The most dangerous places in Delco

A recent incident that made its way onto our front page only reinforced something I've been convinced of now for a long time.

Is there a more dangerous place than Wawa parking lots?

That's even more so with the Delco convenience store icon's new super stores that feature gas pumps. Between people jockeying to get in and out of parking spots, as people try to maneuver into the gas pumps, it's a jungle out there.

I can't tell you how many times I've see people blithely walk to their cars with their 'Gottahavva' cup of Wawa coffee and shorti, jump behind the wheel, and back out of a parking spot without so much as glance at what is behind them.

Now I have to admit that I got spoiled all those years in Primos. We could walk the block to what we always considered our very own personal Wawa for our nourishment.

Now that we are in Swarthmore (yes, technically it's in Springfield!) I sometimes get in the car and make a short jaunt to the Wawa on Fairview Road, just a block away from MacDade. Yes, it's one of the old-style Wawas that I dearly love. But I have an issue with it. It might just be the most dangerous parking lot I've ever encountered. I literally hold my breath some days trying to get in and out of the place in one piece.

Of course I've been thinking of this because of an incident that occurred in the Wawa parking lot at Baltimore Pike near Bishop Avenue in Upper Darby. An altercation there between two drivers quickly escalated into something very ugly, including ethnic slurs, according to police. One driver now actually faces charges of ethnic intimidation.

Making this even more bizarre is another habit I've noticed at Wawas. People are always more than willing to hold the door for you as you enter and exit. I always hold the door, and people always seem very appreciative.

Then they climb back behind the wheel of their SUVS and turn into monsters again.

Let me know if you agree, post a comment if you had a particularly harrowing experience.

I'm now ready to start a new holiday campaign.

Let there be peace ... in Wawa parking lots.