Car Stereos - Waaaayyyyy Too Loud!!

I live on a street that has parallel parking. There really are not enough spaces for all the people on the street who have cars but we have what we have. Funny thing is that if there is ever only one spot left on the block it is usually in front of my house. Now, most people would think that is a good thing for me and I guess if we did not have alternate side parking it would be. Then I would always park in front on my house. But we do have alternate side parking and so like everyone else on the block I move my car from one side to the other, away from the spot in front of my house. And it disturbs me to see that spot vacant, not because I can't use it but because it will inevitably be the one spot where that person who has the massive speakers in their car comes to park. No, they won't just park and get out of the car. They'll park and sit. They'll sit because a good song was on and they wanted to hear the rest of it. They'll sit because they're on the cell phone having a conversation they wanted to finish. This phenomenon alone is interesting considering you'd think the person on the other end couldn't hear over the music. They sit because they don't live there. They just came to pick out someone and the person they're picking up couldn't be courteous enough to be waiting outside or even near the door. They sit because they came to visit someone and the visit actually takes place in the car, in front of your house, with the music blasting. Well, how can they hold a conversation in a car with such loud music playing. I guess they simply yell at each other. But then that would accout for the fact that people talk so loudly to each other. They can barely hear anymore.

So, how do you handle that?

Sometimes I politely go out and ask the person to turn down their music. Some would see this as confrontational and I guess it is. My hope is generally that politeness will win out over the feeling of being confronted. On the occasions that I've tried this it has generally worked. Not saying that people are happy with my request, however they generally acquiesce. On other occasions I've simply bared it, hoping that it wouldn't last long. Sometimes I get lucky with this method and it doesn't and sometimes my wait is miserably longer than I anticipated. Still other times, if it is loud enough, I've called the cops. Now this, of course, isn't the preferred way to go but sometimes you have to do what you have to do for your own sanity. After all, you might as well get some use of the taxes you pay because they're going to keep taking them.

The important thing to think about before you take any action is that you have to assess each and every situation for yourself. You have to give serious thought to what the repercussions of your action might be and be ready to deal with them. But no matter what you do...handle that in a way that suits you.