Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Parking Lots Are Dangerous.

Be watchful of careless drivers. Hit and run death in a parking lot. This happened to one of my sister's-in-law friends.

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/18/police-searching-for-driver-in-fatal-hit-and-run/

Keep your eyes open. There's more danger in a parking lot than just assaultists.

L.W.

Sad deal , it doesn't surprise me.
Hope they catch the scumbag.

An accident can happen to anyone but leaving the scene is bad doo doo. I hope they catch him. Back up cameras on cars are a big help in parking lots. Our car chirps and yells if anyone is behind us. I've even had a cat set it off.

The biggest danger in parking lots comes from the real men who bring their aggressive driving styles to them; drive real fast and everybody get the hell out of my way.

A few years ago I was backing out of a spot and barely missed hitting a woman pushing a cart. I was being careful, too, but she just kept walking even though it was obvious I didn't see her. Yes, I was in the wrong and she was in the right, but she still would have been dead - and dead right isn't much good.

Now I will drive around a lot until I can find a place to pull in so I can drive straight out. Rarely I'll back into a spot, but never drive in and back out of one.

I've driven employer-provided vehicles for 20+yrs. As such, I've been to 4 mandatory driving schools either when starting a new job or as part of a periodic mandatory training. Every one of them stresses the importance of the above (pull through or back into a spot) whenever possible. Never set yourself up to have to back out of a spot unless absolutely necessary. With backup cameras being nearly ubiquitous, this should be your default.

If one pulls through, or backs in, there is much less chance of hitting someone/thing when backing out.

Just sayin.

Aha, I see you guys got there ahead of me.

Defensive driver teacher years ago (insurance company guy) told us a very high percentage of the "accidents" reported are folks backing out of store parking lot spaces into something/somebody.

Backed in or pulled through is good, until the next guy pulls so close you can’t open the trunk, or canopy to load what you purchased. Back up cameras are a blessing.

Ditto...

Ummm, awe hell, nevermind.......

Another good strategy to keep in mind is to park out a ways. I try to avoid parking too close to where I'm going. The parking density is a lot less a couple of hundred feet further out in the parking lot. Also, the kinds of people who tend to be careless in their driving/parking habits or walk through a parking lot with their head up theira ss tend to be the same kind of mentality that drive about six laps around the parking lot trying to find a close spot.

I try to leave the back end of the truck, the stinger for the trailer hitch and such, over the line into the spot behind me. Keeps the buggers from pulling up too close.

Honestly, sometimes I just have to pull forward to get stuff into the truck or on the rack.

There's a camera on the RAV4, I tend to use the mirrors mostly and use the camera for the final approach backing up to walls and other vehicles and such.

Markham and University is a good place to get the goofey blown out of you.

I do the same thing, backing out of spots in my pick up is awkward, it's almost as much blind spot, as that 2013 land cruiser , we used to have. Take the canopy off and vision is good. Short people can be an issue, but they got no business anyway.

Straddling a line gives a person plenty of room to open the doors as well.

People that do that have folks park REALLY close to the driver's side door .

Especially those folks with a shiny new car/truck who thinks they deserve two parking spaces because they are "special"

When run across those and am in my old trooper, I angle in next to them. Making them work to get out. Hoping they dent it and scratch up theres. I need a new paint job, and new shiny cars and trucks have insurance.

Not long ago, we returned to our vehicle and began loading groceries.
The wind snatched the door out of my wife's hand and left an ugly gouge about 6 inches long in the door of the car* in the next slot.
* - brand spanking new!
We waited about 5 minutes until the elderly owner came out. We exchanged insurance. Our insurance fixed her car.
About 2 weeks ago, some (apparently!) drunk, illegal alien looking sleaze tried to maneuver between cars in the handicap parking spots! Thankfully, our vehicle sustained no major damage, but the adzhole smiled, waved and drove off!
Dealer tag, they'll never find that POS!

Parking lots are dangerous for many other reasons than mentioned, I lock my doors and windows up most of the way when sitting. Could recount stories all day.