# Parking diagonally across 3 parking spaces **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991 "2002-04-22T15:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gingersnap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@gingersnap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gingersnap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/1 "2002-04-22T15:04:05Z")
Why do people do this? I was in a busy, crowded parking lot the other day and saw that some inconsiderate asshole had straddled three parking spaces with what looked like a shiny new pickup truck. I heard somewhere that people do this so their vehicles don’t get dented by car doors. But I should think that this type of boorish behavior would make it even more likely that their precious ride would get “ooops” scratched or otherwise vandalized by their angry fellow motorists. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/2 "2002-04-22T15:27:03Z")
Do you live near Chicago? It wouldn’t happen to have been a white Dodge, would it? One of my friends does this, but only in parking lots that are no where near capacity, and always at the back of the lot, but yes, that is exactly the reason he parks that way - to avoid having other people park next to him. Someone spit on his car once, and he got a ticket in a community college lot for improper parking, but this did nothing to change his attitude. Otherwise, he has had no trouble in the 8 months he has owned the truck. I think the other reason is because he likes to show it off, and it gets more attention that way. I guess people are more likely to damage a car without meaning to, being in a hurry and self-absorbed. Take yourself - even though it pissed you off, you didn’t do anything about it, did you? Not that I support his position, even though he doesn’t park like that in busy lots. My position is, if you can’t stand to see wear and tear on your vehicle, you shouldn’t be driving it around. For the record, he does some other unclassy things, too. This isn’t the extent of his “red-neck” behavior. Did I mention he isn’t that good of a friend? ---
**Author:** ![stankow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@stankow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stankow)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/3 "2002-04-22T16:17:06Z")
I generally leave a note reading “If you really tried, you could take up SIX parking spaces!” with an accompanying drawing showing how it could be done. That seems to shame people into realizing that they’re being boorish. Of course, I only do this if I have to park farther away than them. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/4 "2002-04-22T16:25:04Z")
**chrisk72** -“_One of my friends does this, but only in parking lots that are no where near capacity, and always at the back of the lot_” If this is true, then there is absolutely no NEED to do this. It’s only when people park NEXT TO YOU that you have to worry about door dings. I’ve seen two spaces taken, but never three. Either way, if people have to park further away because of this their precious vehicles are gonna get keyed. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/5 "2002-04-22T16:25:10Z")
I knew of a guy in Vancouver that would purposely key those offending vehicles. If it was really far out of the way like a totally vacant section of a parking lot, it would be spared… but if it was in a sought-after parking area, it was subject to hundreds or thousands of dollars of vandalism. He would usually tryo to leave a note under the wipers that would say something like “Sorry about keying the fuck out of your car, but if you wouldn’t have parked like an asshole it wouldn’t have happened. Have a nice day.” I don’t recall alarms even busting the guy. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/6 "2002-04-22T16:25:50Z")
I’ve never seen anybody do _three_, but I saw cars parked diagonally across _two_ spaces. They were obviously doing this because they didn’t want their precious vehicles scratched or dinged. Equally obviously, they thought their vehicles more important than those surrounding them, because they clearly felt no guilt about taking up scarce spaces. The feelings of our group was that these people were practically _begging_ some poor soul who couldn’t find a parking space to take a roofing nail to his nice new finish. ---
**Author:** ![gingersnap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@gingersnap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gingersnap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/7 "2002-04-22T16:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by chrisk72 \* > …even though it pissed you off, you didn’t do anything about it, did you?_\* I’ll take the 5th on that one. heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![gingersnap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@gingersnap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gingersnap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/8 "2002-04-22T16:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \* > \*\*I’ve never seen anybody do _three_, but I saw cars parked diagonally across _two_ spaces. They were obviously doing this because they didn’t want their precious vehicles scratched or dinged. Equally obviously, they thought their vehicles more important than those surrounding them, because they clearly felt no guilt about taking up scarce spaces. The feelings of our group was that these people were practically _begging_ some poor soul who couldn’t find a parking space to take a roofing nail to his nice new finish. \*\* Yep. I’ve also heard of the owner returning to find that his locks just don’t seem to work…the wind must have blown some toothpicks into em or sumpin… ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/9 "2002-04-22T16:34:27Z")
And once somebody carves a HUGE SCRATCH that extends the ENTIRE LENGTH of the vehicle, there really is no need to be so concerned about maintaining the finish. They can then park in a regular space just like everyone else! ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/10 "2002-04-22T17:42:40Z")
Just make sure the owner isn’t walking up to the car behind you :eek: ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/11 "2002-04-22T18:51:56Z")
I once parked my rust-bucket pickup truck so close to the driver’s door of a thus-parked itsy sportscar, it ensured that the driver would have to climb in through the passenger side. Not an easy task, I’m sure, with those tiny bucket-seats and stickshift and handbrake in the way. I returned to find a note under my windshield wiper that disparaged my upbringing and questioned my parentage. HA! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/12 "2002-04-22T18:52:58Z")
In the early 1990s, I used to drive a 1973 Toyota Corolla, which was quite a bit smaller than a modern version of the same vehicle, and whenever I’d see someone who’d pulled a stunt like that, I’d ease my 17 year old tin can with the collisison marks and rust spots carefully alongside them against the driver’s side, parallel right next to them, as close as I could squeeze in, leaving a gap the width of my thumb in crucial places. (Then I’d exit through the passenger’s side door). Did it at a university campus parking lot and came back from classes to be met by Public Safety (rent-a-cops) and a screeching fluffy-headed self-important car owner, and they threatened me with arrest as soon as they could think of what to charge me with (kidnapping was seriously suggested); they also threatened me with all kind of trouble and lawsuits and whatnot if I put a scratch in candyhead’s car’s fancy paint job. I just asked “Why didn’t you just pull straight forward? I’m not blocking you!” and proceeded to start up my car and pull out smoothly. I think the ones that park like that tend to be the ones that can’t drive. ---
**Author:** ![theleetbeagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@theleetbeagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theleetbeagle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/13 "2002-04-22T19:37:12Z")
I drive a very nice pickup truck. I always park as far back in the parking lot as I can. I normally don’t take up two spots…I just park away from everyone else. And the reason is exactly what we’re discussing: I don’t want dings in my sheet metal. The truck is wide…it takes up a full spot. Unlike a Honda parked next to a Toyota: where the doors being wide open do not touch the other car. If I park next to another car, my door will hit it. And the door hinge is on a camber so that when it opens…it kinda “springs” open. I don’t want to cause anyone else’s car any harm…but I think I’m alone. Most people don’t give a shit. So I park damned far away…and if need be, I will take up one, two, or four spaces. NJK ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/14 "2002-04-22T22:14:07Z")
GOD I despise people who park like this. We call them “diagonerds” in my family. Once Mrs. Chef and her mother and sister were going shopping and one of these self-important hollow-chested syphilitic monkey-humpers diagonerded across the last two decent spots in the lot. Mrs. Chef told me later that after they parked way in the back and trudged to the offender’s car, her sister said to her, “Boy, if we didn’t have Mom with us, I’d LOVE to do something to this jerk’s car.” And my mother-in-law, who is a sweet little old lady that never hurt anyone in her life, said, “Well… I have some Vaseline in my purse. Why don’t we smear a bunch under his door-handles?” Which they did, and then went on about their shopping, giggling mischievously. Way to GO, M.I.L.! ---
**Author:** ![Kru-baby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6bbea6/32.png) [@Kru-baby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kru-baby)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/15 "2002-04-22T22:32:24Z")
from what i hear, Vaseline does really well on a windshield too!! hehe ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/16 "2002-04-22T22:54:24Z")
or mix with metal shavings and put it on the body of the car. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-diagonally-across-3-parking-spaces/104991/17 "2002-04-22T23:37:42Z")
This is _not_ how we conduct ourselves in General Questions.