Cars parked crooked in ample sized parking spaces…
Wrong way drivers more common today than at any time in the history of driving…
Is there a chemical connection?
(and NO, I do NOT mean drugs!)
I agree cars and trucks are becoming wider, especially now the demand for wider fenders are high. Some people also customize their vehicles to look wider by installing wide-body-kits.
On you tube car reviews, people constantly complain about the tight fit of vehicles and cry about needing more space.
A 2000 Chevrolet Silverado was 79 inches wide - A 2024 Chevrolet Silverado is 81 inches wide. Not a big deal and this thread was about problems in the UK and Europe which had mostly small vehicles for years .
Granted the trucks in the US are longer and taller .
1954 Chevrolet Belair 197 L - 73 W 2020 Chevrolet Impala 201 L - 73 W
The only real difference is that just are a lot less small cars for people to buy now.
This one’s not too wide or too long. At least two easily fit o a C-17 Globemaster. Page down for the Jay Leno’s Garage review of the Beast and an interview with a couple of secret service agents, one of whom is a mechanic for the Beast.
The size of people is driving this trend. Wider cars, wider streets, wider parking spaces, there’s only so much room on the planet!
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In 1969 I was an exchange student living in Japan. One of the families I stayed with had a tiny Mazda station wagon that was so narrow that 2 Americans couldn’t fit in the front seats without having the windows rolled down and your arms sticking out.
The smallest car I’ve ever seen was a Crosby
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A '49 Crosley Hot Shot beat Ferraris, Aston Martins and MGs at the very first race held at the Sebring airfield in 1950. Had disk brakes, too. 3 years before they were on the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning Jaguar C Type in 1953.
Many years ago, the guy who owned a “collectibles” store in my town had a Crosley station wagon. He used to park it in front of his store in order to attract attention to the store.
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My dad took us to see the Cincinatti Reds play at Crosley field before it closed.
Told us the story of he and his frat brothers picking up another’s Crosley and turning it sideways in the driveway between 2 frat houses while he was sleeping.
I have a standard 18 foot wide garage door. One reason I would never buy a new $70,000 truck, is that I couldn’t get it into the garage. I have enough problem sharing the space with the wife and a little g6 and have to drive in at an angle. I stock right hand mirrors because I have already knocked three of them off trying to back out. Make a narrow truck and I might buy one.
I went on a 6th grade field trip. Biggest memory? Walking by the guy selling hot roasted nuts outside the stadium-that smell!
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One summer we took a trip to hit as many ball parks heading east as we could. If you got there early you could get good tickets. If you stayed late you could get autographs. The kid saw bob feller coming out and got his autograph. No one else knew who he was. Good trio. Since then added fenway and others. Just don’t get confused what city you are in.
I don’t think cars are getting any wider than they have been in the past. Just to add another example to @VOLVO-V70. Our old Delta 88 was listed at 79.5” not including mirrors. And our 1975 Sedan DeVille was 80”.
My brother claimed that he and 5 of his friends managed to pick up a Morris Minor, and drag it onto the sidewalk, as a prank.
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Yes I remember when my Morris was parked next to a vw, the vw looked huge.
@bing There are several Morris Minor for sale on Hemmings web site . A couple of really nice looking wagons.
Let me throw out another consideration.
Back in the 1950’s, 1960’s and early 1970’s, when land was cheap and our parking lot requirements were created, most people didn’t drive their cars for shopping so the size of the “car lot parking space” was a minimal concern.
Jump to the 1990’s and ultimate suburbia the when “door guards” were practically mandatory on every car
Today land is expensive, Big Box stores are huge and body steel is as thin as possible so is it any surprise that Big Box retailers are trying to cram the absolute maximum parking spaces into the minimal amount of land?
It’s not that car doors have become wider but because outfits like WalMart and Sam’s Club have decided to adopt the minimal requirements while outfits like my local Costco and Lowes insist on an an additional foot on either side.
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How did folks get to the stores in that era then?
Ha ha ha. Yeah I got my hemmings yesterday and I always look just out of curiosity. It was really a fun car for the few months I had it but really have little desire to add another piece of equipment at this point. Would be fun for parades if I could rent one.