Illinois woman follows car into Panera parking lot. Then she crashes out when they don’t follow parking etiquette: ‘Valid sis’

An Illinois woman was bothered by a driver's lack of parking etiquette in the Panera Bread parking lot. But now she can't decide if it's a valid complaint or if road rage is getting the best of her. 

In a recent TikTok, Kayla (@beadlesnotbeatles) reveals the source of her beef. The other driver decided to back in at the last second. This required her to wait.

“I am well aware that I have road rage so I need to know if this is a valid complaint or not,” Kayla begins.

While following the other driver into a Panera, Kayla expected them to pull forward to park. Instead they backed in.

“I'm right behind you. Thinking that we're both going forward and then I gotta back up because I didn't realize that you wanted to back into this space,” she continues.

Adding to her frustration was the fact that the Panera Bread parking lot was empty.

“Like, there's nobody here. We could have both just pulled in straight in, but now you gotta complicate it,” she says. “Is it just me? Is this a me thing? Do I need to work on myself or is this a valid complaint?” Kayla adds. 

Her post's caption includes a confession. “Yes. I'm a chronic tailgater but does this happen to other people?” she writes.

The great parking debate: back in or pull forward?

Viewers were split about whether Kayla has a valid complaint or not. 

“Yes, it's a you thing. They don't have to change how they're parking just for you. Backing in is superior for safety,” one wrote.

A second agreed, “Always back into a parking space, especially as a woman. It's a safety thing. If you ever need to get out of a situation quickly, you want to be able to jump in your car and drive straight out.”

But some people saw it her way.

One empathized, “Nah, I know I have road rage too. Every driver pisses me off. I'm with you.”

“Valid sis,” another affirmed. 

One viewer asked the question on many minds: “Did they put their blinker on?”

“No,” Kayla replied. 

Some felt that this changed everything. As one said, “No signal, no grace in that scenario. Ridiculous.”

Team Back In To Park showed up to defend their comrade.

“Trucks can't pull in in some parking lots. We have to back in,” one argued. 

Another said, “I slowly back into every parking spot just to piss people in a hurry off.”

Is it safer to back in to park?

Backing into a space requires a little extra attention and skill to pull off. For this reason, many avoid the move entirely and just pull forward to park.

While some people may take issue with fellow drivers who back in to park, there are ways to make the experience less inconvenient and annoying.

First off, use your signal early to notify other drivers of your intentions. This lets them know to proceed with caution and gives you the extra seconds typically required to back in safely.

It's also true that backing in makes it safer to exit the parking space. You're facing oncoming traffic, so it's easier to make sure you don't inadvertently pull out in front of people.

On the other hand, when you pull forward into a space, you have to back out blindly. Modern cars' sensors and cameras make this safer than it once was. But it doesn't come without risks. Transline reports 20% of vehicle accidents take place in the parking lot.

Subplot News has contacted Kayla via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. This post will be updated if she responds.

@beadlesnotbeatles Yes I'm a chronic tailgater but does this happen to other people? #roadrage #parkinglot #panera ♬ original sound – KAYLA

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