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

[HappyPinkHare]

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?

I’m on the fence. You should have used the other side pumps tbf - they do stretch enough, even around big cars.

Stats would probably agree you are right!

Their reaction and level of anger sounds ridiculously ott. However, if you had done that to me, I would have thought that you were incredibly rude and entitled. You could have waited a couple of minutes but decided that your time was more important than theirs and they could wait an extra few minutes instead of you. They were there first so the etiquete is that you wait as there was clearly someone in front of them when they arrived which is why they were using that pump.

It’s only acceptable to do what you did on a forecourt where there is a lane in the middle and you can drive into the one in front and the person behind can just pull out. They shouldn’t need to back out. You also could have easily used the other side and pulled it round if you were rushed for time. You chose not to. Yet again, you showed that you deemed your convenience as more important than anyone else’s. These are just basic things of common courtesy and being raised properly. Just because you have a few people who would also act in an inconsiderate way, it doesn’t make it correct.

It’s just basic manners. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like you Op. Ones that weren’t raised properly and then who go on to do the same with their own children.

I count myself as a normal person and I would do this. I would more likely just use the pump with the hose on the other side, but I've definitely driven in front of another car.

You blocked them in because you didn’t want stretch the hose?! Yeah that’s unreasonable.

Yes I have done this before. No one has ever been aggressive or even said anything to me.

The problem is they can't reverse with ease. Not your problem. She had no right to touch you or swear at you.

OP created the problem.

It's only a problem if you're an arsehole who can't drive.

I think it just a case of differing opinions. The poll seems to show 85% agree with me. I wasn’t trying to be intentionally rude and genuinely thought it was was a normal manoeuvre hence my shock at their anger and the reason for this post :)

You can’t win- had you not pulled to the available pump someone else would’ve sat behind you beeping at pointing (speaking from my experience!)

I guess you're another who is incapable or refuses to use the pump on the opposite side but would, instead, effectively block someone else in.

There were 4 other available pumps.

I need a drawing.

I don't think it counts as blocking someone in if they can get out.

Pumps 5,6,7 & 8 were all on the wrong side for you? Out of 8 pumps only 2 are on the same side as your filler?

I agreed with you, and even more so now I've seen your diagram. A little reverse and up the other side and out!

If I had been the person behind I would have just thought, "they will be a while in front of me so I'd be better off reversing" and thought literally no more of it!
Their reaction sounds ridiculous and a little frightening! What do they do when someone cuts them up or pulls out a bit too late?!
I wouldn't dwell on it - you did nothing wrong.

There were two cars on the other left-handed pumps. Basically all the right sided ones were free.

I don't think what the OP did was her first choice - it's just the way things happened. I'm sure the she reversed safely.

The issue with waiting behind the other car for them to finish, is that they might have decided to mooch around the shop, take ages getting a coffee, etc. Or another driver might have seen the opportunity to reverse in, or drive in from the other direction.

At least the OP kept the petrol moving, and stopped cars queuing onto the road.

Theres a fuel station near us that only has two pumps, they fill either side but the hoses ain't that long. The pull in and run up to the pumps is also not that long, so you are yelled at there if you sit behind someone at pump 2, rather than pulling forward through the 'wrong side', and backing up to pump 1.

This is because if everyone sits there waiting for someone at pump 2, the tail back ends up in the main road (there is really only room for two cars behind whoever is at pump 2).

If you were breaking etiquette the correct procedure is a wanker gesture at you through the window as they leave or a muttered 'impatient twat' out the window.

Actively assaulting you whilst you've got a petrol nozzle in your hand is batshit beyond words!

I've never saw anyone do that (ie reverse into the vacant pump). It's just a ridiculous thing to do.

I think they are agreeing that the other couple were out of order, I think they were out of order too. But I also think you were unreasonable and in the empty forecourt circumstances you could even have looked (to them) like you were trying to wind them up and make a point.

Oh there is one!

MN app is very odd.

They were being ridiculous. We had this exact scenario, we couldn't get past the car fueling in front, and couldn't even see the driver paying at the till, he had disappeared, so we reversed and drove through the empty lane. It didn't occur to me get out of the car and act like a dick.

This is what I don't get...they may have had to wait a minute or two, so what? I can't imagine getting aggressive because I had to wait a minute or two. How the hell do they cope at traffic lights 😆. WTF has happened to people?