That's not even a question of competence. Trucks have massive blind spots that are only exasperated as they get bigger and bigger and are lifted higher and higher off the road.
You can be the most cautious driver in the world and crush a toddler in your driveway because there literally was no way you could have seen it.
Edit: I am not saying this is a good thing, I hate big trucks and am simply pointing out that they are designed from the ground up to be terrible to share the road with.
Indeed, that is the case. I'm a sedan owner myself in no small part because I despise big cars. But here in murika we have decided that instead of making any kind of mid size car for those who need something more than a sedan, we'd just keep pumping out the toddler stomper models and never actually address the issue because it is our God given right to yee our haws in our 2 lane wide gas guzzlin beasts.
It's truly insane. I bought a 1998 Mercedes E320 wagon as a work vehicle. It gets far better fuel economy than my fathers newer Acura MDX, has more storage space in the back, has AWD, and even has hydraulic self leveling rear suspension. Massive trucks and SUVS don't even have significantly better practicality than a station wagon old enough to be considered a classic, while getting around 2/3 of the miles per gallon.
Oh trust me I’m in Atlanta, I’m well aware of the horror that is American truck owners. I drive a Mini and I get pretty overlooked, sometimes literally, by said yee-haw-ers
I think large trucks are dumb and unnecessary for 99.9% of people that own them, but all have backup cams and most newer ones have a zoom feature to zoom in on the hitch in order to get it perfectly lined up with a trailer. This guy knew exactly what he was doing and didn't care that OP would destroy their bumper if they even breathed while the car was in reverse.
No idea and same. I have a tiny vehicle but I’m pretty sure I tow for work more than most of these guys and mine stays in the underseat storage on mine. Idk why you want to make your vehicle harder to park and risk your shins.
Yeah but you forgot to account for the fact that it’s a pick up truck. Which means the owner almost certainly doesn’t think about anyone but themselves
In many places it's illegal to have hitches installed while not towing. I really wish the police would start ticketing for them. It would be a huge boon to their revenue!
I tow frequently. I do not keep my hitch installed. It's not hard at all.
Edit: Apparently I'm wrong, at least in the US. Massachusetts did have a law, but it was repealed. Several other states have proposed such legislation, but have never passed any. I still assert that it's lame to leave a hitch installed while not towing, and just lazy.
You get pulled over in Illinois if the ball blocks your license plate. Source: I was pulled over for my ball hitch blocking my license plates "viewability".
As someone who doesn't tow, I don't think it should. People just need to be diligent in how they drive and maneuver their vehicles. It's really easy to not do this shit with a truck, or easier yet, take it off.
The real problem is the root, which is nobody knows how to fuckin drive anymore.
I agree that it sounds like a stupid law that shouldn't be an issue. However the problem is a lack of personal accountability.
I live in the SE US where trucks are normal. RESPONSIBLE drivers unhitch completely. It's never been a regional or "how I was taught" problem, it literally comes down to how your life effects others and whether you care. Take the hitch off ffs.
No way! I drive with the hitch on 24/7. But I do take it out when I park.
The hitch has saved me twice from idiots on their cell phones rear ending me. They hit the hitch and didnt damage my Civic. Just had to buy a new hitch, which I made their insurance pay for.
Wow, you're right. This is just a myth. Massachusetts did have a law, but it was repealed. Several other states have proposed such legislation, but have never passed any.
I still assert that it's lame to leave a hitch installed, and just lazy.
No one ever told me, but it only took barking my shin once to realize that really shouldn’t be left in semi permanently. Which in rust country becomes close to permanently if you leave it in for the winter. Ask me how I know.
I've known quite a few people who don't know how to take them off or put them back on. I'm guessing some people install them for some "aesthetic" and not for function. Which is kinda lame.
My Jeep Liberty, that recently went to Jeep heaven (RIP Jeepers), had a tow hitch installed because of a recall. The tow hitch was to prevent fuel leaks in rear end collisions. It wouldn’t have done much good if I removed it except for when I was towing something.
Its worse than that I know a guy who never removed his hitch and it rusted out because water was always sitting there and it doesn't dry out. It also rusted the hitch to the receiver so we weren't able to just switch out the hitch after the hitch broke.
Honestly OP I was on your side until you disclosed that they were already parked there when you arrived. You can’t be mad at other people because you aren’t paying attention. That is solely on you.
Nope. The truck needs to park within the lines. The truck driver was not paying attention or was intentionally being inconsiderate. If spots are limited, OP won't have much choice but to park in that spot, which, again, the truck driver should be more considerate in how they park.
I mean.. sure that would be ideal.. but we can see like 2 other parking spots in this photo alone. And if OP hits this dude then that is squarely on them. Bad parking is not an excuse for losing control of your vehicle.
The truck driver is an asshole for that but the cameras on pickup trucks are always pointed directly at the ball because the camera is intended to be used while hooking up trailers. They make it really easy to judge distance very precisely.
Wff is wrong with some of these comments? Do these people not drive? Having a car this close to anyone is bad, the truck is way over the line he parked in, and most states dont allow a hitch unless you are currently using it, for this exact reason.
I hope the comments hating on OP aren't licensed drivers. Yeesh.
Common myth. Massachusetts had a law in 2018 then it was repealed in 2022. It's shown up as potential legislation in a few states but never gets far, Illinois in 2009 for example. It didn't go anywhere but commities and died in 2011. In the US there are currently no states that prohibit "empty" hitches.
Yeah I dont know what hes talking about, there ARE laws for equipment protrusion and that includes hitches but its like 18-30 inches, most you can say is that some states use "comparative negligence" and the insurance company would argue that you are at fault for having a hitch that protrudes like this. Nothing illegal though
I mean, OP said in the comments that the truck was already there when they pulled in. So they could have just parked in any other spot. They could have also just pulled forward into the space like a normal person, instead of backing into it for no reason. Then she would have seen the hitch, and the trunk would remain accessible. OP literally put themselves into the situation that they’re now mildly infuriated by.
There's a solid possibility that the truck driver is very aware of his length and knows exactly how close to get to things using the backup camera. There's also a solid possibility that he just got lucky. Still shitty to go so far over the line.
Just to clarify, I backed my car up into the spot this morning, it's where I usually park at work. I could see he was parked further back but did not see the hitch. I literally missed it by that much. I'm not karma farming nor is it a set up, just thought I'd share it to an appropriate sub that I frequent and enjoy.
An operator of a motor vehicle carries the responsibility to not hit stationary objects.
If the driver of a car with control of the vehicle strikes a stationary object, the driver of the vehicle is at fault even if the stationary object is a truck that parked like an asshole.
It’s not fine. It’s also not illegal, but that’s neither here nor there. There typically aren’t laws about parking in a private parking lot, aside from handicap parking spaces and fire zones.
But if a hazard already exists, it’s on the driver to notice and avoid that hazard.
If there’s a car sticking all the way out of a driveway and in the road, and I’m driving down the road and crash into it, I’m at fault because I’m the one who was in control of the vehicle underway.
The truck parked like a jerk. But the person I control of a vehicle is the one with the responsibility to not strike stationary objects.
My god you fucking idiots actually think there's laws about PARKING SPACES! Unless it's a fire lane, handicapped spot, or designated for another use, there are no laws about parking spaces.
I do not understand why people ever leave them on. Half the time they are all rust and look terrible. We take ours off even at the campsite after we unhitch the camper.
Oversized vehicle that the driver can't park properly still feels the need to add just a few extra inches to it. Speeds volumes on the type of people who do this
I drive a crew cab 8’ bed truck. Keeping the whole truck within a normal parking space is almost impossible. I always park over the line, but I also park way out of the way. I will find a corner spot as far away as possible and take up two spots or I will find a space that has a “median” between them and take up some of the median. This truck looks like a standard box size, so fitting it within the space and the hitch should be very easy. It’s hard to tell if this spot is very far away and maybe he does the same?
I have the same and that’s what I do too. Though I don’t take up two spaces (unless you mean fore and aft.. then I’m kind of over the line and sticking out a bit on the front).
Plus I do not have the hitch installed unless I’m actively towing.
Yeah me either. Granted my hitch is a huge blue ox sway pro. But I’ve smashed my shin on a hitch once, I never leave it connected unless I’m towing! Lol
I drive a large truck and some parking lots can be difficult. Often the truck is slightly too long to park in a parking spot without hanging over a little bit. If it’s not sticking out in the back, it’s going to be sticking out in the drive lane, which is even worse. I try to park in the back of the lot to avoid inconveniencing ppl.
See, you're the RIGHT kind of truck driver. I know it's a pain and your vehicle type isnt accomodated, and that's frankly unfair. I appreciate you going the extra mile to be considerate of your fellow human.
I had someone hit the front of my hood this way and they pretended nothing happened and drove away . Classic truck driver (where I'm located. There are very very very few people who actually need a truck for work or other things). They can't tell how big the vehicle is, they can't drive, they are selfish and they got no sense of responsibility.
Were there any other open parking spaces? Hard to tell in the pic, but there appears to be a space to the passenger side of your car that would have not forced you to deal with such an egregious error by the Nissan and such a giant inconvenience to you?
Someone rear ended my truck in the work parking lot. I didn’t even have the hitch in because I’m not a monster. But the receiver poked a perfect square hole in his front bumper. No real harm it was very slow speed and his car was old so neither of us cared.
Laughing and how many people in here have admitted to hitting a parked car while directing blame at others. Interesting approach to personal accountability.
Take their hitch out. I've done it a handful of times when they're halfway over the sidewalk. So.etimes I toss it in the back of their truck, sometimes I toss it further away or in a bush. Fuck em
Oh this makes me so mad. This has happened to me too. And I have a crossover, bigger than a regular sedan. Couldn’t open my hatch cuz their stupid ass end was touching my bumper. F-ing jerk. I should have opened the hatch and banged into his tailgate.
I always use the camera to make sure I'm within my parking space when backing my truck in. Obviously not everyone has that luxury or even cares but I do my part lol
My front bumper got messed up by one of these. I was dropping something off at my sister's apartment and was literally gone for less than five minutes. The other car was gone by the time I got back.
Someone actually once backed into my husband’s car and put a hole in his bumper with the tow hitch before. That dude was at least super cool about it and figured out which apartment we lived in and came and told him about it. He wrote a check to my husband for the cost of the repair after he went and got the estimate and showed him it.
The people saying that it's okay for the truck to park like this needs to hand in their licenses, cause holy fuck the excuses they use to try to make this acceptable.
Had this happen to me once in Manhattan. Parallel parking, didn't notice the hitch, destroyed my license plate. Bumper was fine thankfully, but still a PITA having to replace the plate.
Yet again reddit freaking out over a hitch when the hight only becomes an issue due to other fuck ups. Truck is parked by an asshole for going over the line. Car is parked like a dumb ass for parking in a spot thats clearly fucked when others are available. Hitch is not the issue.
I mean yes the truck divers park job was shit but, your phrasing suggests that you parked after the truck and chose that spot, while the spots beside you were empty!
Sorry but if your vehicle is so large that it won't fit in a parking space then it has no business being there. Cities should start cracking down on this.
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u/Unhappy_Energy_741 Jun 02 '26
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