'No dilly dallying': Fierce debate erupts over parking lot etiquette

"Once you are in the car you are fair game." Thoughts?

Laura Jackel

3 min read

July 4, 2024 - 5:26PM

Abbie Chatfield shares parking etiquette dilemma

Lifestyle

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Taking a few minutes to sit in your car to enjoy a coffee and a scroll after a shopping trip or gym class, could be viewed as a moment of self-care.

But what if these peaceful few minutes alone happen to be during a busy time of day where other stressed-out drivers are coveting your prime parking spot?

Is it okay to sit and scroll in your own car, or is it actually time to put your foot down and let someone else have the space?

Twenty-nine-year-old TV personality and podcaster Abbie Chatfield started a debate this week after sharing she was "beeped at" while taking a few minutes to recover from yoga in her parked car.

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Image: iStock / Instagram @abbiechatfield

"Am I wrong?"

“Am I wrong to think people shouldn't beep you when you get in your car, and you're not ready to go?” The star says in her TikTok clip.

“I don't know. Like, I actually think that it's so f*&%$%g rude.”

Abbie explains how she felt a bit ill and so picked up a snack of some guacamole and chips to eat in peace before the unwelcome interruption from another driver.

“I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my chips. Trying to get some sort of food into me before I start driving because I’m shaking and I'm dizzy and I'm premenstrual.

“And this person, they just left, was sitting there beeping at me! So I paid for an hour and 27 minutes and that ends in three minutes. I will sit here and eat my guac and chips and I don’t have to move because you can't find a car park. I'm sorry that you're late. I'm sorry.

"Am I wrong?” she asks in conclusion.

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"A guy in a Tesla"

Viewed hundreds of thousands of times across social media, many of Abbie’s fans shared similar experiences of being hustled out of a parking spot.

“I had my newborn twins and my 15 month toddler and some guy in a Tesla was beeping for me to hurry up loading everyone in the car,” one mum posted.

“So I walked back into the shops and got a coffee.”

Another added: “I had someone beep at me because I was in the disability spot (I have a sticker) and my dad had to get out with his crutches to yell at them.”

The debate raged on across Abbie’s socials and in the Kidspot office, no one could agree on what the right etiquette was. Although everyone had strong opinions.

As an advocate for sitting in my peaceful car with a snack, I was on team Abbie all the way, but not all my colleagues agreed.

“I hate it when people get in their cars and f*&k around,” Em shared from the driver's perspective.

“Once you are in the car you are fair game,” she continued but confirmed she has different rules for if you are just arriving at the shops.

“Weirdly it's fine if you haven't gotten out of the car YET. It is your parking spot and you can take some time. But once you've done your shopping and you're back in the car, it's time to vamoose. No dilly dallying.”

"I don't like being followed"

Carly had mixed feelings.

“I don't like being followed by a car. I should be allowed to drop shopping bags off and sit in the car while my partner gets a quick haircut without someone turning their blinker on.

"But at the same time... when I'm waiting for others to drive off, I'm like, 'what could you possibly be doing?!'

As a mum, Liz was not happy feeling pressured to get a move on by fellow drivers.

“I hated when I had the kids and the pram and someone was waiting and staring at you to hurry up.”

"The anxiety is real"

Finally, Carly had a solution for how to take a moment for yourself in your parked car while not upsetting drivers looking for a space: “I did sit in the passenger seat once when I was the one driving. For this very reason. The anxiety is real!”

Perhaps Abbie can try this sneaky move next time she sits in her car to avoid impatient drivers - and enjoy those chips in peace.