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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is it my fault I scratched my car?

252 replies

HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 16:53

So I’m in a situation where I scratched my car whilst driving, but wasn’t really given another choice (there was one other choice but it would’ve been a nightmare). I’m wondering who you would hold at fault for this?

I have a diagram, I’m uploading from a phone (please excuse the scribbles my toddler grabbed the pen 😂)

Is it my fault I scratched my car?
OP posts:
Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:18

put your car into reverse and edge back....whoever is up your exhaust will get the message and follow suit...and so on and so forth (or rearth?

So unfortunately most people were right up each other’s back ends all the way to the main road

But I think if I was willing to cause an obstruction for a good 15-20 mins I could’ve managed it

But there would’ve been traffic bedlam throughout my town coz it would’ve blocked junctions going all the way up the main road with people trying to reverse

OP posts:
Biancadelrioisback · 24/02/2020 17:18

So was it a one way street?

Nicknacky · 24/02/2020 17:19

I’ve asked a few time’s now, did the other cars get damaged as they drive through?

Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:20

You drove your car through a space that was too small. What happened after you drove in? Did the cars behind you drive in and scratch their cars on the Post too? Or did the driver following you think, “Nope. I can’t drive through there without scratching my car. I’ll sit here and wait. Everyone behind will have to wait until bad driver comes back and moves their car”?

They weren’t going in the car park they were driving towards the school

OP posts:
AryaStarkWolf · 24/02/2020 17:20

But I think if I was willing to cause an obstruction for a good 15-20 mins I could’ve managed it

Did you say it was a school car park? could you not have gotten out and went in and asked them to make an announcement looking for the cars owner so they could move the badly parked car?

Biancadelrioisback · 24/02/2020 17:21

NickNacky OP said they weren't turning into the carpark

Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:21

I’ve asked a few time’s now, did the other cars get damaged as they drive through?

Sorry I am trying to keep up Blush They we’re heading straight on

But they had all inches up as I had travelled to the right, leaving no room to move back (as they assumed I would be moving forward with no issues)

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 24/02/2020 17:22

So you could have reversed out and not driven in OP.

coconuttelegraph · 24/02/2020 17:23

Ignoring the specifics of the diagram and explanation why would you knowingly drive into a too small space, I'd have got out of my car and explained to the drivers behind that I couldn't go forward.

SimonJT · 24/02/2020 17:23

There would have been at least a feet of space all around your car, that would have been enough to get out of the way and out of a carpark without anyone moving. If you had started slowly reversing the car behind you would have.

You need to be more confident on the road, what would you have done if it was a person on the floor, a closed gate, a car sat in the road etc.

Nicknacky · 24/02/2020 17:23

Ah sorry, I missed they weren’t turning. In that case you would have been able to manoeuvre!

Hagbeth · 24/02/2020 17:24

No way I would scratch my car. I would get out of the car and wait.

whitesoxx · 24/02/2020 17:24

You couldn't possibly see how close all the other cars were to each other. They'd have all had a foot at least between them probably which is plenty to slowly all inch back.

No matter what you don't drive into a wall Shock

Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:25

I'd have got out of my car and explained to the drivers behind that I couldn't go forward.

I tried reversing a little and just got a lot of angry beeping

There would have been at least a feet of space all around your car

There wasn’t 😂

OP posts:
VirtualHamster · 24/02/2020 17:26

Is it a narrow one way street?

Because if you're turning right and everyone behind you is going straight on they'd be towards the left and so there should have been room to abort the manoeuvre

Nicknacky · 24/02/2020 17:27

So you made your choice. You chose to drive forward and damage your car rather than go speak to the drivers behind you. Ignore beeping.

Stand your ground and don’t be so passive that you damage your car rather than speak to other drivers.

Biancadelrioisback · 24/02/2020 17:27

OP, it's just a junction. You can't drive ahead if there is no room for you, you wait, and the car behind waits, and so on and so on.
If you didn't drive straight into the wall, would you have had to slam your breaks on?

sleepyhead · 24/02/2020 17:28

Look, diagrams are great and everything but it's unlikely that the op has drawn exactly to scale so can we agree to believe her and that:

  • She couldn't see the blue car
  • She was blocking the traffic and in turn was being blocked by the traffic and could not reverse
  • None of the other cars were turning in but her position was preventing them from moving forward unless she scraped her car or they decided to all cooperate and reverse to let her out again (never witnessed that in any UK driving situation at the best of times never mind the school run).

Op, I wouldn't have scraped my car but it would have been an absolute nightmare and I get that if you're in that situation it can seem simpler to just suck it up and do whatever it takes to get out of it.

Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:28

I garuntee that the only way I could’ve reversed was to expect like 15 cars to slowly inch back, and the ones further back wouldn’t have any idea that they needed to inch back (just thinking the one in front was moving back a little) and I likely would’ve had to walk down a row of cars leading all the way into the main road (abandoning my car driverless mid-turn) to mime them to shuffle backwards 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:29

I’m happy to accept fault by the way 🙈 I’m not arguing it’s not my fault the car is scratched but I’m just baffled by it all

OP posts:
Sirzy · 24/02/2020 17:30

I don’t get how you wouldn’t be able to see a car sticking out of a space so close to the entrance of a car park that it’s making it so you can’t get past the car. It must have been sticking out past the gate/wall of the car park so been visible, otherwise how was it obstructing at all?

ChicCroissant · 24/02/2020 17:30

No, because they would have driven past if they were going straight on as you said - when there was a gap, you reverse back.

APatchyTomCat · 24/02/2020 17:31

I get that it would have been uncomfortable and awkward to sit and wait, but honestly OP, no one would expect you to knowingly and willingly scrape your car along a wall!

Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:31

Is it a narrow one way street?

Two way street but lined with cars either side waiting for kids, essentially turning it into a one way street.

Where you have to let so many cars through before continuing and that happens back and forth

OP posts:
Original poster
HadToWreckMyCar · 24/02/2020 17:32

honestly OP, no one would expect you to knowingly and willingly scrape your car along a wall!

Yeah that’s fair Grin I think as a PP said I sacrificed my bodywork for the situation Blush

OP posts:
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