People at WM have a death wish, re coming close to being a pedestrian killer

WheatenLover

WheatenLover

Senior Member
Location
Georgia
I am in Walmart. It is not super crowded, yet I get all the wackos.

I am pulling out of my parking place, being extra careful because I'm driving an 18 year old car. One tire revolution later, an old man comes near my car and keeps walking even though I hadn't yet stop moving. I decide to spare his life. I make sure he is at his car, look around, no one near, and suddenly an old lady is coming and shows no signs of stopping for my car. I try to keep going, but decide to spare her life. She soon joins the old man. They are likely married, no surprise.

So again, the coast is clear. I start to back out a little further. This time a younger guy is loping along while my car is moving. He is looking down. He is wearing ear buds. I thought about sacrificing him to the cause, but decided to let him live. I don't think he saw my moving car at all.

He passes by, well out of the danger zone before I start moving again. Two cars down, a lady pops out of her car and kind of jogs, on her merry way to pick up milk or something. Folks, milk is not worth dying for. My car is moving. She is jogging, and she jogs behind me. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should just live in my car at WM.

Now the coast is 100% clear. Nobody is coming. No cars. No people. No zombies. No nuthin'.

I better get the heck out of this parking spot while I can. I'm going at a pretty fast pace -- about 2 mph -- when a hunched over old lady (poor thing) comes from between two parked cars, squarely behind my car. If I believed in a god, I would think he was testing me. I have never hit any living thing, with or without my car. I slam on the brakes. Funny phrase to use when going 2 mph. Miss hitting the woman who never notices me. I saved her life!

Noticing I got no good citizen awards for saving about 5 lives today, I decided to keep doing it anyway. Maybe I should go to WM daily, just to rack up on saved lives.

Now the big question: Why do people decide to walk behind a moving car that is obviously backing out of a parking place? Maybe I should have honked my horn at each of them really loudly. I've never honked my horn (on my last two cars) because there was no need. But maybe if I did, it would scare the hell out of them and they'd start paying attention.

After all, they came out of nowhere or decided to keep walking when they saw my moving car.
 

WheatenLover said:
I am in Walmart. It is not super crowded, yet I get all the wackos.

I am pulling out of my parking place, being extra careful because I'm driving an 18 year old car. One tire revolution later, an old man comes near my car and keeps walking even though I hadn't yet stop moving. I decide to spare his life. I make sure he is at his car, look around, no one near, and suddenly an old lady is coming and shows no signs of stopping for my car. I try to keep going, but decide to spare her life. She soon joins the old man. They are likely married, no surprise.

So again, the coast is clear. I start to back out a little further. This time a younger guy is loping along while my car is moving. He is looking down. He is wearing ear buds. I thought about sacrificing him to the cause, but decided to let him live. I don't think he saw my moving car at all.

He passes by, well out of the danger zone before I start moving again. Two cars down, a lady pops out of her car and kind of jogs, on her merry way to pick up milk or something. Folks, milk is not worth dying for. My car is moving. She is jogging, and she jogs behind me. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should just live in my car at WM.

Now the coast is 100% clear. Nobody is coming. No cars. No people. No zombies. No nuthin'.

I better get the heck out of this parking spot while I can. I'm going at a pretty fast pace -- about 2 mph -- when a hunched over old lady (poor thing) comes from between two parked cars, squarely behind my car. If I believed in a god, I would think he was testing me. I have never hit any living thing, with or without my car. I slam on the brakes. Funny phrase to use when going 2 mph. Miss hitting the woman who never notices me. I saved her life!

Noticing I got no good citizen awards for saving about 5 lives today, I decided to keep doing it anyway. Maybe I should go to WM daily, just to rack up on saved lives.

Now the big question: Why do people decide to walk behind a moving car that is obviously backing out of a parking place? Maybe I should have honked my horn at each of them really loudly. I've never honked my horn (on my last two cars) because there was no need. But maybe if I did, it would scare the hell out of them and they'd start paying attention.

After all, they came out of nowhere or decided to keep walking when they saw my moving car.
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That was great!
 

I can (and many of us, I'm sure) can totally relate. Pedestrians in a parking lot just magically appear out of thin air. You can look 3 times and swear there's no one there and it's like they just beamed down from a star ship or something. And they never see you. Pedestrians may have the right of way, but you'd think they would value their lives as well!

And don't ya just love it when you're backing out of a parking space, you're 3/4 of the way out, and someone who is driving down the aisle at about 30 mph whips around you instead of waiting for you to get out of the space? (Heart in throat! :eek:)
 
It’s my belief that folks in parking lots everywhere have decided that it’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to not hit them. Therefore they don’t give a you know what about being careful. If you hit them they’ll sue you…and WIN!!

I will park very far away from the door in any parking lot just so that I can pull all the way through in order that I don’t have to back out of my parking place! 🤦🏼‍♀️

I’ve had too many close calls backing out of a parking spot…and that’s WITH all the car warnings and assistance of a brand new vehicle including backup cameras, driver alert alarms, cross traffic alarms etc.

No thanks. People are too damned litigious AND really don’t pay any attention!!
 
That was wonderful writing, @WheatenLover! I could relate to it! That's why I've chosen, like @Ronni, to park "very far away" from the door and where there's usually very little cars. I know, it's a distance, but it buys me peace of mind. I'm a nervous wreck coming out of busy parking lots, being careful not to hit anyone, especially when people don't even see me.
 
Ronni said:
It’s my belief that folks in parking lots everywhere have decided that it’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to not hit them. Therefore they don’t give a you know what about being careful. If you hit them they’ll sue you…and WIN!!

I will park very far away from the door in any parking lot just so that I can pull all the way through in order that I don’t have to back out of my parking place! 🤦🏼‍♀️

I’ve had too many close calls backing out of a parking spot…and that’s WITH all the car warnings and assistance of a brand new vehicle including backup cameras, driver alert alarms, cross traffic alarms etc.

No thanks. People are too damned litigious AND really don’t pay any attention!!
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I do this too, but in part to get extra steps in for the day. In my littie town the lots not very big, and most don't even have spaces you can pull thru but i will often back into an out of the way spot so i can leave the spot going forward. I do have a back up camera in current car but because most people both drive and walk so carelessly i feel better if i can pull forward and have a fuller view.
 
You probably would have scared the heck out of them. That's one reason I never liked pulling into a parking space at a mall, Costco or yes, Walmart. Either I'd find a spot I could pull into and move forward so I'm facing out or I'd back in with hopefully no one behind me as I'm doing that. Unlike me, people are too trusting of those who are behind the wheel. I never trust that a driver is going to do what he or she is supposed to and stop for me...even at a red light. And Lord knows I've seen plenty of them who ran the lights. Sounds like you had one helluva time! Gotta love Walmart. :LOL::ROFLMAO:
 
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I once walked out of Walmart past a car and saw a wallet on ground the lady in car had dropped out of the stroller and so i picked up knocked on her window gave it to her and before i even could step back she started rolling back almost went over my foot....
no deed goes unpunished.
 
WheatenLover said:
Now the big question: Why do people decide to walk behind a moving car that is obviously backing out of a parking place?
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Backing out is way more difficult safety wise than either backing in or finding a spot that you can pull thru & pull out facing out. Facing out to pull out makes good use of peripheral vision.

Safety a major priority in the company I worked for was rewarded. My department before I was in a position to make rules had 1 or 2 backing accidents a year. I talked to the local IBEW union president about a trial safety rule to always find a way to face out when parking. No punishment if the rule was violated during the trial period. He agreed so we put it in writing. The trial period of one year = no accidents. No accidents was rewarded with a 10% bump in my pay & that as a safety rule was negotiated for implementation company wide.
 
After witnessing pedestrians getting hit by cars twice, my biggest fear is hitting a pedestrian. And I've had two close ones:
1. I'm driving on a very dark street with my high beams &, of course I have to dim them when another car approaches.
Just as I turn my high beams back on, I see four pedestrians walking in the street, near the curb, side-by-side wearing all black; looks like they were walking to temple. I swerved around them - just as I was about to hit them. I don't know why they were in the street when there were perfectly-good sidewalks. They were lucky one of them was wearing white socks because before I saw them, I saw part of the socks & immediately swerved. IDIOTS!!

2. I'm going around 40 mph. As I approach an intersection on a green light, a car in the lane next to me stops & a young guy jumps out & runs across the street, right in front of me. Just as I slam on my brakes, he jumps over my hood. The only reason I didn't hit him was because when I hit my brakes, my car's front end dipped down just enough for him to clear my hood when he jumped. It couldn't have been any closer; I was sure I'd hit him. I never yelled, "ASS----E" so loud.
 
Not long after I started driving (and I was still extremely nervous), I was riding down Main street with my son, a teenager at the time, in the car. I noticed these young men playing frisbee on the sidewalk but suddenly one jumped out into the street right in front of my car and I do mean right in front! I stopped on a dime. He was walking around the car saying "Wow....Lady...you got some good brakes!" OMG!! I already had a heart condition...he almost gave me a heart attack!
 
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After I sell the car tomorrow (hopefully), I am glad I won't have to ever drive it again. It has none of the safety features of my Suburu, being a 2004 car. My friend came over with some box thing and charged the battery. I had to drive around for awhile after that, so Walmart was selected as the place to go.

I always park far away in a pull through spot. It's a good way to get some exercise, and to get out of the parking spot easily. But today, my son would have kicked up a fuss if I did that, so I didn't. He wasn't in a very good mood.

He is annoyed because my daughter didn't sell the car before she left, etc. But that wasn't her fault. The notary wrote on the back of the title, on the assumption that my daughter would be driving it, when she was planning to sell it immediately. If you write on a title, it cannot be changed. So the title is in her name, and I have POA to sell it.

Basically everything about my daughter annoys my son, and vice-versa.

I know someone who got hit by a truck that was backing out of a parking spot. She didn't sue them, but she was permanently injured, and elderly, so after that she had a hard time even walking.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
You probably would have scared the heck out of them. That's one reason I never liked pulling into a parking space at a mall, Costco or yes, Walmart. Either I'd find a spot I could pull into and move forward so I'm facing out or I'd back in with hopefully no one behind me as I'm doing that. Unlike me, people are too trusting of those who are behind the wheel. I never trust that a driver is going to do what he or she is supposed to and stop for me...even at a red light. And Lord knows I've seen plenty of them who ran the lights. Sounds like you had one helluva time! Gotta love Walmart. :LOL::ROFLMAO:
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I do the same where possible, 99 % of the time I reverse into a space rather than drive in forward.. so much easier and safer to get out, but I do know what the OP means, whenever I do have to reverse out of somewhere , there's ALWAYS someone who walks behind my moving car !!
 
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hollydolly said:
I do the same where possible, 99 % of the time I reverse into a space rather than drive in forward.. so much easier and safer to get out, but I do know what the OP means, whenever I do have to reverse out of somewhere , there's ALWAYS someone who walks behind my moving car !!
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I always park far out in the parking lot and always in a pull thru space, backing up in store parking lots is much too dangerous!
I also prefer to put a curb on one side of my car so that side is safe from carts or cars, never park close to an old beater car and never park close to shopping cart corals. Sometimes it's exhausting being me.

Speaking of Wal-Mart....earlier this week I had a return, there was a lady being helped at the counter with a toddler age kid in the cart. The kid is standing in the cart and lays over onto the return counter and grabs a pair of scissors (rounded nosed) out of a little pen caddy that was there. He starts waving them around and the mom yanks them out of the kids hand and throws them down on the counter where they slide of onto the floor. Mom then starts yelling at the return clerk for having scissors there, moms screaming, the kid is screaming, what a scene!
 
Pedestrians have the right of way, but even so, who wants to get hit by a car? I certainly wouldn’t want my knee smashed by a bumper and then have to wrangle with insurance companies for payment of medical bills.

But yeah, they come out of nowhere. I back out VERY slowly and if possible park so I can pull out forward, as others have mentioned.
 
I guess I can’t talk - I am perhaps the world champion WM parking lot designation line violator, going out the in lanes, going in the out lanes, and cutting a side-swath across empty parking lanes as I take “the back way” to the coveted grocery parking of the SuperCenter. I do yield to pedestrians and other cars however.
 

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