Not even sure I want to take a stab at this Lopaka, but here goes:
1. Easier to get out of the parking spot afterwards.
2. Easier to put items in trunk (from storefront sidewalk or walkway, if one exists).
3. With pickup truck, see 1 & 2 above.
Those are the "reasonable" reasons I'd guess.
Now to your question regarding why "locals" do it... tread very lightly on that one. I've watched "FOB" (fresh off the boat) tourists and recent mainland transplants exhibiting the same poor driving behavior (i.e., blocking lanes while waiting for parking spots to open, etc...). I've also seen that type of driving behavior all over the mainland. The reason that you see "locals" driving that way is, surprise, most local drivers ARE locals (by definition
).
Driving in Hawaii is a mixed bag for sure. In Hawaii you will see some of the most
courteous drivers, who will essentially stop traffic to let you pull out, and at the same time see some of the very
worst drivers (umm, the same ones stopping in heavy traffic so someone can pull out
). I learned to drive here in little Hilo (not quite so little anymore), but have also lived on the mainland for my undergrad and graduate years of college and have driven in rush hour conditions in major cities such as Los Angeles, Manhattan, San Francisco, Lima Peru (truely frightening!!), and points in between "both foreign and domestic" as an adult, so I have a large sample of "data points" for comparative driver skill and courtesy.
Hawaii ranks at the top of my unscientific list for driver courtesy, and not quite at the bottom for driver skill. I thought Manhattan drivers were probably the most skilled (and despite popular belief not overly rude
), and LA drivers generally quite skilled but almost the least courteous.
Anyway, I understand your frustration Lopaka, but it could be worse.... you could trying to commute in Lima Peru (worst & most dangerous drivers, who have transformed the use of a car horn into a noisy art form as they run red lights, turn without signaling, etc.)
Safe Driving (errr, I mean safe Diving)!