Page 11 | Was I out of order for driving into the petrol pump in front rather than waiting?

CheekyRaven · 10/02/2026 21:03

If I can get through im going for it! Rude, obnoxious couple.

Original poster

HappyPinkHare · 10/02/2026 21:07

GreyfriarsJobbies · 10/02/2026 20:08

You were being a bit weird when you could almost certainly have avoided this hassle by using one of the other pumps, but it's a tut-and-eye-roll job, not a scream-and-shout-at-somebody job. Honestly when you realise that you can fuel a normal car from both sides it's like having a little superpower that enables you to jump queues in a single leap. Mind you it does require you to park within two feet of the pump, which is a problem for some.

I can actually fill from both sides, but I prefer the left-hand side so I went straight for the one in front of them. If I knew it was going to annoy them, I wouldn’t have done it. I just didn’t realise it was a thing to be annoyed with.

OP posts:

nomas · 10/02/2026 21:09

latetothefisting · 10/02/2026 21:01

try again, maybe with actual reading comprehension rather than what you've made up.

OPs OWN WORDS "there was no inability to use the right-side pump."
she didn't even consider it. At no point did she say she finds it "difficult" for her to use them, as in she has some disability or a shaped car or anything else that prevents her from using them, she just "finds it more awkward". Which it is, very very very slightly, for everyone because you have to actually move more than 2cm while holding the hose. God forbid.

If it's unfair to expect OP to inconvenience herself the tiniest amount by stretching slightly, or waiting 2 minutes then surely it's unfair to inconvenience someone else by making them reverse?

Either both of those things are perfectly normal things for a decent driver and person to be able to do, or neither of them are.

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Calm down. OP finds right hand pumps awkward, the couple find reversing awkward.

Why are the couple more important than OP?

If the couple can’t comfortably reverse, they shouldn’t be driving.

ALJT · 10/02/2026 21:10

Eh I always do this haha. Drive round I mean not knocking petrol out of peoples hands ha

Prancingpickle · 10/02/2026 21:11

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latetothefisting · 10/02/2026 21:15

ChavsAreReal · 10/02/2026 20:13

Dangerous? What exactly do you think is likely to happen?

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If you are driving from this perspective, at say about 10-15mph (although could be faster) onto what looks like a clear forecourt, aiming for one of the completely empty pumps to the right which OP should have used, you are not expecting the car on the far left to suddenly start reversing and then driving into one of the lanes you were aiming for! That's why it's dangerous!

Genuinely don't understand how people are making this a 'you clearly don't have the skills to reverse' thread.

Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should. I have the 'skills' to reverse backwards down a motorway at 70mph if I wanted to but it's clearly not safe to do so!

Was I out of order for driving into the petrol pump in front rather than waiting?

latetothefisting · 10/02/2026 21:19

nomas · 10/02/2026 21:09

Calm down. OP finds right hand pumps awkward, the couple find reversing awkward.

Why are the couple more important than OP?

If the couple can’t comfortably reverse, they shouldn’t be driving.

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if they both find it awkward then she is still in the wrong,

a) because she is the one that inconvenienced them first! They aren't psychic, they didn't know she was going to arrive after them and be too feeble to stretch the hose and too lazy to wait, whereas she did know she was going to be blocking them when she did it.

b) because nothing they did (again until they started kicking off) was unsafe, whereas what she did, and what she expected them to do, was. There is literally somebody on this thread who witnessed a fatality from someone doing the exact same thing.

They aren't more important than her, but she is the one that caused the issue in the first place.

novalia89 · 10/02/2026 21:21

CloakedInGucci · 10/02/2026 13:39

Obviously their reaction was insane. But if they were ready to leave and you were just about to start filling your car, waiting for them to go wouldn’t have even saved you much time. And if someone had come in and queued behind them, they wouldn’t have been able to reverse. So I do think that what you did is probably not really considered good etiquette. Obviously doesn’t excuse their reaction .

But I don’t understand why you didn’t use the other pumps? Don’t most places nowadays have long enough hoses to go round to the other side of the car?

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Yes I think that I would have probably waited and then pulled forward into the front one, or used pump 3 and pulled the hose over. OP is not totally in the wrong, but I get that it's a bit annoying.

Mama2many73 · 10/02/2026 21:22

latetothefisting · 10/02/2026 13:37

This. I do think you breached petrol station "etiquette". I've been in lots of petrol stations where its fine to overtake someone in pump 2 to make use of pump 1 - but only when there's room to drive around them (and therefore for them to drive around you when they finish).

A local tesco station by me sounds similar to yours and, annoying as it is to wait when you can see an empty pump in front you just have to suck it up and wait 2 minutes. I'd never dream of driving to the exit and then reversing back -it sounds really dangerous as much as anything else as nobody would be expecting you to do that.

Also while there was space for them to reverse, if anyone else had arrived and queued behind them, there wouldn't have been and they'd have been stuck behind you. If someone had come up behind them while they were reversing that could easily have caused an accident as, again, nobody would be expecting someone to do that.

So while they were clearly unreasonable to have got so aggressive, you did cause the situation.

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I totally agree.

rainbowsandraspberrygin · 10/02/2026 21:22

latetothefisting · 10/02/2026 21:15

If you are driving from this perspective, at say about 10-15mph (although could be faster) onto what looks like a clear forecourt, aiming for one of the completely empty pumps to the right which OP should have used, you are not expecting the car on the far left to suddenly start reversing and then driving into one of the lanes you were aiming for! That's why it's dangerous!

Genuinely don't understand how people are making this a 'you clearly don't have the skills to reverse' thread.

Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should. I have the 'skills' to reverse backwards down a motorway at 70mph if I wanted to but it's clearly not safe to do so!

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But nobody should be “suddenly” reversing at speed on a forecourt should they?

if you’re careful and look and indicate where necessary then of course it’s safe. I’ve got stuck behind people who go to pay and do a weekly shop!! I don’t have have time to wait so carefully reverse and find another way out.

novalia89 · 10/02/2026 21:22

Yes I think that I would have probably waited and then pulled forward into the front one, or used pump 3 and pulled the hose over. OP is not totally in the wrong, but I get that it's a bit annoying.

EarthSight · 10/02/2026 21:32

I've done what you've done before because most petrol stations in my area are old school and you have to go in to pay.

This means that some people , despite knowing that someone is or could be behind them, still take their bloody sweet time getting snacks, getting sweets, basically doing a little shop whilst they're in there, and when they get out, they then take ages to drive off. They have a chat with whoever's in the car with them first, look at their phone, fiddle with the radio for ages, or look in their mirror fixing their hair before they actually leave. It's really inconsiderate and so these days I'll just go right in front of someone.

EarthSight · 10/02/2026 21:35

@latetothefisting

They aren't psychic, they didn't know she was going to arrive after them

Eh? It's not rocket science is it? It's a petrol station! Most in my area are pretty busy most of the time, so of course there's a high chance someone is going to arrive after you!

LeafyMcLeafFace · 10/02/2026 21:37

Do a weekly shop in a petrol station?

Did they? Really? 🤣

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 10/02/2026 21:42

YouDriveMeCrazyButICanDoThatMyself · 10/02/2026 14:52

I was also wondering this, as those lanes were clear.
The hoses these days are long enough to reach either side of the car, it isn’t awkward to fill from the other side.
Theres is an odd overreaction, but maybe they had to be at a hospital appointment or somewhere else important by a certain time, you effectively blocked their exit.

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It means dragging the hose over the roof of the car though and I would be worried about my paintwork being damaged.

Original poster

HappyPinkHare · 10/02/2026 21:42

EarthSight · 10/02/2026 21:32

I've done what you've done before because most petrol stations in my area are old school and you have to go in to pay.

This means that some people , despite knowing that someone is or could be behind them, still take their bloody sweet time getting snacks, getting sweets, basically doing a little shop whilst they're in there, and when they get out, they then take ages to drive off. They have a chat with whoever's in the car with them first, look at their phone, fiddle with the radio for ages, or look in their mirror fixing their hair before they actually leave. It's really inconsiderate and so these days I'll just go right in front of someone.

Edited

Yes exactly. They were still filling the car and the wife was faffing about clearing stuff out of the car, it looked like they were going to take a while so I went in front as I knew I would be very quick. If she had stepped out 30 seconds later, I would have been done. I’ve never thought going in front of anyone was an issue before.

OP posts:

Notasbigasithink · 10/02/2026 21:48

HappyPinkHare · 10/02/2026 13:24

AITA? Just want to get everyone’s opinions on petrol forecourt / station etiquette in the uk. Two petrol pumps are placed one in front of the other, in single lanes, so if someone is in front of you refuelling, you can’t drive past them (you either have to wait or reverse). When I drove into the forecourt, a black car was in pump 1, still filling up and pump 2 (in front of them was free). So I drove up the other lanes and reversed in front of them into pump 2. I got out, opened my petrol cap, paid using my credit card a pin and lifted the nozzle. At that point, the lady came out of her car aggressively and told me to move out of the way so they could drive off the forecourt as they were in a hurry. If I was still in my car, I probably would have moved, but as I was already about to refuel, I asked why she didn’t reverse and go down the other lanes. It basically got out of hand and she was knocking the hose in my hand to stop me from refuelling and screaming saying “are you going to pour petrol on me?” Anyway, after lots of swearing and aggression (from both husband and wife) and me passively refusing to move, they ended up reversing (just one car length by the way) and leaving via the route I had suggested originally. It got me thinking that what I did (reverse into pump 2) was maybe wrong because why were they so angry, was i out of order?

If you were there already they would have needed to wait anyway so I cant see the problem tbh.
I've done what you've done too. Ive also been blocked in by another car waiting behind so I wouldn't be able to reverse. Its just how fuel stations are.
Its no different to those mini shop petrol stations where someone feels the need to buy half their weekly shop at the same time as filling up! (They do sometimes make me feel a bit stabby but I try and bite my tongue 😂)

LeafyMcLeafFace · 10/02/2026 21:55

If I ever get to the point where I’m so uptight that I can’t wait for a few minutes for someone to finish paying for fuel and get themselves sorted before driving, I hope someone has a word with me.

Short of being in labour or someone having a medical emergency, pretty much everything else will wait a minute or two.

Shitshowpolitics · 10/02/2026 21:55

Namingbaba · 10/02/2026 16:34

They get criticised for not reversing but then you think it’s fine to not to use any of the free pumps. You both could have done better.

If I was looking at a petrol station with one car in it and all the other pumps free and a car came in and reversed to be right in front of the single car, blocking them from going forward I would probably wonder if the person was doing it on purpose to antagonise them.

Obviously their reaction was unhinged.

The other pumps were in use the only pump available was in front of them. If there is space for them to leave then it's not the ops problem. I don't know how the op could have done better she knows how to drive and reverse into spaces. It's probably a good idea she learns how to reverse and exit to avoid starting arguments at petrol stations.

Cinnam0nBun · 10/02/2026 21:57

But there is a good chance that someone else could drive in wanting a left hand side pump and queue up behind them which would block them in, or someone drives in to use the right hand pumps which would prevent your proposed solution for them.

As others have said, if there was room for them to drive around you in the same lane it would be absolutely entirely normal to go round in front of them.

In your single lane situation, then no I wouldn't have done what you did but used one of the right hand pumps, or waited behind them, because I would know that going through another lane to get in front of them would be annoying, and just how annoying it would be for them would be out of my control, but I would be putting them into a (potentially very) annoying position.

Given that the other lane was still free, if they were in a rush then yes they should have just done as you suggested straight away as it was a minor inconvenience.

But it isn't a guarantee that they wouldn't have gotten blocked in.

LeafyMcLeafFace · 10/02/2026 21:59

Shitshowpolitics · 10/02/2026 21:55

The other pumps were in use the only pump available was in front of them. If there is space for them to leave then it's not the ops problem. I don't know how the op could have done better she knows how to drive and reverse into spaces. It's probably a good idea she learns how to reverse and exit to avoid starting arguments at petrol stations.

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They weren’t, she drove past the other (usable) pumps to get to the one in front of the other people and stop them being able to drive directly out.

BatchCookBabe · 10/02/2026 22:00

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 10/02/2026 21:42

It means dragging the hose over the roof of the car though and I would be worried about my paintwork being damaged.

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Will never happen.

BatchCookBabe · 10/02/2026 22:02

EarthSight · 10/02/2026 21:32

I've done what you've done before because most petrol stations in my area are old school and you have to go in to pay.

This means that some people , despite knowing that someone is or could be behind them, still take their bloody sweet time getting snacks, getting sweets, basically doing a little shop whilst they're in there, and when they get out, they then take ages to drive off. They have a chat with whoever's in the car with them first, look at their phone, fiddle with the radio for ages, or look in their mirror fixing their hair before they actually leave. It's really inconsiderate and so these days I'll just go right in front of someone.

Edited

Yep, that pretty much never happens. No-one is doing shopping in a petrol station shop! In addition to the other pile of things you chucked in there! 😆

Shitshowpolitics · 10/02/2026 22:09

latetothefisting · 10/02/2026 21:19

if they both find it awkward then she is still in the wrong,

a) because she is the one that inconvenienced them first! They aren't psychic, they didn't know she was going to arrive after them and be too feeble to stretch the hose and too lazy to wait, whereas she did know she was going to be blocking them when she did it.

b) because nothing they did (again until they started kicking off) was unsafe, whereas what she did, and what she expected them to do, was. There is literally somebody on this thread who witnessed a fatality from someone doing the exact same thing.

They aren't more important than her, but she is the one that caused the issue in the first place.

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A car is dangerous if people can't do basic driving manoeuvres then they shouldn't be driving. Op had already said she had been driving for 28 years and not a point on her licence. Cleaning your car next to a petrol pump tells me all I need to know about what sort of drivers/people they are.

Shitshowpolitics · 10/02/2026 22:18

LeafyMcLeafFace · 10/02/2026 21:59

They weren’t, she drove past the other (usable) pumps to get to the one in front of the other people and stop them being able to drive directly out.

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They can't reverse back. There was plenty of room for them to leave. I doubt they had anywhere to go to in a hurry if they had time to argue with the op rather than going about their business.