.

i wonder... would i, in all seriousness now, be best to rent a 4x4 if i wanted to go on holiday with a caravan. my firend is thinking of getting one, so if i rented i could borrow it. i'd have to put up with the stares, though...

The caravan and camping club have just run their annual towing car awards- why don't you send them an e-mail and ask what they recommend? (they do training courses as well). LAst years winner wasn't a 4X4 iirc, BUT it depends on the weight of the caravan.

No you're absolutely right to be pissed off. usually people driving these sort of cars are crap drivers and even worse at parking.

And I bet you can back that up with stats eh Ebeneezer?

LOL

Most drivers of 4 X 4's dont ned them. fact. And a great many see tham as a bizarre status symbol. But you can't know from an encounter in a car park why this woman had one- if you saw me on my own in the Espace you'd think I was a wastrel, if you saw me, DH, 3 kids and my aprents loaded up for the only way they get to go on holiday in a few weeks you'd get it rather more.

Judge not lest ye be fruitshooted, and all that

After ten years of Labour promising us everything, we need a 4x4 just to deal with the pot holes in our road.