And one more car-related thingola: side view mirrors

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

After backing up and turning onto Herbert Street (with the policemen directing traffic, thanks to the policeman, that would have been a rather difficult maneuver without them since a couple of other cars were waiting in that mess), I found a spot almost immediately on the right side of the street. A woman approached me after I had gotten out of the car and suggested that I fold my driver side rear view mirror in because she had seen half the cars on that street have broken mirrors due to folks trying to get by with less than optimal space to do so, and knocking into the rear view mirrors on the parked cars to the side of them as they went by. I don't think I would have thought of that on my own, and, judging by the folks I mentioned in the last post having their cars towed, I suspect I am not alone in that.

Comments

[kmac912.livejournal.com]

This. It happened to me last night. The drivers side mirror on my brand new car was smashed and mostly ripped off. Sniff.

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

Oh, oof! So sorry to hear that--on a brand new car, no less. That actually happened to a friend's car during the first snow emergency, but when it happened, because the broken mirror was on the passenger side, which was up against the street, he thought it was kids. Now I wonder if he just might have just not seen it til then. Luckily, we have a friend who likes to work on cars and he fixed it. I hope the repair goes as smoothly for you.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

i'd blame snow plows having seen this happen to a couple cars.

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[oneagain.livejournal.com]

I want to make sure I parsed that correctly: you have actually *seen* snow plows break rear view mirrors? Did you notice if the drivers mentally registered what they had done?

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

yes. they knew it. they cared not. got the finger once ;) it's rather too common - certain sideswiping damage that could only be caused by a plow blade - look for it as you walk along.

a friend has also had her window broken. they must've rocked the car hard. they probably just left in a hurry. "didn't happen"

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[oneagain.livejournal.com]

That's hideous. Argh.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i lost my side mirror a few years ago (i found it lying on the street next to my car), and since the car parked behind me against the curb had a gouge taken out of its door, and i lost my mirror, and we were the only casualties, and there was a pickup truck parked across the street in defiance of the snow emergency making it really difficult to navigate that part of the street, my roommate was convinced it was a plow. i'm weirdly relieved to know that you did actually witness plow damage to cars - it means she was right! - but at the same time i'm really ticked off that the plow drivers knew what they were doing and didn't give a shit.

(my side mirrors don't fold in, unfortunately. and i'm now hyper aware of how/where i park during the winter.)

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I've seen it, and it's a risk if you park way out into the road when you know they are going to be out.

[jwg.livejournal.com]

Very nice of that women to warn you.

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

Yes, very nice. If I knew where she lived, I would bake her cookies or beer bread--or something! I don't even think I was the first person she approached, and I almost wonder if she was keeping her ear out to help others. May her awesomeness come full circle right on back to her!

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

I live on Willow Ave. It has become impossibly narrow... most of the street has essentially become a one-car-at-a-time deal, so cars are needing to pull into an empty spot to let the other cars pass. In the past week, I've actually seen 2 people take off side mirrors off of cars... and just driving down the street, I can see many more side mirror casualties. I know it might be impossible, I feel like they should have a time during or after the snow emergency when you can only park on the EVEN side of the street, so that the plows can get the snowbanks on the odd side!!!

(Also, regarding the OP's previous topic about the policemen on Chester... I drove up Chester on Monday night. Right past Redbones, the cars on both sides of the street were so close to each other I had to get out and put in my side mirrors to get by. And I drive a Jetta...)

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

The weather is often such that the snowbanks that appear on the odd sides get rock hard and you need not just a plow but a power shovel of some sort to make a bunch of trips between the snow mound and some place where snow could be piled up witout effect (not so many of those in the city, either). I've seen them doing this with snow mounds around my daughter's school so that the 4 foot mounds blocking the sidewalk and generally making school dropoff unsafe for the rest of the winter, but I can't imagine they have power shovels and places to pile snow enough to do it everwhere in the city.

[thismightbejess.livejournal.com]

Last winter I lost my drivers' side mirror twice (my mirrors don't fold in). The first time it was *really* broken, and I had it repaired. The second time, after I got over my rage, I realized that the whole thing came off in one piece--still completely functional, and still attached to my car by the wires. I discovered that I can (temporarily) mount it to the side of my car, and then take it down when I park on my narrow, poorly plowed street. Detachable mirror! This comes in handy a lot of the time.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yeah, i was going to say, not everyone CAN fold in their mirrors, which really sucks. i remember once a long time ago when i first got my new (to me) car, someone passed me going the opposite way in a parking garage WAY too close and i thought they had snapped my mirror off. to my surprise, it had just folded in! i was amazed and relieved, lol, i had never had a car with folding mirrors and it didn't occur to me.

also (just too lazy to leave another comment) there was even a video going around recently of, i think a plow, going through a street where there was not enough room and instead of backing out, just kept going, fucking up everyone's car along the way. not here, maybe in ny? it's just unbelievable but it does happen, people just don't care! last time i dug out my car i discovered the grill cracked and the VW piece in the center totally broken and fallen out with big scratches as someone had clearly played bumper cars with mine trying to park on top of snow rather than shovel it first. i'm lucky it's just aesthetic but still. come on people!

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

Yup, I realize this isn't as much of a problem in the city, but my mom lives in a small town and her mailbox used to get taken out by a plow at least once per winter. They never did anything, but they had to have known! She eventually got a PO box and took down her mailbox completely.