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.
The steering axle is in the front. So if you back into a parking space, you turn around your back axle. This makes the alignment considerably easier, especially for tight parking spaces or crowded parking lots. If you wanted to park front first in that situation, you would have to correct several times because the turning radius is too big to get the car straight in front of the spot in one swoop.
This is exacerbated the longer your vehicle is. It is impossible to turn wide enough with my pickup truck to park forward because the front end swings too much. The more efficient car I take on normal commuting doesn’t have this issue.
When pulling out, we are often more distracted because we have just been doing something else. Conversely, when parking, we are already in driving mode so it is easy to concentrate. Pulling put forward seems safer to me, as I can see everything so less likely to have an accident.
Once you know the proper method, it’s easy and efficient. Knowing the proper method is requested to get a licence so many people don’t forget.
A big bonus is that you see where you go when leaving. So if a car comes on the street you see it.
Finally many companies have a back parking mandatory as it’s safer in case of emergency evacuation. Not an issue in a supermarket but definitely a thing on a chemical factory
Is this purely “backing in” or does nose out qualify? I have gotten in the habit of parking away from the doors wherever I go. As a result the back of the lot is usually empty, allowing me to pull through a spot to be nose out in the next. I do this because it’s so much easier to be perfectly set in the parking space. You can usually see in your rear view the lines of the space behind and perfect depth with the back up camera.
It’s easier to back into the space and it’s easier to drive out of it. The question should be why do people drive forwards into parking bays and then struggle to back out?
the easy part of driving is manoeuvring the vehicle… the hard part is dealing with shit drivers… reversing out is reversing into an unknown situation on a high(er) speed road full of shit drivers
So you are imagining parking spaces along a road, or perhaps a driveway connected to a road? I’m imagining a parking lot or parking garage. I should have been more specific. I’m thinking of parking lots only. This is not a road.
parking spaces like that too: they’re not high speed, but people are often distracted, there are pedestrians wandering around… lots of unknowns you’re reversing into
and you’re looking from the front of your car out toward the back of your car, where you vision is often blocked on either side… worst case scenario you have a truck either side of you in which case you literally can’t see more than a few degrees angle past the back corner of your car in either direction
Same here. I have no idea what everyone is talking about. Backing in is so much more stressful and not doing it has literally never caused me a problem.
Have you ever seen a forklift? Ever noticed that it steers with the back wheels? That’s because it’s easier to maneuver at low speeds, in tight spots, with rear wheel steering. Since you’re driving backwards, you’re giving yourself rear wheel steering.
I have a tiny car and no backup camera; it’s much easier for me to pull forward with the front-facing visibility of navigating a tight parking space and then just go straight back for a bit and have some clearance when getting out.
Personal preference and all but it just works. The time I would spend trying to get backing in just right isn’t worth my inconvenience and the inconvenience to others behind me as they wait.
And yes, I can parallel park when the time calls for it, it’s not my favorite thing to do though.
You don’t need a camera for backing in, though. If you look in your mirrors and you see that your own car doesn’t cover the side of the car next to you, you’re good to go.
You’re going to reverse when you leave, in the end you have to reverse anyway!
You’re just out of practice, I was a valet for 10 years, reverse parking was an obligation, majority of cars didn’t have a camera, zero scratch to my record.
I only occasionally drive into a space if I’m out shopping for groceries. So many times have I come back to find that I can’t load my bags into the car because someone has parked so close to the rear of my car.
I just hate that I have to do this because no doubt the biggest SUV with tinted windows will park along side me and reduce my visibility to that of a mole-rat.
I just started learning to drive a year ago and I’m 40 years old. I can reverse park and get it in there in the first try.
The way I was taught was to align my left/right mirror to the line two spaces away from where I was planning on reversing into. I use the mirror/windows as a guide and I’m done.
I think you can do it, just gotta get the practice in. I mean, that’s only if you care enough. If you’re happy with where you’re at that fine.
In addition to the ease with front wheel drives that other people have mentioned, it is also safer. When you back in to a space you have full awareness of what's around you in the car park, and are blocking the main driving route while backing into a place where no one is driving so are unlikely to have some speeding idiot hit your car. But when backing out of a space you lose vision on the driving route and are backing into it so you have a bigger chance of being hit by someone you can't see not stopping
While you can feel pressured by other drivers waiting while you backing into a space, it's far less pressure than when you back out of a space and don't know what's around you.
Similarly if you have a drive way at home, it's safer to back in to it as you have better awareness of pedestrians and other drivers versus if you are backing out of the space into a road.
I prefer parking for a quicker exit, but if the particular parking spot is too narrow or there's a lot of traffic in the lot I'll just park normal no big deal
Lots of people with sound, logical explanations of why it’s better and easier but nobody talking about, with the common angled parking lots these days, how you then end up pulling out the opposite direction of everyone else and going the wrong way down a one way lane or doing a u-turn and basically fucking everything up for anyone else.
Where I live, people give zero fucks about which direction the spaces are aligned. Even with giant arrows painted on the lanes, they will drive down the wrong way every damn time. I will stop my car and wait for their dumb asses to back up the way they came before I move. I could honestly care less which way you go into a parking spot, but driving the wrong way on one way lanes drives me insane.
I mean, those are lots in which I wouldn’t back in. Aside from the points you made, angled parking lots eliminate the drawbacks of pulling in. There’s better rear visibility towards one-way traffic, and the angle makes the alignment issue disappear.
I’m assuming all the arguments in favor of backing into parking spots are geared towards parking spots perpendicular to traffic.
Yeah I’m sure there are plenty of people who have the sense to think it through like you did, it’s just that I encounter the other type a couple times a week and felt like bitching about it.
Back-in-only spaces with the arrows pointed accordingly is sounding more and more like a superior solution.
Safety, driving out of a parking space is safe than reversing out. Also every company I’ve worked for has had a reverse parking only policy, also for safety reasons, so it’s habit too.
I can do it as fast after years of valet as a teenager, and its easier to make sure I’m centered since I can see the lines in my mirrors.
It’s easier and quicker to get out, you never know if reversing out of a spot is going to be feasible and the visibility might not be as good when trying to exit.
True, but if you see the lines in your mirror, you have them adjusted wrong! Try adjusting them to see your blind spot. It takes a while to get used to it but it’s a game changer.
Oh, that’s cool! But one should still cover the blind spots with side mirrors instead of seeing what’s behind you, as you already have one that does this!
i have legitimately never heard a single positive thing about HOAs. i don’t think they exist in australia?… like we have owners corporations and stratas but i think they don’t have nearly the same power
Honestly, they're kinda stupid and should have a mandatory end or review date, mine has stupid clauses like you can't park a commerical vehicle within visibility of the street and restricts the material used for fencing etc
It’s so they can repossess your car if you’re behind on payments or don’t update your registration after it expires. They literally hire a towing company to drive around the parking lot and look for vehicles to take. I don’t understand why the HOA cares.
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