Driver's dangerous move after 'unacceptable' car park act
Aussies are divided on whether they agree with the driver's aggressive response.
Viral footage of a woman claiming a parking space by standing in it has reignited a well-worn debate among Australians over the controversial act.
Though a verbal argument usually breaks out when someone attempts this move, recent dashcam footage shows a driver in Victoria ploughing his car straight into the space without stopping to ask the shopper to move first.
The clip appears to be recorded on Boxing Day according to its time caption. Known as one of the busiest shopping days of the year, many Australians were quick to defend the driver's actions, saying the man had done "what most of us want to do".
The woman, who was attempting to hold the parking spot can be seen being forced to move back, initially holding onto the front of the car before realising the driver was not going to stop. "F**k you," she yells at the driver while stepping out of the way.
"Go on, do it. I bet you'd enjoy f***king me," the man responds after parking his car.
People fell into three distinct camps while reacting to the footage
Many Aussies who watched the exchange on X, formerly known as Twitter, praised the driver who they argue was "teaching" the woman a "lesson". "There's no such thing as reserving a spot. You're either there or you're not. Simple as that," one said, with countless sharing the same sentiment.
A second group — who also don't agree with saving car spots — have nonetheless called out the driver's behaviour arguing that despite your opinion on "saving spaces" it is bad to hit someone with a car. "Driver collided with a non-moving pedestrian. Driver is 100% at fault," one person wrote. "Standing there trying to hold the spot is unacceptable," added another.
Then, there have been a small few who believe saving a car space with a human body is a fair thing to do. "The way I see it, we are a dog eat dog country. She got there first, it’s her spot".
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Years of this cheeky tactic being used to save car spaces
In 2018, dash cam footage capturing an angry stand-off in a car park after a woman ran to "save" a spot for her family while another couple tried to park in the same spot went viral, with hundreds slamming the woman for trying to reserve a car spot in such a way.
More recently, in 2022, another video went viral showing a driver reversing into a car park while two women standing in it tried to stop it, dividing opinion over whether the driver's behaviour was warranted despite the two women's "immoral" act.
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