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

It's not my business, I was just asking because it seems unusual for it to happen nearly every day.
What business it of yours if I have a motorhome? How nosey of you to ask.

I'm sorry to hear that bloke was unhelpful. It's scary when your car suddenly breaks down and you hope people would be kind. Two years ago, my car broke down in the middle of the road (thankfully a quiet residential area). The man behind me was initially annoyed because he thought I just stopped. When I explained that my car wasn't working and told him to go around me, he kindly helped me get the car off the road and parked (involved a lot of pushing).

Send him a lovely thank you card with lots and lots of glitter in it 🎉

I’d have sweetly pointed out that he might have been stuck in traffic for a lot longer had you elected to stay broken down on the dual carriageway!

If you’d landed on my driveway (unlikely because it’s tiny and not on a public access road!) I’d have offered you something to eat and drink, a phone charger and to join me in the house or garden while you waited! Might have even offered use of my loo

I broke down on the road outside a row of houses with no phone, picked a house to knock on and struck very lucky with the loveliest couple who let me use their phone and settled me in with a cup of tea while I waited for help. I went back a few days later with flowers and a card!

Kindness and compassion cost absolutely nothing.

Access or not, it’s private property and it’s their prerogative of what they do/don’t allow. He’s was rude but YWBU.

I really think you’re being paranoid, I don’t think the PP was actually that interested, she’s was being ironic!

I doubt she’ll be scouring Daltons Weekly for a motor home, to park on your drive.

And all those tourists, touring the country unable to drive properly and wrecking their vehicles….. I’m sure the vast majority of them are well able to drive properly.

This happened to us , and it was the most scary thing to happen and once the brake is on you can’t even push it . I get a bit anxious that it could happen again .

So what should she have done? Why is it better to cause worse traffic for hundreds and possibly delay emergency vehicles which are common on that road than to use a small section of your drive whilst she awaited rescue?

well the wife was fine about it - not sure why the man’s views would take precedence.

we dont know the wife was ok,
the man said abandoned, presumably his wife had used the same terminology

Why did you mention you gave the RAC driver a drink? 😂😂😂

I think you made a reasonable decision in a difficult situation. It’s a shame that more people can’t just start with compassion first of all.

My kids have medical needs and we were once on a busy single carriageway 60mph A road with nowhere to pull over at all, no pavements no cycle lanes just no space to the side, but private driveways fairly frequently along both sides. Just stopping in the road would have been a major hazard. We were in an unfamiliar area too so had no idea if there might be a lay-by just around the next bend or whatever.

Our smallest had a choke-on-vomit episode in the back and we quickly pulled into a private driveway, I threw myself out and ran around and pulled her out and started clearing her airway etc.

The couple that lived there who - while obviously not knowing exactly what happened - could see panicked parents rushing around a baby and still started shouting at us that it was a private drive and we had no right to be there. Once we’d dealt with the immediate danger we explained and they slammed the door and continued to glare at us through the window.

We were there less than 5 minutes in total… we could have done with taking just another 5 to just calm and reset our breathing, and clean up the sick, but of course with their behaviour we just got out ASAP and went and found somewhere to stop properly.

I’d never ever want to make other people feel like that when they’re already having a difficult time, whether it’s just a breakdown or something more serious.

She offered to ring the AA on the OP’s behalf. So she displayed a great deal more thoughtfulness than her husband.

Its not about CAN but being realistic of risks, and about a home owner being kind.

I’m so sorry that happened to you. What utter arseholes.

He wasnt just rude, he was a prize arsehole.

Most people would be compassionate, use of loo etc.

This country makes me despair at times. The kindness people used to show has now been replaced by selfishness and too many men on a power trip.

I wonder if he'd have said that to a 16 st , 6 ' 2 bloke?

I bet not.

And, yet, a third of those who have voted think the homeowners were in the right and behaved appropriately.

Sorry hit the YABU didn’t mean to. I would have done the same. Parked in the drive.
I agree he sounds like an absolute pig. He wouldn’t have been likely to get home when he did if you had blocked the road. 😡

Aye, he was a prick, but I'd quickly forget about it and get on with my day.

All that tells us is that a third of people who voted are arseholes.

Ridiculous how many people are taking issue with what the OP did. I see not many of them are answering the question ‘WWYD?’ though.

Out of interest @1hatchling1fledgling , did the RAC person pass any comment on where you’d ended up? They probably didn’t but I’m just wondering.

If you use the @ button @1hatchling1fledgling or the "quote" option, people will know who you are replying to

He could of been nicer He wasn’t a prick
not everyone wants someone on there drive
irrespective what happened to OP is no concern of his

I was replying to @TurquoiseSloth there, who had a really frightening experience, not the OP. Although as it goes I think the man in the OP was being an arsehole too.

If you had stopped on the road and blocked a lane, the traffic build up would likely have stopped him getting home until the RAC had attended and everything cleared. And then he'd have been cross about that instead.

I broke down on the A419 a few years back. It was absolutely terrifying having cars and lorries barrellling towards me at 60 mph +. I called 999, police came and safely moved my car while I waited for the AA. They put my car in someone else's gateway. If it's good enough for the police to put a car on private land, 🤷‍♀️