To me, it seems objectively easier to pull into a parking space forward and then back out of the space when you are ready to leave. You don’t have to line up with the lines while driving backwards, and it’s easier to keep from hitting other cars as well. So why back in? To me, the only advantage I can think of is that you can get out quicker, technically.
Edit: I do not need driving instruction, just wondered why. The reasoning.
Its easier to to reverse because you can see better with the camera and mirrors. Its also safer to leave the spot driving forward instead of backing into oncoming traffic.
If I’m out at retail I’ll just pull through, but at home I prefer to back into my driveway. My wife’s stupid SUV blocks all sight of the street when I’m getting out of my driveway, so I don’t like backing out of it since I’m blind until it’s almost too late. Backing in to park is the only option and I do it so much I barely think about it. That and we sometimes have kids playing out in the streets in our neighborhood, so I don’t want to take a chance on that.
It’s easier. You need enough room for the nose to swing around because the front wheels follow a wider trajectory than the rear wheels. The access road is usually much wider than the parking spots, so backing into the spot gives you much more room to maneuver.
You also have much better visibility overall. If you go in nose first, you can’t see the front corners of your car, and you also have terrible visibility when backing out of the spot. If you back in, the mirrors show you exactly how close you are to the cars around you, and you have an unobstructed view when you leave.
Much easier to back into a spot compared to pulling in, safer to pull out. And it doesn’t take much longer. Once you know how to do it it’s very very quick
Especially in tight carparks, it's much easier to get both in and out with a large vehicle. Plus you can see much better which on a car with no reverse camera is a big plus.
Safety - pure and simple. Visibility is much poorer in reverse an you are more likely to hit someone or something you can’t see - and there a lots less potential hazards like cars zooming past or an errant pedestrian (especially children) in an empty parking spot than there will be in the pathway / roadway when it comes time to leave.
I find it easier to backwards park, especially in tighter spaces. Mostly because it’s easier if you look properly and watch your mirrors and don’t rush. It’s also easier to leave because you’ve got better line of sight for oncoming traffic
When I am entering a space I have 360° visibility. I see all, I know all. I can therefore make a calm and practiced motion while being fully aware of my surroundings as I park.
When I am leaving the space my view is inherently restricted. If I am pointing out I can see to both sides, see oncoming and same side traffic, see pedestrians, and see even more as I pull out of the spot.
If I am pulling out in reverse I can see far less. I have a very twisty neck so I can see behind me (180°) plus another maybe 40°, leaving me with an 80° view, but it is from the opposite end of the car space so it is narrowed. As I pull out I see more, but the whole time it is more narrow. I can’t see the rear of vehicle and I certainly can’t see far to either side of the vehicle at the road level.
So I think the key is thinking about your worst visibility. I think the overall visibility is better when I reverse in to the space and drive straight out when compared with driving directly in and reversing out. I think I can see small people and kids better over the bonnet of the car rather than out the rear window and I think I can react better to the situation when I am reversing in than when I am reversing out.
They actually teach reverse parking as part of driving instruction here in the UK because, as many people have pointed out, it’s safer, easier and more convenient.
Listen. Some of us are looking forward. To the Future. The future of pulling out of that parking spot. Not my fault if you stuck in the rear-view, my guy.
I always tell my wife that anyone backing in is an idiot lol I find it funny these people think they are fancy. It’s just silly. Takes more time and doesn’t really make it easier to pull out especially not in a one way parking lot where I see people still do this 🤦
if you think it takes more time, or that it doesn’t make it easier to pull out then you sir don’t know how to reverse park and are so wrong that i’m not sure you have ever reverse parked
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