Leaving your wheels angled whilst parked.

[obi_waynne]

I have an adonoidally challenged friend with anal tendancies! He maintains that it is illegal to leave your front wheels angled whilst parked and insists that he knows a guy whose brothers sister etc.... was issued with a ticket for parking with his wheels at an angle.:blink:

I however maintain that when on a hill best driving practice suggests that the wheels are angeled inwards in case of handbrake failure.

Who is right?

 

[pgarner]

never heard of this. or is it a really a case of my sister's boyfriend's second couisin's wife's sister.

i know you can be done for parking too far off the kerb if he sure it was for the wheels and can you get a copy of the ticket ?

 

[old-git]

And the ticket said? What a load of c**lers. In that case, you could be nicked as you turned the wheel in order to get out of a tight space! Where do these urban myths come from? The problem is that people believe what they hear or read and pass it on without checking it. Hence the proliferation of inaccurate 'facts' circulating on the internet as 'truths' trying to prove [FONT=&quot]conspiracy [/FONT] theories (moon landing, Lincoln and Kennady links, etc).

This is the only way to park the original Elan as the handbrake only worked on the day of the MOT

 

[obi_waynne]

Yes you have to park within a bay or within 50cm of the kerb PG.

The ticket was something along the lines of "causing an obstruction to other road users, leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position!"

The Elan sounds like it's ready for its NCAP safety rating

 

[Prince]

It's amazing what crap some people will believe!

 

[old-git]

Yes you have to park within a bay or within 50cm of the kerb PG.

The ticket was something along the lines of "causing an obstruction to other road users, leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position!"

Maybe, just maybe, he forgot to mention that the offending wheel was up on the footway?

 

[HDi fun]

It's advisory in the Police Driving manual to park with wheels inclined toward the kerb in whatever direction will arrest a runaway car. Certainly not unlawful, although if the TREAD of the tyre is on the pedestrian path then it might, just might attract a ticket.

Somehow I think someone's got hold of a snippet of information and blown it out of all proportion.

On a different note, don't butt the tyre shoulders onto the kerb it - can cause carcass damage.

 

[obi_waynne]

How often do you see a car parked with 1cm of the tyre resting on the kerb and the rest overhanging! This has got to kill tyres.

I'll dismiss this as an urban myth and take the "I was right moral high ground then!"

 

[HDi fun]

I'm neurotic about tyres and it makes me cringe when I see what you've just described

 

[Pixel]

I very much doubt that its Illegal.

Handbrake failure is uncommon but not impossible.

But surely, everyone here has the common sense to leave the car in gear when they park?

I think leaving it in gear with the handbrake on is the best combination of parking safety.

Handbrake failure & Gearbox failure at the same time without any proior warning is so unlikely that if It did happen to me, I would probably just laugh at how unlucky I was.

Regardless, when I park outside my house, Its not on a hill lol.

 

[obi_waynne]

I'd hope we all leave it in gear, and then depress the clutch when we start the engine.

 

[Izo Azlion]

I'd hope we all leave it in gear, and then depress the clutch when we start the engine.

Yeah !!! I totally dont but I might start

:embarrest:

 

[pgarner]

Nope i only do it when parked on a hill, even then its taken outa gear before starting

 

[ChrisGMOC]

If I don't put it in ' park ', it won't let me have the keys!
Seem to remember driving intsructor saying something about wheels facing outwards could confuse passing cars, I replied " what when I'm not in the car?? " LOL

Chris..

 

[HDi fun]

I often do park with a gear engaged to stop the car rolling if h/b fails. I have a very bad habit of starting the engine whilst standing beside the car, rather than in driving seat. This is down to years of driving automatics, which will only start in P or N.

That's the reason that American manual cars have starter inhibitors to prevent starting unless brake, clutch (or both in some cases) are depressed.

I still like well set up automatics (yet I hate crap ones) but clearly I've got to take a bit more care on the starting thing :-(

 

[obi_waynne]

Starting a car whilst standing beside it is one of the strangest habits I have ever heard of.

 

[old-git]

That's the reason that American manual cars have starter inhibitors to prevent starting unless brake, clutch (or both in some cases) are depressed.
:-(

Yeah, I noticed that when we were in CA over Christmas last year. Some have a similar set up on autos as well.

 

[HDi fun]

Americans do go for belt and braces safety. I've never encountered an auto that will start anywhere other than N or P but I suppose they've covered for failure of that device by requiring brake pedal to be pressed. Current Micra does this with manual cars because of the keyless entry system. In fact, you can't even turn the key from OFF without pedal down.

Given the astronomical price of court awards in America it's probably essential manufacturers do this.

Did you hear about the old lady a couple of years ago who set the cruise control in her winnebago (camper van!!) and then clambered into the back to make tea?

Honestly, it's true. AND, she won compensation from the manufacturer to the tune of about $1.2 million US!!! That's scary. You'd at least have thought that the judge would have required her to hand her license back to the authorities permanently simply becuase ANYONE that stupid really should not be allowed in charge of a motor vehicle.

Rgds,

P.

 

[HDi fun]

Starting a car whilst standing beside it is one of the strangest habits I have ever heard of.

Not if you want to go round it and clean windows etc whilst engine warms up a couple of degrees. But mowing down twenty pedestrians is not justifiable really. So I stopped doing it after that happened

 

[obi_waynne]

at HDi. (Blood wrecks the paint work!)