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 2)

Sturgee

on Dec 07, 2005

I agree with KarmaGirl that we give out licenses WAY too easy in this country. I know in the DC area, it is really bad, since there is such a large immigrant population here, who come from a variety of countries with all types of different driving laws. They bring all types of different habits with them, many of which aren't overly conducive to smooth traffic patterns, if you know what I mean. We joke about bad Asian drivers, but I'll tell you, I rarely saw accidents in Korea or Japan. Their license testing is MUCH MUCH harder than ours, and most of them can really control a vehicle. They don't always obey the laws (

), but they can control their vehicles. I'm all for stricter testing in this country, just to make the roads a little safer.

hmm

on Dec 08, 2005

Just a thought.. in many asian countries, we park on the left side of the road instead of the right side. So maybe she's just not used to parking here?

chiprj

on Dec 08, 2005

Just a thought.. in many asian countries, we park on the left side of the road instead of the right side. So maybe she's just not used to parking here?

That might be true in Japan where they drive on the left, but in Korea they drive on the right, just like we do (although, I will admit, it seems that they park wherever they please sometimes). Anyways, she did park on the right side, it's just that the right was wrong and the left was right. HAHA!

DJBandit

on Dec 09, 2005

I have had my fair share of funny situations when it comes to driving. I have only hit 2 cars in my life and one of them was my own vehicle. One reason I don't trust women often driving, my wife was behind the wheel. As we were entering an onramp to the highway, there is a street light that allows cars from the other side cross to go on the onramp, so as you go on you have to look and make sure no cars are coming since they have the right of way. I was driving my company truck and looking to see if cars were coming, she was in front of me. The light was red for crossing vehicles so I knew there none coming, but my wife took longer and me thinking that she had accelerated I accelerated and hit my own car in the rear breaking the tail light. Nothing serious but dumb none the less. The other time I was entering the same onramp and when reaching the top the car infront of me did not accelerate to highway speed to enter with the rest of the traffic and since I was looking back to find a space to enter I notices him a bit to late and nicked him on the bumber and side of car. I pulled over and realize a bunch of big black men got out (living in Carol City, 3rd most dangerous area in Miami and black neighborhood) and I freaked and though this was the end of me. But it seems, even though they were upset, they didn't want to call police or anything (surprised? Confused?) and I went on my marry, still alive, way.

I do believe that I have better chances of getting a Drivers Licence than getting my order correct thru a fast food drive thru. My fav phases "they must have gotten their licence from a box of cereal" and " a licence is just an excuse for cops to give tickets". Think about it, do you really need a little plastic card saying you can drive? Look at how many people are driving today, imagen how many of them don't have a licence (specially illegals). I should know, I drove for a year and a half with a suspended licence for failing to pay a ticket. I only got caught ( and I am glad it happened) because I got nervous when a cop car came close to me and they must have noticed. Got behind me, ran my plates, found them expired, pulled me over, checked my licence, suspended, warent for my arrest for not going to court (I didn't get the letter with date), took me in and 6 hours later my brother got me out. Worst experience in my life and swore never to let my licence get suspended again. I have always been a careful driver, but now I am even more careful. My motto when driving? Drive like everyone else doesn't know how to drive.

About your story, I'd say ignorance on the Koren girls part for not knowing about the red zone, stupidity and negligence on the neighbors part for not seeing the car there and wrong on the cops part for not serving a ticket or at least a warning for parking illegaly in a red zone. But I'm sure she will never do it again. But I bet the neighbors didn't learn a lesson and will hit another car again someday, hehe.

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