It’s not exactly “distracted driving”, but I guess you could call it that if what the driver is distracted by is shear stupidity.
As I waited for the valet attendant to return with my 2006 Honda Odyssey, I heard a loud moan coming from down the street. It sounded a little like a wounded mountain lion. The source of the sound was moving so I knew at once it must have been a car coming down the street. I wondered what kind of idiot would be driving a car in a condition like that. My question would be answered soon enough I saw to my horror the sound was coming from my car being driven by the parking valet I had just handed my ticket to.
It turns out the valet had neglected to release the parking brake. I had pressed the brake down firmly, like I always do, and both rear wheels were completely immobilized on their journey to and from the parking spot. However, the valet wasn’t going to let a little thing like two immobilized rear wheels prevent him from doing his job. He was there to park cars and park those cars was what he was going to do.
Needless to say, my two rear tires were shot. Each had a large bald spot where they had been dragged, against their will, around the block. From now on, I plan to keep a pocket IQ test handy so I can whip it out whenever it seems like the valet attendant might be a few cards short of a full deck.
One more reason to eliminate state saftey inspection for privatly owned passenger cars in Pensylvania. It does nothing to increase highway safety and cars actually leave the inspection facilty in less safe condition than they entered.
"One more reason to eliminate state saftey inspection for privatly owned passenger cars in Pensylvania. It does nothing to increase highway safety and cars actually leave the inspection facilty in less safe condition than they entered. "
What does this thread have to do with safety inspections?
The OP was relating a tale of woe resulting from an incompetent valet parking attendant, not something related to a service facility.
In any event, whether someone supports the idea of safety inspections or not, if the technicians at a service facility are competent, cars will not leave in a less safe condition than they entered.
Would you also support the idea of not taking cars to a service facility for maintenance or repair? Following your theory to its next logical conclusion, a car would be just as likely to leave a service facility in less safe condition after brake repair, or after wheel alignment, or perhaps even after just getting an oil change. Should we stop the practice of paying service facilities to maintain and/or repair our cars?
Given the tone of the discussion, it does amuse me some that the website ad software has come up with a ``Gold Key Valet // Valet Parking’’ advert. See below.
You’re lucky. I’ve read of cases where the “valet” was actually a car theif with a colored vest.
There is no way on God’s green earth that I’d hand some totally unknown kid the keys to my car for ANY reason. I’d rather just patronize a different restaraunt.
Dang. That’s a good parking brake lol. Mine does allow a bit of slip if you really want it to move, but I drive a manual, so you would definitely know something was up when you stalled it 3 times in a row. Still don’t like valet though.
I live in a mountain village in Mexico. There are some very steep streets, here, on the order of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, probably.
There are big rocks lying along the streets, so when a car parks, a volunteer can run and put the rock behind the wheel.
My 2002 Sienna, has a really good parking brake. I push the brake on, then put the transmission in Park, and the car does not move when I take it out of park before releasing the brake, to drive off.
On the worst hills, I do cramp the wheel so if something happens, hopefully it will knock a piece out of someone’s house and not kill someone. Seven years ago, I did see an old Pepsi truck run out of control and kill a man I knew, so it is not a hypothetical fear.
