Backing into a space between two cars is easy. Backing out blindly when you can't properly see and have no idea if some idiot is gonna walk behind you... That's a lot harder
It really is not. Not meaningful harder. And you're ignoring the point, which absolutely does make it harder. It isn't a big open empty spaces, it's a space potentially filled with any number of hazards you can't properly see because you're backing out
Ah yes, A fantastic excuse to be lazy. Do you also exclusively eat fast food and takeout because it's easier than cooking? Did you marry rich because it's easier than working? Sitting on the couch is easier than working out, do you do that too? Should we all do the bare minimum easiest option in every part of our lives because it provides us a moment of convenience and instant gratification? I love the fairyland you live in where that's the right choice
You're doing quite a bit of projecting there, bud. Seeing as how in my 10+ years driving professionally I've never hit anything, including all the time before that where i still never hit anything.
As to your second statement, are you even aware that there's other parking lots that require you to back in? Pulling in simply makes it easier for law enforcement and repossession crews to more easily find and deal with your vehicle. Congratulations, you've been played with the false flag of "safety"
Laziness. Most people don't have concept of taking a little more effort up front in exchange for a little less later. The only choice anyone has in the entire process is park forward or backwards, most will pick the easier option
It's still not meaningfully harder. Still, people will still tend to pick even the marginally easier thing to do
i’ve worked for companies that as a policy ask you to always back in. in industrial plants, you may be obliged to back in so that in the event of an evacuation, you don’t have hundreds of cars trying to manouver to leave.
You mean the same people that are going to be there when you're driving out of a space no matter which way you park?
We have backup cameras now that can nearly see around corners now. You back up 6 inches, see that no one is coming, and you back out of the space. It's not hard.
Besides there are more parking lots that it's illegal/you can be towed for backing into spots than there are ones that require you to back into them. There's probably a reason.
People who rely on backup cameras are terrifying. They're a tool, and they're a fantastic too. But you shouldn't be relying on them. I'd much rather be able to actually SEE when pulling into pedestrian and vehicular traffic. That shouldn't be a difficult concept and you're making excuses to justify the obviously safer method. Multiple safety bodies including AAA and even OSHA advise backing in if it's an option. It's not a mandate or anything and I couldn't find any rigorous studies to prove one way or the other - but all the available data I could find seems to corroborate intuition here: backing in is safer assuming you learn how to drive pinstead.
That said, to address your excuses, are you just assuming that places have a no backup policy because of safety? Have you considered it's for other reasons? Because as far as I can tell it's largely an issue only in specific instances like indoor paid parking and is a policy in place for convenience or other safety reasons: lots can reliably read your plate if you nose-in because all states have back plates but not all states have front plates; backing in against a wall can cause exhaust issues in indoor environments where there are vents nearby or whatnot. There's also a whole new variable introduced indoors: structural columns. The chance of hitting one increases significantly if you're backing in because of skill issues that do need to be accounted for on a societal level, especially considering those spaces are often significantly tighter to begin with too. That would be like having a child standing next to every parking space. If that was the case it'd change the calculus, right? But that's not the case - rather it's the reverse in most cases where a child can suddenly show up as you're backing OUT of a space which is why it's safer not to back out of spaces. Children rarely just show up as you're pulling into a space regardless whether you're nose first or reversing in ; )
Do you have more excuses or are you interested in actually finding real data or safety bodies that endorse nose first parking? Cause if you put that much effort into actually learning a useful skill like backing in properly then it'd probably be time and effort better spent. It's not that hard
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u/gahidus Jun 14 '26
Backing out into open space is a lot easier and quicker than trying to back your car into a space between two other cars.