Why Do People Speed Through Busy Parking Lots?

Well I didn't find them easy. I was overwhelmed and don't consider myself dumb or anything like that. Maybe I can't handle chess but I can handle many other things...........

Yeah people are often surprised that i dont play. I could never get anybody to explain the rules of stuff to me when i was growing up. I see now it was because i would then ask a hard question! No brag, just fact! I remember asking my brother how does a baseball pitcher decide what to throw on a 3-2 pitch? He just got mad at me! Now they write books about that!

Maybe I had a bad teacher. It isn't a reflection on me that it's not "EASY" to me. I don't know how popular the game is in general but there's a couple of sets at the senior center.

Back to the topic on hand.......driving, whether in a lot or on the streets, is like anticipating the moves of other drivers and being ready with your own strategy. I hate driving. Hate cars too. And trucks especially with their bulky presence, blocking one's VIEW in a lot, if you're trying to back out of a spot.

And of course they are going to drive by fast as you're trying to do so.

I also hate driving and wish there was decent public transportation in my city. If there was, I would sell my car in a heartbeat and take the bus or train.

I live in a university town for that very reason. I never bought a new car after my last one died. That was even before Uber! As they say, Leap, and the net will appear.

They also say "Look before you leap".

Public transit sucks here. It's "patchwork", not like some cities where you can take one bus/train operator to get around, like in New York which has the subway. There's different bus/train operators with their own fares, routes, and policies. They don't run often enough, they don't go everywhere, and most stops don't even have benches. With a car, you can go where you want and take the route you want.

So you have to stand in the blazing sun or pouring rain(though we've been in a drought for years so that doesn't apply lately), waiting. And I can't stand long. Most don't have covers over them either, to shield you from sun or rain.

Yet they want more people to take public transit. There's also the homeless that sleep on the bus benches or on the buses.

There no mass transit here but if there was I’d stop driving in a heart beat too. My daughter used to get mad at me for not using the car when we lived in the twin cities. But they had decent transportation and I hated trying to find parking. We walked or took the bus. By the by I found out most bus drivers were good people. One time a blizzard had developed and I needed groceries I took the bus to a shopping center that didn’t have a shelter and my paper bags got wet. So when the bus finally came they burst all over the steps. My daughter must have been about 3 and I had been trying to lift her along with the groceries. The driver helped me pick up the groceries and then drove up to the store ran in and got bags for me! When I got to my stop he carried my daughter out the door! I’ll never forget him. My daughter also would say thank you to the drivers when we got off and learned young to be polite. In our cars rushing around I think we forget to exchange the little pleasures of life.

When I was in grad school, I loved taking the university bus. Even though I had a car, I rarely used it.

Yes some drivers can be nice. One time I took the wrong bus, in the wrong direction. It was so cold waiting that I jumped on the next bus that came along. The driver gave me a free transfer and dropped me off as soon as she could stop, instead of driving to the next official stop.

Another time I got on a bus that was supposed to be "drop off" only but how was I to know? And the stop I needed was a farther walk than I thought it was, and the driver was nice enough to drop me off there since it was too far to walk! Sometimes the signs aren't clear or they don't say "pick up only" or whatnot.

I'm always polite to the bus drivers and greet them. Imagine the abuse they take from riders, along with driving the public around all day in miserable traffic and/or weather.

I've had people try to initiate physical confrontations over stupid driving crap like that! The one that happened recently involved me pulling into the road (25mph speed limit) with another vehicle a comfortable distance back. That vehicle was definitely speeding as he closed the distance in record time. He was apparently pissed at being slowed down because he kept his horn going, without pause, for a minute and a half while following so close I'm surprised he didn't hit my bumper. He was also trying to make me stop. I was not going to do that. I'd run a red light if it came to that. I was also close to my house. No way was I going to let him have that information. So, I decided to lead him to the police station. That worked. He sped off.

Chess is fun! I learned in high school and was teamed with one of best friends. He was amazing at it! I'm sure he could have been nationally ranked if he was so inclined. I can count on one hand the number of matches I won against him. Made me better at the game for sure!

For me, the basics are pretty easy. Coming up with a coherent strategy is what takes practice!

Yes, taking the bus also changes your sense of time. There is no more "getting there in ten minutes." Every trip takes an hour! Still, i appreciate not having the worries of ownership. Plus, where am i gonna go? To buy cake?

Cars have their pros and cons, and for me the pros outweigh the cons. Not driving these days due to mostly gas prices but also having no where to go. Unless it's to the store, I can walk or ride the bus. One can also lease a car but you still have to pay for maintenance on it.

The bus is always late. Even "real time" times are wrong. I've always allowed extra time by taking an earlier bus than the ideal one. That way if it's late, I'll still be "on time."

It takes me almost an hour to get to one of my libraries by bus. I have to take two buses, and the second one doesn't run often enough. Driving takes me about 20 minutes (assuming no construction or roadwork going on).

I love driving, and will probably continue to do so until I become physically unable to continue.

I don't enjoy it as much as I used to, because of my anxiety, and bad/ rude/ angry/ aggressive drivers. But I do still relish the freedom it gives me.

All of the scary stories people have related here---I can relate to most of them. Bad drivers really get on my last nerve.

It's a privilege to drive, not a right. I think people should have to take a new driver's test every ten years. Because they grow lax, and take ridiculous chances with other people's well-being. I know. I have a permanent spinal injury (which flares-up from time to time, presenting me with a very different kind of pain) on account of a distracted driver who was trying to beat the red light. Thank goodness it is not chronic, and only comes and goes. But it's been very limiting for me.

I agree with you museum ghost, there should be a drivers test every ten years. People get lax, don’t keep up with new laws. When I lived in cities and walked a lot I preferred to cross in the middle of the street because so many drivers do not stop first before they turn right. The law is, stop first, proceed if clear. Of course that’s not going to stop the ones like the idiot who drove down the sidewalk behind me because the road was piled up. He knew that was wrong, but did it anyway.

You're right it's a privilege and not a right to drive. I haven't taken my driving test since I was 16, LOL! But I agree about testing more often. Still there's always people who will pass with flying colors yet drive like lunatics otherwise....

People take so many chances with running lights and turning in front of people or other drivers. I don't get what difference a few seconds make. I try not to make left turns, not only cause they take so long but they are more dangerous than right turns I think. Also, some bulky SUV is always blocking my view if it is also turning left, either from the opposite direction or from in front of me. I can't see **** and despise those things.

Bright, blinding headlights which are high since they are higher than cars. I can't see when I back out of a spot or a driveway either. And I don't have a fancy car with a camera in the rear.

If a driving test involved parallel parking, I would fail. I always avoid it, because I can't do it well.

I specifically went to a DMV that didn't require parallel parking when I took my test!

I kind of forgot what it means though....I think it means to park between two cars parallel to the curb? If so I definitely can't do it. I'm afraid I'll hit one of the cars. I often drive around looking for a spot that's on the end, like next to a driveway or the end of the block. That way nobody can park in front of me at least, so I won't get boxed in.

It's a pain because I may see a spot I know I can fit into, but if it's between two cars I have to pass. The main advantage to riding the bus is not worrying about parking. If going to a place where parking is really hard, expensive, or non-existent, I take the bus.

My state required it when I was 17. That's why I failed it the first time. My parents can't do it either. My friend's mom taught me, and I retained the knowledge just long enough to pass the test. Now it's gone.

Parallel parking gets easier with practice. When I first moved to the cities I lived just off campus in a street parking only area. I got very good at it and could whip my way in any spot. But now it’s been too long and I’m too tense. I’m not sure I could do well on that section of a test.

I can back into a spot in a parking lot, as long as there's just one car on one side of me, not two. This got better with practice but no need to parallel park. I keep driving around till I find a spot on the "end".

I have what I think is called poor depth perception. I can't really tell how close my car is to anything: Another car, the curb, someone's driveway. I have to get out and look or open my door and look.

Like if I'm close enough to the curb when parking on the street...I think I am and see I'm 2 feet away! Or I think I'm blocking someone's driveway, only to find there's at least 3 feet of space in front of my car.

I have that same issue @nonightowl. It makes driving very difficult.

Ah! In my younger years (30's, 40's), whenever i exited the car after a tricky piece of parallel parking, i expected at least a high five from any onlookers! Not that the high five ever happened. But i felt i sooo deserved it! I'd be like, "...and I'm a GIRL!"

Kudos to you, unaluna! You do deserve it!

Thanks! Really, i could not believe that people were not in awe! Silly i know, but i rarely get excited in a GOOD way, so i gotta take it when it happens, right?

I mean, now they sell cars that do it for you, so it IS a thing, right?

Its like, when are people ever feminists? Yeah, when they have to admit a chick did something outstanding (Cough like parallel park!) Then theyre all, "ooh, dont say chick, its not PC."

I remember way back in the eighties I dropped my daughter off at her babysitter and I locked my keys in the car. I was in my uniform and got a hanger and there was a bunch of road crew nearby, they started saying things and were coming over and I whipped the hanger in and had my car unlocked in seconds. Their faces changed to awe 🫢 I got whistles as I drove away.