AIBU for pulling into a private drive after my car failed?

[1hatchling1fledgling]

WWYD? AIBU. In a big traffic jam on an urban dual carriageway for ages. Suddenly my entire dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree, lose power steering, brakes etc. hazards on and get my car somehow into the left hand lane and then into the huge drive of a large house. Knock and explain. Call RAC who have arrived when the husband gets home. I instantly apologise and he says “yes my wife told me that you had abandoned your car in my drive” (I’d waited in the car). “Get it moved now”. So should I have (a) blocked one lane of the road in a heatwave, (b) blocked the pavement and cycleway or (c) done what I did. Fault transpired to be alternator malfunction at low speeds. I was quite upset, but the professional and kind RAC operative was brilliant. He needed to follow me home since I had his battery. So I gave him a bottle of lemonade and a couple of ice lollies, as wearing those fluorescents on a hot day he was really suffering with the heat. Note driveway/front garden large enough to accommodate 8 cars comfortably

He sounds like a total tit!

Yanbu the guy was on a power trip - just be thankful youre not fucking married to him

Glad you got home okay

Nailed it!

People can be so bloody weird! If you’d done this on my drive I’d have been offering a drink, told you you’re welcome in to use the loo or have a seat whilst you waited if you wanted etc. Baffles me that some people just don’t have a decent / kind bone in their body.

I think you did the right thing, and I’m sorry such a stressful situation was made that bit worse by crappy humans. Hope your weekend is much better op!

Did you/ could you move the car? He's an arse, whatever happened to warmth, kindness, understanding?

I’m not sure you can park in someone’s drive even if your car is broken, sorry. That’s why you have hazard lights and recovery policies

I mean obviously it's one of those things there was nothing you could do once you were there. That being said I have a friend who is tortured daily with people parking in her drive to do their school run. Her child has a serious health condition so the fact they end up with their car blocked in is really dangerous and gives a lot of stress for them.

So I guess you might not know what else is going on behind the scenes. I think I'd have probably got myself up on the pavement if it were me

He’d maybe had a long hot journey home but he was so rude and just walked away after he’d been so rude.

Clearly his wife wasn’t bothered. He’s a bully. You weren’t even blocking anything. Fortunately I find the world is full of mainly kind people. He isn’t one of them.

From what op has said, if there’s enough room for 8 cars, there was surely room to get round one car and an RAC van 👀 just seems like the husband was an ass hole. What happened to men being helpful and chivalrous?

Well his wife was clearly unbothered so frustrating as it is just put it out of your head and as another poster said just be glad you don't have the displeasure of being married to him.

Really? I think it’s a bit precious to jump to calling him a bully for not wanting a random strangers car stuck on his drive.

Personally, I wouldn’t have minded if I still had access, and would have helped you out if I could, but it’s not wrong of someone to feel differently.

He’s a rude git with affectations above his station and no grace.

Vile individual
Both my husband and I would have asked if you were on and made sure you had water/ a phone/ somewhere cool to wait.

Thanks it’s a split second judgement call isn’t it? I would have completely blocked the busy cycleway that shares the pavement too, sending cyclists and pedestrians into the busy and when not jammed (motorway accident so cars coming through the city) fast road. I totally could barely turn the car as power steering and assisted breaking had gone. And the huge driveway had space for 10 cars and I managed to tuck into a corner near the entrance gate. House and paved area out front was massive; space for 10 cars at least. It was quite scary.

I feel like he wouldn’t have spoken that way to a man and would probably have been ‘oh it’s fine mate’

I would be very annoyed if I came home and couldn’t get into my own drive, but would understand why this happened.

i would be furious to find a broken car abandoned in my drive.

i would be bemused to come home to a car in my drive that i could get past to park and a driver actively working to fix the problem. It would disrupt my routine and I love my routines, but how can I be upset with a person in distress that did not even really inconvenience me.

Absolutely had access and I had discretely parked as far from the house as possible. Room for many more cars. So glad that I asked the RAC guy to do the same! Might have been a fist fight if not!

Hmm space for 8 cars or 10 cars, next it will be 12. You obviously think you are in the right so it’s all a bit pointless isnt it!

That’s why I asked in this forum! It felt very rude to pull into someone’s private property but the alternatives would have inconvenienced thousands of others and possibly been a hazard on a packed dual carriageway. If it’s someone in need then I would myself have at least offered a glass of water had this happened at my house. As it’s a no stopping road I doubt that they have been affected by inconsiderate parking. It just seemed like the least worst course of action.

I am clearly in the minority but someone pulling into my private drive would annoy me for sure and many reasons for it but privacy being the main one. Was there no space on a road you could have pulled over instead? A place near a dropped kerb rather than in a private family driving space?

You absolutely did the right thing, risking inconveniencing one family, instead of delaying a whole road full of cars!

It is horrible being at the mercy of strangers or having to ask for something or apologise for something; it happens to us all occasionally.

Thankfully a vast majority of people are kind and understanding as evidenced on this thread.

Absolutely this OP, you did the right thing

Room for 10 cars on the drive? Did you pull into Buckingham Palace?

Totally different situation, and how awful for your friend. If I were her I would install a nice big bollard or some gates and make sure the fuckers got their car firmly stuck 😁 could flip them off from the front window as well. Bliss.