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| From motorcloud.net |
My wife and I call them snugglers - a term which came down to us from Yorkshire. You park your car in an almost empty car park, but when you return it is quite common to find a snuggler has parked next to you in spite of all the empty spaces. Why is that?
One possibility is that some people use another car to guide them into the parking bay. They can't see the lines and don't have the spatial awareness to park without lining themselves up with something visible such as your car.
Are there other possibilities?
9 comments:
I wish I knew the answer but I always try to park somewhere with space around me and return to find someone parked right up against me. I think it is because I am either magnetic or invisible.
Your hypothesis seems reasonable. There might be a deeper psychological process happening, though. Something along the lines of herd behaviour providing protection. "If they have parked there, it's probably OK if I park near there too..." If I turned up at the usual car park at a time when I expected it to be crowded, and found it absolutely deserted - would I think twice about parking there at all? Maybe I missed something like a sign saying it was closed, or the bomb scare reported on the radio. We snuggle to escape the chilly wind of being an outlier who takes risks...
Putsborough beach, in North Devon is several hundred acres of lovely sand.
We popped down right in the middle of a nearly deserted sunny swathe and a couple and their children came and plonked themselves right next to us!
Amazing, as they didn't even notice us toddling off...
And as for parking, it's a rule at Bedgebury Pinetum that you have to park next to another car, preferably blocking off access to the driver's door!
This is true! I always try to park in a ‘clear’ area to make opening the doors and getting out and in as easy as possible only to return and find that, despite the car park still being almost deserted, my motor is being tightly cuddled. You think the government would fund a study into this if the word ‘Climate’ could be worked into the title?
Graeme - magnetic in a psychological sense is my guess, as in Sam's comment.
Sam - I think you are probably right, especially if the car park is almost empty and visually forbidding. Hints of dereliction for example.
Michael - I've seen it on beaches too - and caravan sites.
Mac - if you could work in the word 'climate' you would probably get lots of funding.
A need to be liked? A lonely spirit looking for another? Someone who isn't wearing their glasses. Call a symposium or apply for a research grant.
Demetrius - perhaps they are the researchers!
I put it on my facebook page and hgot this interesting reaction:
Once cars are left alone they naturally seek companionship. A Cambridge study has shown that when cars are parked more than 3 spots away, like people, they will huddle together in order to satisfy their Maslow's needs.
Graeme - sounds feasible, but wait until one of them complains about their personal space being invaded and starts muttering about harassment.
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