The street outside my house is narrow and unfortunately the small driveways and garages force my neighbors to frequently park on the street. There is still enough room for two cars to pass each other – barely – but it’s close. Most of the time one of the cars will temporarily pull to the side and yield the way until the opposing car is past.
This past weekend, I was coming home from some errands and was about a half a block from my house. Another car was coming towards me and got way over – I figured I had enough room to get past the parked cars.
I didn’t. Not quite anyway. As I went past one of the cars I hear a “thunk” and realized I had hit a parked car. I pulled into my driveway and checked my car. The passenger side mirror was turned and I noted a small scratch as I rotated it back into position.
I went out and checked the car I had tagged. The driver side mirror was rotated as well. I rotated it back and noted a small scratch there as well – but it was an older car and I didn’t know if that was my doing or not.
I asked one of the neighborhood kids that was standing nearby if they knew who’s car this was and got a vague answer that it was someone that lived on the street. Which is what I pretty much assumed.
So, I went back to my house and wrote a note explaining what had happened and my contact info – then took it back and left it under the windshield wiper.
A little while later I got a call from a woman who didn’t give her name but indicated she was my neighbor and had gotten my note. She said she noticed a scratch on the car but said it wasn’t a new car and didn’t think it was a big deal – though she would have to talk to her husband. I apologized again and we ended the call – though I wondered why she called me then if she needed her husband’s input on getting it repaired. I haven’t heard back from them so I guess they aren’t going to pursue it.
I’m glad I left the note and even gladder that it wasn’t a big deal, but it makes me cranky – once again – at how fragile cars are. I wasn’t going fast and the mirrors rotated as they are supposed to and still… damage.
So, lesson learned.