I just moved to Australia from America and I can’t get over one common carpark act here: ‘I fear for my life’

An American expat living in Australia was in disbelief over a “shocking” parking incident he had never experienced at home.

The man, who lives in Queensland, noticed that Aussies tend to drive fast in car parks and are ‘out for blood’ if they park close to the entrance.

He also noticed that the parks are smaller than those at home.

“So I recently moved to Australia from the US. “I’m absolutely in love with this country and think it’s paradise compared to America, but I’m shocked at how people drive in parking garages,” the man wrote on Reddit.

‘Why do most Australians drive into car parks like they are out for blood? Even in busy places, such as shopping centers, you have to drive 40 km.

‘Since I moved to Australia, the ONLY place I fear for my life is a car park.’

Aussies admitted there was a sticky parking culture but could not pinpoint a reason behind the road rage.

There seems to be a divide among motorists who either look for a parking space close to the entrance or prefer to quickly secure a parking space and cover the distance on foot.

“There’s definitely a strange parking culture here in Australia. I’m in the “park in the middle of nowhere-I don’t care” camp and my husband is in the “must park as close as humanly possible to the entrance,” someone said.

‘We will never understand each other’s motivations. I wish people would calm down. They get so angry about spots or blocking lanes. Everyone just needs relaxation! The stores aren’t going anywhere.”

Another said: ‘I’m Australian and I have no idea. I had someone make fun of me for using my turn signal in a parking lot. I pointed out that others can no more read my thoughts in a parking lot than they can on the road.’

A third said: ‘I’ll try to park far away in a less popular area before going for a few laps. If I still can’t find a park, I’ll go out and go to a side street somewhere, it’s not worth the hassle.

“I don’t like people sitting in a lane waiting for a returning customer which impedes the flow of traffic and sometimes they sit behind your car while you’re trying to back up and they don’t care if you try to signal you want to leave.’

“Since moving to Australia, the ONLY place I fear for my life is a parking lot,” he wrote on Reddit (stock image)

The man was not the first expat to notice the behavior.

“Brit here, so many times have I had obscenities shouted at me, or some idiot rammed into the back of my car while I was slowly crawling out of a room,” said another.

“I’ve driven pretty much all over the world and can honestly say that Oz has by far the worst attitude on the road.”

Someone else said: ‘I’m from the UK and I find it frustrating that no one ever wants to let you out of a car park.

‘Whether that’s the supermarket, a shopping center or parking on the street. You can be almost completely out of a room and still someone just drives around you instead of waiting for you to drive away.”

The speed limit in all car parks and shared zones must be 10 km, with clear signage to inform motorists, especially when approaching speed bumps.

Research shows that car park collisions are more common during hectic times of year, such as Christmas and Easter.

AAMI Motor Claims Manager Leah James shared Driving force In these times, the shopping center is transforming into ‘the Hunger Games of parking’.