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

She did. It's right there in the very first post.

She didn’t “park”, it was the safest place to move her car when it failed on a dual carriageway.

She didn’t “park” - her car was broken.

What?! Good grief. I thought "Don't Drink and Drive" was a clearly understood message.

I’m pretty sure the police would not advise doing that on a dual carriage way. Really slow or wide vehicles (ie things you don’t expect) usually have an escort. I’m sure the police would advise to pull in somewhere safe.

What should I have done?

Most people would've been kind and offered you all cool drinks. You were just unlucky.

I’d have offered you drinks, snacks and use of my loo!

Maybe you need to deliver than a small thankyou gift of a dictionary with specific reference to the definition of “abandoned” 😉

IKR! I make sure I always break down near my garage. I’ll phone them first obviously to book it in.

The very bloody obvious difference is that most of us have driveways that will be blocked by one car whereas this was a large space so no issue. She also didn't choose to break down whereas people are choosing to use the friend's drive on the school run. Totally different. In emergency situations you do what's best and unless you're an arse, you understand. I clambered over neighbours fencing a few weeks ago to help a elderly lady who'd fallen and was face down on her patio. Ordinarily, that would be outrageous but in that scenario, acceptable. Nothing was damaged and Id have offered to pay if it was but I'd hope they'd be understanding, not mardy and rude.

I've changed a tyre on the entrance to a caravan park. Nobody batted an eyelid.
When I didn't have a spare and got a flat I left it, with permission, in the carpark if a former pub. For a week - it took a long time for the wheel to arrive.
I've also driven a mile on a flat in the dark to a random cul-de-sac with a street light to change a tyre. Bloke in the house by the street light came out to offer assistance, lent me his jack, got the perfect balance of being supportive and not being patronising and gave me swafega and access to his cloakroom to wash my hands.
As a lone woman with a broken car I've found people to be really helpful.

Your bloke was a dick.

Sorry. I missed that.

When you first owned this post, why disco you read what op wrote?

Surely she would have been in far more people's way by blocking a lane thab by doing what she did which meant she was in no-ones way?

It’s rude to park on someone’s property. Can you point out exactly where I said it was rude to break down? Also, would you like to quote everyone else on this thread who’s also said they wouldn’t drive on to someone else’s property if they knew their vehicle was breaking down as these plenty people who have said the same. You also omitted the other parts of my post where I said we regularly get randomers coming up our driveway, for us it’s almost a daily occurrence.

She didn’t park, she was broken down.
Dual carriageways don’t have a hard shoulder (ok, I know there are some which are like a motorway, but I’m sure op would have done that if this one was. It was an urban one so unlikely).

So you'd prefer to be stuck in extra traffic as the already slow traffic tried to get around ops car making your delay home even worse? And you'd prefer that emergency vehicles are similarly stuck and delayed getting to an emergency or getting to hospital? , became your driveway not having a, car on it temporarily is worse?

It's rude to block the King's Highway without permission, unless there is literally no alternative. Countless people could be inconvenienced, or worse.

OP wasn't parked, she had moved her broken car there.
Do you think it's rude in a emergency situation? Do you have a line? Someone having a heart attack, child choking? Would it be OK for someone to 'park' in your drive then?

Where do you live that you get random cars parked in your drive nearly every day?

As for quoting all the others who says it's rude, that's not really how MN threads work - you join in at some point.

It sounds like you did the most sensible, and most importantly, safest thing you could have done. The bloke was being a dick.

Surprises?? He was told!

He was the dick and why is everyone who is a dick able to excuse it with I’m ND.

Sadly I don't think you are going against the grain - loads of MN people think it's wrong to take your broken car off a busy dual carriageway to somewhere safe BECAUSE IT'S THEIR PRIVATE DRIVEWAY.

What business it yours where I live? 😂 Good grief this place gets nosier every day. Are you going to be another randomer who either parks their motorhome on my drive or another tourist breaking down because they can’t drive on the roads and knacker their suspension?

Fuck sake can't people be kind anymore?? It's not your fault you were in a terrible situation. At least you didn't block the road and get angry drivers shouting abuse

It's literally the first point in the Highway Code

• Breakdowns (rule 276)Hide
• Rule 276
• If your vehicle breaks down, think first of all other road users and
• get your vehicle off the road if possible

Maybe there's a special MN version - get your vehicle off the road (exception - MN private drive).