Any v good drivers out there?

FlorayG

Ok you've had an upsetting experience and you've not over it yet but you will be.
Two weeks ago I reversed into another vehicle that came up on my blind side and did significant damage to it. Now I reverse really, really slowly and keep stopping to check all mirrors. It's natural once you've had a bang to be extra careful for a while

claire07

Oh Rosa I feel for you.  I've had my car 6 years and it was pristine as I usually park a long way from other cars (having been scraped by other drivers in the past). Then at the weekend I went somewhere I know well but had to reverse in not go forward as usual and encountered a brick bollard that was in my blind spot.  As you say the horrible sound of crunching even though I was going slowly.  It's going to cost about £400 as the whole back panel needs replacing and I just feel so foolish and it has really knocked my confidence as I'm so angry with myself but I know I've got to get out there again.

DullGreyGuy

Happens to most people on a long enough timeline. 

I've had two similar things... was parked off road, went to reverse back onto a track and didnt notice a concrete block in some long grass; next time was in a terrible part of the station carpark thats really narrow and backs onto a chain link fence (black), 6" in front of a black solid fence in an area thats unlit. Was on my 12th step of my manover to get out and thought I might just make it and if not well the chain link fence would just move a bit as I was well between the posts... what I hadn't seen was the metal bollard (also black) immediately in front of the fence. The parking sensors did warn but I ignored them thinking it was the fence setting it off. 

Ultimately learned from both events and unlikely to do it again and when we next get a car its also likely to have reversing cameras not just sensors

born_again

Rosa_Damascena said:

I'm looking for a bit of TLC and advice. I've been driving for 34 years and have let myself down badly by doing significant damage to my new vehicle without even being aware that it was a risk.

My vehicle is quite long - I am used to driving large saloons / estates but yesterday I was entering a car park (new to me but must have been built c1950) with a narrow entrance and took great care to avoid clipping the front bumper / headlights at the barrier. What I didn't realise until I heard the most hideous screech was that the the nearside front and rear doors came into contact with a metal shutter casing (no buffer of a kerb), causing significant damage to the bodywork. 24hrs on and I am still upset that I could be so utterly careless and more importantly clueless! I am very careful to use my wing and rear mirrors when driving an parking so why not yesterday??!

I'm kicking myself as I was being so cautious about steering carefully I just couldn't anticipate that the side of the vehicle could be at risk. I'm now worried that I'll do the same thing again  . In fact smashing up a car through ineptitude has been a recurring bad dream for decades and now it appears to be a prophecy fulfilled.

Aside from not driving - potentially an option, but I do in fact love driving my new car ironically take a pride in my parking skills!! - how can I avoid a repeat incident? I looked online and came up with this advice:

Sure I'm wise after the event but I think I need to gain a bit more desktop awareness before I get back in it and drive. Thoughts?

These things happen.
No matter how many qualifications you have. 

Just carry on as normal. You will now be more aware in such situations. 

Sadly car parks now are starting to get far to tight for many cars, even new ones, which can be the worst, as they cram as many spaces in & forget that people also have to drive round them.. 

Brie

My car is a good one for blind drivers.  It's tiddly but I still manage to bump into everything possible.

Not as bad as my OH though who once was in such a hurry to get home was driving too fast out of the multi story, hit a high curb and burst his tire.  2 hour wait for AA.  

Stuff happens.  There are more important things to worry about or even very minor things that will take priority very soon.  

twopenny

Aww I know that feeling. One of the few pristine cars I had I was parking alongside a chain link fence sooo carefully. There was a bit sticking out and it gouged the paint from front to back. I could have wept. I was 27 and drove for a living.

More recently I was reversing in a holiday camp and watching 2 elderly people teetering on the edge of the kerb and the tiny trailer  parked behind me. Watched them all but the trailer had a metal bit below my eyeline and straight into my fancy boot lock. It was hammered out easily enough but the small dent remains to taunt me.

If you want embarrassing - I was pulling out of a parking space and watching a learner driver that really shouldn't have been on the roads yet and a massive black motor home. I was watching both. Sickening crunch.

It was my wing mirror snapped off. Worse, the van hadn't been damaged (phew!) but the guy came out, was actually nice and bought the bits of my wing mirror to me. First day out and it was new, his pride and joy. They lived just down the road and were having a celebratory christening dinner in it.

I could still curl up in embarrassment.

And as said, I used to drive for a living...........

MattMattMattUK

I have done the IAM Advanced Driver course, it was quite interesting. I have also done track days with instructors, skid pans and a flooded track driving course (to teach about driving in extreme wet conditions), all were interesting and I learned from them, but whether I could put any of those things into practice in a real world situation (eg. aquaplaning at 70 mph, on a real road) is another question entirely. 

I would say I am a good driver, defensive and cautious, I have to be where I live as the standard of driving is so awful around here. I am not a great driver, but I would say I am above average although that is probably not that difficult as it appears that average involves lots of speeding, driving through red lights, complete failure to understand how lanes work, pulling out in front of cars on roundabouts, blocking box junctions, tailgating, using phones whilst driving etc. 

You made a mistake with a new vehicle, I am sure that it far from unusual and as anything the key is to learn from your mistakes, which it appears you have, or are doing. If you think you might have picked up some bad habits then you could always take the Mature Driver Review course, they will find a few things, as they do with anyone, but equally you will probably find that you are doing most things right and that will be reassuring. 

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/courses/mature-driver-review

Ibrahim5

I am a v good driver.

Alanp

My car is just one year old, I drove too far into my garage and caught the front on an overhanging worktop and marked the front, I’ve managed to touch it up to a fashion, but you can see it if you look closely, then someone scraped the front of my car and scratched it, fortunately he paid for a smart repair, then, due to work being done where I work we have ridiculously high kerbs ( there’s another layer of tarmac yet to go on) , I was driving out of a space trying to avoid some metal barriers in front and I caught one of my alloy wheels, managed to repair that fairly cheaply but it still cost me, my last car I lowered the auto garage door on the front and marked it, then I had one car where I reversed into a concrete pillar despite the rear sensors flatlining, so, as you can see from the folks on here, stuff happens don’t sweat the small stuff…

Goudy

There is a common trait through nearly all these examples and it's why we and you feel like you do after.

It's our own fault with no one to blame and that tends to hurt more.

If something made you swerve but it was still your own fault, you'd still blame what made you swerve and make yourself feel better about it.

But those rare times when there's nothing and no one about and things happen that are totally down to you, well it makes you feel a whole lot different.
I have no doubt some on here try to rationalise things by blaming the bollard or wall or whatever, but they really know who was at fault.

I think it's pretty apparent most of us have been there at some point and we're all still here and driving.
As you can see, we don't forget these incidents, our stupidity is often still a fresh cut in our memory and that's the way we are meant to be, there's nothing unusual about that.
I remember mine like it was yesterday.

Unfortunately some don't get to remember their mistakes as things have turned out far worse than a bit of dented bodywork and pride.