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FGS ! I KNEW it was an accident waiting to happen.....

11 replies

NomDePlume · 29/11/2006 09:22

My neighbours are nice people but are the worst drivers in the known Universe, both the husband and the wife.

We share a drive but have our own parking areas (huge, this is important) on opposite sides IYSWIM.

Anyway, this morning I am in the living room opening the blinds when I see the lady of the house backing out of her bit of the drive ready to go out. All she does is come out straight and backs right into my car .

So I go outside to a) make sure she hasn't buggered my bumper and b) to help her out as she is just shunting back and forth. Whilst I am outside my front door she pulls forward straight into the back of their old car (which needs to go to the scrapyard as it broke down 5 months ago and they replaced it an equally ancient banger but for some mysterious reason it remains on the drive) ! She hit their car with quite a crunch .

I decide at this point to tap on the window and offer to guide her out (FFS there is loads of room to get out, DH and I manage perfectly fine). She accepts and with help she manages to pull off the drive.

When she got back and parked safely on her side I asked if she was ok (she is a very placid lady) and she said she was fine thankyou. I reiterated that all she needed to do was turn hard to the right to get off in one or two moves (rather than the backforthbackforthbackforth ad nauseum method previously applied). I also said (nicely with smiling) that it would be an idea to stop BEFORE she hit the back of my car too. She smiled back at me and said "Oh, it's ok. I hit ours too (meaning the clapped out banger)" . I (a bit gobsmacked by this point tbh) said, "I don't really mind if you hit your own cars, but I DO mind if you hit mine !". She told me that she was a new driver, passed for 6 months (HOW ?????), I said congratulations and she apologised for bumping my car, I told her there was no damage done but please don't hit it again (still smiling and polite) and she toddled off inside the house.

HOW do people pass their tests with driving like that ?! I really, truly do not understand it.

Both DH and I have been waiting for an accident like this to happen since we moved next door to them....

OP posts:
lou33 · 29/11/2006 09:25

oh no!

using the new driver tactic isnt really on, after 6m of driving she should know what she is doing surely!

I'm wicked at reversing into my narrow drive in my narrow road now, and its been a lot less than that!

NomDePlume · 29/11/2006 09:32

6 months shuld at least be long enough to get used to the dimensions of her car !

It is new (?) drivers like her that rocket the premiums of average to good new drivers

OP posts:
NomDePlume · 29/11/2006 09:34

Honestly, they are nice people and it isn't going to be something we fall out over (unless they whack my / DH's car again) but ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OP posts:
Miaou · 29/11/2006 09:43

Can you put one of those lockable posts in the drive at the back of your car? So if she does it again she will hit the post first?

Or failing that, put a load of hay bales/old tyres round it - she might get the hint then ...

NomDePlume · 29/11/2006 09:47

Lol at bales of hay or tyres !

I joked about bollards with DH the last time the H of the house pulled all the way onto our drive (no need at all, loads of room to manouvre just using the shared bit) and stared into our living room window

OP posts:
Stockingsofdinosaurs · 29/11/2006 09:57

I don't think there's anything to be ashamed of in going for extra lessons even if you've passed your test. If I were lacking confidence in parking (and had actually hit things in the process) I'd bloomin' well fork out £20 or whatever for a bit of non-judgemental expert advice. It's cheaper than an ever incresing insurance premium.
Same goes for people who are scared of roundabouts, dual carriageways etc - life is too short to take an overly long route to avoid them!!!

lou33 · 29/11/2006 14:24

i was just going to suggest that dino

Socci · 29/11/2006 14:41

Message withdrawn

lou33 · 29/11/2006 14:42

I dont like parking but i am getting better and havent hit anything whilst doing so! Mind you my car is pretty big so i have been thrown into the deep end really.

handlemecarefully · 29/11/2006 14:44

Blimey - at the very least the woman needs to buy a new car with rear parking sensors

Bozza · 29/11/2006 14:54

My neighbours kept running over the corner of our garden. So I couldn't grow anything there, but the dandelions being more vigoruous kept on growing. So I made a sort of small rockery there.

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