Are You Stupid, A Bad Driver, or Just Negligent?

Maybe a combo?

Published on December 7, 2005 By chiprj In Blogging

I came home from work the other night and my wife had a friend over that she'd met at work. The woman was also from South Korea and they were hanging out. Shortly after I got home, they went outside to smoke. That's when the fun began.

The woman had parked outside our house on the street, but on the wrong side. I park in front of the house so I didn't see her jeep around the corner parked against the red painted curb or else I'd have told her to move it myself. Well, in that little bit of time, the neighbor across the street had tried to pull out of their driveway and backed into the jeep (that was parked illegally, but all the way across the street) and had called the police.

To make matters worse, when the officer arrived (I live on post, but we have federal police here, not MP's since our base is so small) it turns out that the woman didn't have an American driver's license (she did have one from South Korea) and the plates were expired on her jeep.

Now, my first thought was why did she park there? Did she not see the red paint on the curb?

But my second thought was why did the idiot across the street hit the jeep? I mean, how could you not see the jeep in your mirror? And back into it from all the way across the street? And if she did see it, why not come ask to have it moved. The way the houses are situated on our corner, it's fairly obvious that a car parked there is probably there for us and no other house nearby.

Like I said, the jeep was parked illegally and I'm not trying to put all this on someone else. But come on. If there's even a little doubt about being able to get in/out of the driveway, why not be extra careful or just call the police before you hit their car?

It's funny, the curb in front of their house is where you can park and it's directly behind my driveway and I make it in and out of my driveway without ever coming close to hitting the cars that are occasionally parked there.

I brought the phone out so my wife's friend could call her husband. Turns out her husband works in the Criminal Investigation Detachment (CID), so he works with the base police and the one on the scene knew him. He said he'd be there shortly.

After looking at the scene and my neighbors just standing there, I decided to just stay out of it. They were over on their side of the street whispering and pointing and trying to get the officer to hurry up and write the ticket. They kept opening and closing their rear hatch door on their van to make sure it still worked.

Like I said, the jeep was parked illegally. I admit it. But it takes some special effort to hit a parked car all the way across the street and then act like you've done nothing wrong. Which by legal standards, maybe they hadn't. But by common sense standards, they failed.

The end all was that her husband showed up. They did their secret policeman handshake or whatever. The plates were legal, they just hadn't put the new sticker on. The drivers license thing was forgotten and no tickets were issued. Both parties decided to handle repairs on their own, either out of pocket or with their insurance companies. And now, I like my neighbors even less.

She came over to visit again yesterday and had her plates updated and she parked in my spot in front of the house. Just to be safe.

My Ecosystem Details

Comments (Page 1)

Trudygolightly

on Dec 07, 2005

HOLY CAMOLY! what a situation!

Wow, no way to even begin to comment on this stuff!

although.......I can't help but wonder at the neighbor that hit the jeep.....looking for trouble? possibly?

Tova7

on Dec 07, 2005

Ok I have a teenager who lives across the street....his friends park in the street at the end of his driveway.

~clears throat~

I have almost hit them several times. I just don't expect a car to be parked in the street and honestly I don't always look. I look as I am backing up, but you can't see the car then, when I start turning the wheel I stop looking and WHAMO that's when everyone starts screaming and waiving.

It's a bad habit I have. I know it and try to be conscious of it, but I still do it.

And to be totally brutally honest, I don't usually look in places cars aren't supposed to be parked if I am in a hurry. All to my detriment I know.

So to answer your question....um, yeah, I am occasionally all those things!

I will never win best driver of the year award that is 4 sure!

Dr Guy

on Dec 07, 2005

Well, I guess Tova just answered your question! But since we always have people parking on the street, I am always watching out for parked cars.

chiprj

on Dec 07, 2005

I have almost hit them several times. I just don't expect a car to be parked in the street and honestly I don't always look. I look as I am backing up, but you can't see the car then, when I start turning the wheel I stop looking and WHAMO that's when everyone starts screaming and waiving.

I get what you're saying and completely understand the idea of not expecting something to be there. It sounds as if they are parking in a different location, relatively speaking, from where the jeep was. The jeep was on the side of the curb, directly behind their driveway and van. So, one look in the rear view mirror tells you there's something back there. Either she saw it and thought she could get around it (bad driver or stupid) or just didn't even look (negligent or stupid).

although.......I can't help but wonder at the neighbor that hit the jeep.....looking for trouble? possibly?

Nah, the guy there seems like a jerk, but we've never even passed each other on the way to the mailbox. He's always yelling at his wife and kids and she's always yelling, too. Sounds like they have enough trouble at home most days to worry about starting trouble with anyone else. Although, the thought that she hit the jeep on purpose instead of coming over to ask to have it moved had crossed my mind. Funny thing, though, is if that was the point, they failed miserably. No tickets. The CID guy knows a good body shop guy that will fix his jeep up cheap. My neighbors talked about making an insurance claim on their own policy. Hello, higher rates!

SSG Geezer

on Dec 07, 2005

And they can breathe without assistance????
that is a good reason to live off-post.

Spc Nobody Special

on Dec 07, 2005

that is a good reason to live off-post.

In Monterey? Last I checked, tiny-ass apartments were going for about 1200 a month there. I know BAH there is sweet and all, but still........

foreverserenity

on Dec 07, 2005

Good grief! You made the best decision, you stayed out of it and let them sort it out themself! Good for you!

KarmaGirl

on Dec 07, 2005

It's a bad habit I have. I know it and try to be conscious of it, but I still do it.

The problem is that people in general (and I say "general" because I mean that it is a very widespread problem) don't pay enough attention when backing up. There are way too many ways to run into something or injure somebody (think of how fast a kid on a bike can show up) while not paying attention backing up.

For my entire adult life I have felt that we issue drivers licenses way too easily, especially in Michigan. A slightly trained monkey can get a drivers license in Michigan. Of course, people really don't need to know how to operate a car anymore, considering we have automatic, cruise control, traction control, ABS, auto lights, just try and stay between the lines, cars. People are way too detached from what a killing machine a car can be, thus making them sloppy drivers.

Dr Guy

on Dec 07, 2005

A slightly trained monkey can get a drivers license

That explains all the drivers around here!

Tova7

on Dec 07, 2005

especially in Michigan.

I knew a woman once from Flint who couldn't read but had a driver's license. What the??

KarmaGirl

on Dec 07, 2005

I knew a woman once from Flint who couldn't read but had a driver's license.

That, unfortunately, does not shock me at all. I guess all those silly little signs like "Do not pass" are more of a suggestion around here, anyway.........

Gideon MacLeish

on Dec 07, 2005

I knew a woman once from Flint who couldn't read but had a driver's license. What the??

"I once knew a woman from Flint" sounds like the first line of a bad limerick...but I digress.

Actually, many of our street signs use symbols precisely so that illiterates can drive. Nothing necessarily out of sorts there.

chiprj

on Dec 07, 2005

Of course, people really don't need to know how to operate a car anymore, considering we have automatic, cruise control, traction control, ABS, auto lights, just try and stay between the lines, cars.

I saw a commercial recently about a car that will warn you if you start to cross a line into another lane!

KarmaGirl

on Dec 07, 2005

I saw a commercial recently about a car that will warn you if you start to cross a line into another lane!

Sure! Why not! They also have adaptive cruise control so that you don't have to "adjust" for the slower cars (would hate to think that somebody would have to observe distance and think). All we need now is an LCD screen in the steering wheel to keep us from being bored when driving, and we'll be all set for those long drives.

bigrickstallion

on Dec 07, 2005

But it takes some special effort to hit a parked car all the way across the street and then act like you've done nothing wrong.

You know you could test just how special the effort was by getting 3 patched members of the Hells Angels to park their beloved Harleys on said red markings.

Lets see just how many of your neighbours "oh so innocently" back up into them then. My guess is you can see the number who will make this mistake just above this little fellas chinny chin chin:

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