Which way?

Take a look at the photo on the right. Can you figure out which way you're supposed to go on this particular stretch of parking lot? (Click to enlarge the image if you need to.)

For some reason, many drivers can't. I'll find myself trying to enter a parking lot lane, similar to this one, and have to wait for someone to drive out of it. Or, shortly after entering it, I'll have to "move over" because someone is heading down it the wrong way. The other day I saw a lady enter the wrong way then drive across the parking areas to get onto the next lane, the one positioned for the direction she was driving. Why didn't she turn into that lane in the first place instead of turning into the wrong one? I've even been nearly hit in a parking lot because of someone driving the wrong way or entering the wrong end of a parking lane or driving across all the parking spaces. What's wrong with people? It's not really that hard to follow the rules, is it? And it's not that much of an inconvenience, either!

And people parking in the fire lanes... yesterday I saw a parking lot road, the main road next to the shopping area of a strip mall, nearly completely blocked - it was down to barely enough room for one car to drive by. There was a mail truck parked on the side nearest the stores and an SUV parked directly opposite the mail truck, about 2 feet from the curb (i.e., not very close to the curb, but out in the roadway instead). Between them was barely enough room for a single car. If the lady was dropping off someone or picking up someone, ok; but she wasn't - she was simply sitting there. For the entire time I parked, walked to the video store to drop the movies in the "quick return" area, and walked back to my car, she sat. (And it wasn't that much of an inconvenience for me to walk to the store to drop off the movies - why can't others do that as well?) I don't know what she was waiting on, but she was still there as I left.

Also yesterday (what I day I had driving!) I was nearly hit by some lady not paying any attention to oncoming traffic as she drove around a garbage truck picking up garbage, blindly following the guy in front of her (who had time to clear the truck before my vehicle approached). She was in my lane, nowhere for me to go, and not paying any attention to what was going on around her.

Inconsideracy, stupidity... these should all be fine-able offenses when it comes to driving. How many accidents have you seen because someone simply wasn't paying attention? You're driving what could be considered a dangerous object - heavy, fast, and completely in your control - use your mind while driving and make sure that your "control" of the vehicle really is that (control). And don't be inconsiderate; when the parking lanes are angled, you should be going in the direction such that the lines start near you and move away as you drive through. Increasingly people are putting arrows on the pavement so that you don't even have to think about the parking spot lines - all you have to do is drive in the direction of the arrow! Not that hard to do, and it saves people a lot of frustration.

And don't park on the side of the road near the store (unless it has parking spots marked there). Take the extra 30-60 seconds to park in a parking spot and walk where you're going (we all need more exercise, anyway!).

Thanks!