Aibu re ball games on road

[Deadringer]

Really not sure if iabu. Our driveway only fits one car so I have to park my car in the road outside my house.(it's a quiet cul de sac) I have just bought a new car. My old one was covered in dents and scratches from kids playing ball games on the road. I have also had my windscreen cracked and one of my lights broken in the last couple of years. I have never complained although my dh has over the years asked the children to play further down the road where it widens out or in the field around the corner. They usually ignore him. Today I glanced out and saw two boys who live across the road (age 14 and 11) playing Hurley beside my car. The ball hit my car twice in the 3 seconds that I was watching. A Hurley ball is very hard and as these boys are big they hit it very hard with the Hurley.(fyi a Hurley is a bit like a hockey stick) I am pissed off with the damage they do. Anyway to my aibu. I went out and took a photo of my car, with them beside it. I told then I was talking a picture so that if there was any damage I would be able to show that it was them that caused it. They looked a bit shocked and walked off. Wibu? Is it wrong /illegal to take a picture of them? I really don't know. Their mother can be a bit of a targer so I want to be prepared if she comes banging my door down.

Christ that was long, sorry.

They were hitting your car with a hurley ball? Bloody hell, they'd do less damage if they were throwing rocks at it.

YANBU

No its not illegal , and its esily googleable that it is not illegal. It's a public space.

TBH with you - never heard of 'hurley' but surely the parents understand the damage a ball can do? cant you have a word?

I went out and took a photo of my car, with them beside it. I told then I was talking a picture so that if there was any damage I would be able to show that it was them that caused it.

A photo of an undamaged car with some people beside it does not mean any future damage is caused by them.

PS /

Their mother can be a bit of a targer

Whats a targer ?

off to google hurley

I know that it wouldn't really prove that they had done it, but I was hoping it would discourage them from playing too closely to my car in future. Their parents don't care as long as they keep away from their house and cars.

That's criminal damage. I would warn them that if they keep doing it, you will be reporting them to the police.

Sorry in my family we use the word targer, just googled it and it doesn't seem to exist! Its a person, usually a woman who is very confrontational, always ready for a fight.

Despite how the mum is, I still think you should have a polite word.

Her bark might be worse than her bite.

Your only other alternative is to have a word with the local Police/Garda? And I wouldn't want to jump straight down that route, as that'd probably make it worse.

That must be pretty annoying so no YANBU.

Can’t you get a dash cam set up with a note on the car? (Clutching at straws).

Hopefully you taking a photo let’s them know you mean business. Although you should have made sure, when they damaged your older car, that there were repercussions. Now they probably imagine they’ve been given the green light to carry on regardless. Still doesn’t make it right and they’ve obviously got no respect for other people’s property.

As a parent I would be mortified at this. I don’t understand why their parents seem oblivious to the damaged their darlings are causing.

At 14 and 11 they are old enough to go and play on the field around the corner (asuming it's public access). I would be telling them to clear off too. I sent the local youths packing when they were playing with a frisbee on the road which kept coming on to our drive and that's nowhere near as likely to cause damage as a hurley ball. We too live near a sports field so no excuse for older children to be playing on the road at all! (I don't mind the younger children playing but they tend to ride bikes/scooters rather than play ball games.)

Hurley is not a game to play in the street, I'll assume you are in Ireland, in England they may be playing football but that is illegal in the street of it causes annoyance to other road users.
This would be equivalent to playing cricket in the street...

in England they may be playing football but that is illegal in the street of it causes annoyance to other road users.

That isn't true at all. Some councils have bylaws restricting street play in some areas.

www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q519.htm

It is also a breach of by-laws to play ball games to the annoyance of residents. By-laws are created by the local councils and may not apply to every street, there could be some designated as 'play streets' (and similar), where games are allowed, and the by-law may not exist at all in some towns.

Thanks all good to know I haven't committed some sort of awful faux pas. All the kids on the road play ball games and ride their bikes and I know scratches etc are inevitable, it just irks me that they play right beside my car. They play football too but that isn't as bad. I don't know if they caused the previous damage and I don't want to report them, tbh I just want them to piss off.
Btw I found targer in the urban dictionary, it's a slang word mostly used in Dublin.

Playing hurley in the road? Wtf?