Decorum unusual in parking lots

Why must plots of land used to park automobiles often become free-for-alls? With some decorum, in other words conformity to the requirements of good taste and social convention, we could reduce parking lot angst.

Since most lots are private property, the only citations that can purportedly be issued to scofflaws thereon are for reckless or drunken driving. It’s too bad the citable infraction list can’t be widened a bit to include rudeness.

In just one visit to a big retailer’s lot yesterday, I witnessed and endured lots of unsafe and/or annoying behavior.

First, I encountered a vehicle making a perpendicular cross in front of me at an unduly high speed. Whose driving aisle takes precedence at those criss-crossings in a parking lot? In this case, it was the speeding driver’s aisle, since his speed prevented him from accommodating anyone else. If my speed had matched his, my vehicle would have struck his. With no rules of the road governing parking lot driving, please keep speed at a minimum so as to allow a give-and-take approach to right-of-way.

Speaking of speed, some parking lot drivers attain a great deal of it while backing out of their spaces. I was reminded of this as I walked toward the store, and had to jump out of the way of an SUV making a dragster-like takeoff out of its spot in reverse. I realize that pedestrians need to look out for vehicles in parking lots, but as soon as I saw the backup lights illuminate on this rig, it was off to the races. Backing maneuvers should be made with great care — especially with a tall vehicle that obscures the sighting of short people such as children.

While walking back to my car, I witnessed some further mayhem. With a chilly temperature and wind, spots close to the store were scarce and in demand. While an oblivious driver tended to who knows what, two parties were waiting for his spot—the same spot. Why won’t the driver in the spot, in the interest of expediency, pick up his pace? How will the waiting drivers resolve who gets the spot? These were the questions on my mind as I walked past.

The first question remained mainly unanswered. The driver looked physically capable, and when he finally started his car it ran just fine. Evidently, there was some paperwork filing, along with some front seat cargo adjustment that was mandatory before takeoff. I suspect that he was simply unaware, or didn’t care.

In the meantime, traffic backed up behind the waiting vehicles. Fortunately, women operated those vehicles. Otherwise, there may have been an impending fistfight brought on by male testosterone, because when the occupying auto finally left, both waiters gassed it toward the spot. Instead, there was just a horn blast from one of the vehicles vying for the space, and the other drove off to seek a different spot. I guess the spot went to the driver with the quickest foot and/or the loudest horn.

I saw the preceding events during just a few minutes in the lot. A full day of activity at that location must be filled with peril.

Besides what I witnessed that day, there are many other maladies associated with parking lots. Once again, city, county, or state police can’t establish a presence or enforce much on private property lots, unless the property owner files charges. Over the years, I believe, this has brought about a lax attitude by drivers.

How often do drivers use turn signals to show their intentions while in parking lots?

Rarely. When do drivers park in a helter-skelter fashion outside of the painted lines? Often. It seems to me that signaling which way you are about to turn is helpful to pedestrians and other vehicle drivers within your close proximity in parking lots. It also seems evident that the lines are to park within. Their dimensions will accommodate virtually any vehicle—why not engage them properly?

I’m not sure how many unauthorized vehicles sneak into designated disabled spots, but I’ll bet that those authorized to use them have seen misuse. Maybe most drivers with no permit stay out of these spaces, but I believe that often the person using a car with a permit is not the party to whom the permit was issued. Either that, or there are a lot of young, quick-walking people who are given permits.

I’ve run out of room, and haven’t even expounded on door dinging and wrong-way driving. There is enough lack of common sense by drivers in general on roadways — we don’t need to employ even less of it when we are driving in parking lots.