What Are Your Unwritten Rules of Parking Etiquette?
When I recently asked Lifehacker readers about their unbreakable rules of driving etiquette , a sub-category of heated reviews emerged. In addition to the rules of the road, parking rules seem to deserve their own place (pun intended).
Have you ever walked to your car in the parking lot and noticed a Kia Sorento on your tail? Once you (hopefully) rule out the kidnapping, it becomes clear that the driver is not after you, but your parking space. They hide and linger, waiting for you to leave so they can hook onto the hole. And while there’s nothing explicitly illegal about chasing someone to their parking space, here’s the thing: I’m not thrilled with the power dynamic between my very fragile body and the 3,000 pounds of steel waiting for me to clear the space. A little parking etiquette would make the world a better place if we could all follow it.
I ask you readers of Lifehacker to consider: what are your unwritten rules of parking etiquette? Why do some people willy-nilly leave their shopping carts behind? Why are people who cannot park between the lines even allowed on the road? Why do we let particularly resourceful asshole drivers turn parking lots into a Tetris game?
Some parking lots are especially lawless, but don’t limit yourself to suburban parking – garages and on-street parking are fine too. Personally, I’d love to hear any of your diatribes about proper parallel parking rules. After reading your answers, I’ll collect the most enlightened ones in a post next week.