All my near misses happen in convenience store parking lots. I'm not sure if the proximity to beer and smokes makes people lose all their manners, or whether the lack of same has them jonesing so bad they don't pay attention.
The only thing I buy at convenience stores is gas (pay at the pump) and the occasional road soda. Mostly, I pull in, gas up and leave. Since I don't put a lot of miles on my car, I don't gas up every week. Let's call my time at the convenience store two trips per month. That means two near death experiences a month.
I drive a small car, so I'm used to driving defensively and watching out for those that can't see me. In the convenience store parking lot, it's not that they CAN'T see me, it's that they DON'T see me.
Just like at an airport, the risk is when you are taking off and landing. The moment you pull into the lot and the moment you are trying to leave the gas pump. For some reason, crazy people will try to rear end you and sideswipe you when you're trying to get out of the way and free the pump up for the next person. It's the danger that thrills adrenaline junkies nationwide.
I don't care for the feeling that all my defensive driving techniques have to be engaged in the 20 yards between the street and the pump and back. It seems like when you get off the road where people are traveling at warp speeds, you should be safer, not more exposed. Even with blinker on, if you watch the rearview mirror, there are times when slowing down to pull into the parking lot becomes a game of "will he or won't he rear end me?" Not my favorite game to bet on.
Once I get my gas, I play dodge the vehicle while the "laws of gross tonnage" cycle through my brain. I used to drive old beat up land yachts. In a car like that, you don't worry too much. Everyone else has more money invested in their ride and they tend to drive defensively around YOU. You can pull out with aplomb knowing that that Mercedes will slam on their very well engineered German brakes to avoid hitting your clunker. Nowadays, I'm driving a cheap plastic car. A small four cylinder. It does not have the 'get up and go' required to dodge the big boys. So I wait my chance. I watch for back up lights and avoid encounters where my car will come out the loser.
A few blocks from my home, they broke ground on a big new convenience store. On the one hand, it's close and convenient. On the other hand, they say most accidents happen within five miles of your home. It may be that my time is up!
--Sandee Wagner
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2 comments:
Driving a small car myself :-) I choose my shopping destinations based on easy access, and crazy people are included in my easy access!! There is a 7-Eleven right across the street from our neighborhood on the right hand side of the street no less--but do I buy ANYTHING there?? No. Because the people are nuts, and the lot is tiny. There is a much larger, brightly lit Circle K convenience store that is farther away, and I have to drive between and behind other businesses to get back onto the main road, but I still go there every time because it is so much less stressful!!
Em, that's really good information. I tend to pull into any place that's on my right. Easy in and out is my motto. If I had a place that I liked, I'd probably frequent it, but I don't generally go to the same place twice!! spw
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