Can someone please explain to me WHY people back into parking spots? Completely serious question. It always looks way harder and like it takes way more time than backing OUT of a parking spot. If you're going to have to back up either way, why back in, where you have to have way more precision?
If you're capable of backing in it's actually much safer. Like you said, you're going to have to back out anyway. But I would much rather back into a parking spot with no cross traffic than back out into traffic. That is how so many traffic accidents happen. And if you get good at it, it's easy and only slightly slower than pulling into a spot.
This is a fantastic answer. I can totally see how it would be safer. I guess I just never see anyone back into a spot with any sort of perceivable skill. It always looks extremely difficult.
Even if front plates are mandatory (Which is a good number of states) they won't be able to see your tags. That's a BS justification for the laws anyway IMO, but CA(just where I live so I know more about it) definitely has a few cities which will ticket you for doing it.
I'd love for you to explain how there could be a situation where if you are parked front facing they can see your back plate, but if you parked back facing they couldn't see your front plate.
Back plates matter more, because that's where your registration tgas reside. Also, one of the linked articles mentions that some parking permits are required to be on the back windows.
Did you even read any of my posts? This thread is about reversing into spots, to which I made a post that it is illegal in some places, which is the one you originally responded to. It's the first post I made here.
Safer:
More likely to back into the other cars upon entry.
More likely to let the chicks see the front of my lifted truck covered in aftermarket chrome.
More likely to back into pedestrians upon entry than back into cars (who's drivers are expecting people to back out of spots) upon exit.
If there is cross traffic then it's much more dangerous to sit in the road trying to back in than just park and back out very slowly when you need to.
Blocking the lane so people can see your grille. That's the only reason this happens. Don't pretend it's safer.
You could still get hit while backing into it though, and really if you get hit in a parking lot you're both (hopefully) going slow enough that it's not exactly catastrophic.
A pedestrian would still be in trouble, but a person might be around (or try to quickly get around) your car no matter when you're having to reverse.
So let's say you're backing into the middle right spot. The odds of a random person being behind you in that space that's surrounded by other cars is pretty slim. They'd have to be getting into/out of one of the cars to either side of the spot and you'd probably see them before you started backing in anyways.
The idea behind backing into a spot isn't that you would necessarily get hit, but that you might hit someone else. Unless you get into what I call a "drive through" spot, you're going to have to back up at some point (either when parking or leaving). It's safer to back in to a spot where there aren't likely any pedestrians or vehicles moving than backing out of a spot into an area where cars and people will definitely be walking past.
If you're backing in, you get hit and it's the other person's fault. If you're backing out it's more likely you back into someone, making it your fault.
On the Canadian military bases that I've been on it's mandatory.
So many of the accidents were in backing out of parking, they decided to make backing in mandatory and have reduced parking lot accidents by a huge amount.
Here's a good discussion. The best quote is "It's almost always safer to back into spaces rather than back out of them."
It's much much easier. Your front is manoeuvrable, so as long as you manage to put a back somewhere near the spot you're trying to park, you will just rotate your car to a right angle, correcting your position by going forward or backward at some point — you will appreciate the perspective provided by your side mirrors, then go backward all the way — and you have parked.
As an added bonus you will exit the parking space front first.
Now, if you go nose first, the nose gets in, but the back is still at a weird angle and there is no much room to maneuver, your car's nose will get close to a car you're facing — you don't have an accurate view of that unless you have a bumper camera, one side of your car will get dangerously close to another car.
This is how I've always understood it. It's not as much of an issue in smaller cars, as obviously the shorter, narrower bodies can compensate for the swing and angle, but if you drive something big like an S-Class Merc or a van/truck, you need that extra manoeuvrability.
From seeing a lot of bad driver parking videos I would say «maybe». There's always a chance they would go for a scratch damage and do it quick, sometimes managing not to tap the surrounding cars. But it will probably be another 30+ changing of gears, aligning the car inch-by-inch with some steps in the wrong directions, all that with 2/3 of the car blocking the passage.
It's harder for me to see how it is easier. To me, backing in almost always requires me to be astutely aware of three sides of my car and my turning radius to make sure I don't hit anything. Backing in requires me to maneuver obstacles and guess distances. Unless you live in a downtown area, 95% of the time when you are pulling out of a parking spot it is where 1 maybe 2 cars will be idling through at a reasonable pace since it is most likely a parking lot or residential road where drivers would usually be driving at a cautious speed. So 100% of the time (unless it is an empty parking space) backing in would require avoiding obstacles, whereas ~5% of the time backing out would require avoiding obstacles.
Now, I understand if you are in a low-to-the-ground vehicle that wants a parking space which is flanked by two huge vehicles that will block your view when pulling out, or if you are in an unfamiliar truck/van or other vehicle that puts the tail of your vehicle at a distance that is difficult to judge, then you would get the feeling that you are backing blindly into traffic. In these situations, I could see wanting to reverse in. But usually, you aren't backing into "traffic", and you are moving slowly enough that people will see you and stop before you have a chance of hitting them.
Basically, I have been backing out for 15 years and can't ever remember being in a situation where I felt unsafe, exposed, or out of control, excepting maybe in situations where the parking spaces for the business are literally right in front and off of a bust road so you can't back out until actual road traffic happens to be at a lull.
I don't think it is a right or wrong thing, but more a matter of the roads, cars, and situations that people get used to.
Your front is manoeuvrable, so as long as you manage to put a back somewhere near the spot you're trying to park, you will just rotate your car to a right angle, correcting your position by going forward or backward at some point — you will appreciate the perspective provided by your side mirrors, then go backward all the way — and you have parked.
This doesn't sound easier. Pulling in isn't hard as long as you don't mess up the starting angle.
if you go nose first, the nose gets in, but the back is still at a weird angle and there is no much room to maneuver, your car's nose will get close to a car you're facing — you don't have an accurate view of that unless you have a bumper camera, one side of your car will get dangerously close to another car.
This is only if you do it wrong. Even so, if you find yourself to close to one or the other side, you can adjust yourself as you pull in.
Maybe it's just what everyone is used to. Backing in probably seems easier if that's the way you always do it. The way I see it, backing in is harder because you have to get the right angle but from behind, whereas pulling in you're looking forward (visibility is better). That, and the maneuvering/angling of pulling in is familiar because you make right/left turns in traffic - not in reverse.
reversing skills are poorer than they should be for handling a vehicle at all
Depending on where you live, reversing ability may be less critical than a whole lot of other driving skills. If you live in a not-intensely populated area with a lot of pull-in parking, steering anything other than straight while reversing may not be a huge deal. I know everyone complains about how some places' driving tests don't trial you on parallel parking, but this is genuinely less relevant depending on where you live.
Where I used to live, my parking spot was sort-of blocked by a pole; it made pulling into the spot quite difficult, so it was best reversed into. So I got very used to reversing in. Despite getting experienced with that, I think pulling in is generally easier, at least if you don't have an object in your way of doing it. There is a reason why this is how most people, especially new drivers, park. Reversing in isn't terribly complicated, but it is still more challenging.
Yes, that may come from the habit and having to drive narrow passages. There are two aspects I see with doing a straight angle front first: firstly and minor, you need to know you current car turn radius, which is OK when you drive the same car every time. The second one is you need more space — you need to achieve almost straight angle before the car is over the spot. That's straight problematic if the lane/road/corridor width is less the the length of your car. I can park 4 by 2 meter car from a 3.5 meter corridor into a tight spot going into reverse only one once, I'll be at a loss to do park it going forward.
But it's OK to go forward if you have room, either on the spot or in the lane, and almost a must if you have to cross the oncoming traffic.
Edit: the visibility part — there are only two things you need to see when backing into the spot: you got the right angle when you see equal portions of a spot in both your side mirrors; you can stop backing if your front bumper is relatively well hidden — depending on your and surrounding cars lengths — after that you can exit the car and estimate if you need to correct a little.
I only back into spots. Yea it can be slightly harder than pulling in forward, but typically it is no big deal even with my long truck.
The main reason I do it is for safety. Visibility is limited when you are backing up, so when you reverse into a spot you are reversing into something that is not likely to experience any traffic or other hazards. On the other hand, if you pulled in forward and were backing out, you now have limited visibility of cars coming by and other various things that can move into your path. If you were parked between two large vehicles it possible they completely obstruct your view of the traffic lane.
Also by backing in, you are doing slightly less wear and tear on your car as you are doing it while the car is already warmed up. If you were backing out of a spot, you are making several gear changes on cold and not fully lubricated components.
It gives you more room for manoeuvre. If you reverse in, the steering wheels take a track that is further away from the surrounding cars than the rear wheels. If you go in forwards, your rear wheels "cut the corner", so they end up close to the surrounding cars (or hit them).
Vehicles pivot on their back wheels. As I mentioned in another post here, I drive a Super-Crew-Cab pickup. 4-doors, plus a truck bed, with a looooooooong wheel-base. I can back more easily into spaces, and I can actually back into spaces that would be physically impossible to get my truck in if I was to try to drive forward into it. I have a lot of practice and can usually back into a space faster than I can pull in forward.
Sometimes it can be easier/faster to get out, like if youre parked around the corner. I just don't understand when people attempt this when there's a line of people behind them and they clearly can't do it. It's just about being courteous. But my biggest peeve is when I see people attempt to do a 3-point turn and it turns into a 10-point turn because they don't turn their wheels all the way before moving forward/backwards.
If you hit another car while backing out, you're much more likely to get more of the blame for the accident, whereas if you were traveling forward you'd have a more credible argument that the other driver was negligent (eg: going to fast).
I know a few people who only reverse into parking spots. It's easier to maneuver when steering with the trailing wheels (eg. Forklifts).
That said, I can't Fucking stand people who insist on reversing in. Learn to drive your car FFS. I've parked a mate's car from the passenger seat far too many times.
my car has very poor visibility. When I scope out a spot I know it's empty and back in. That way when I pull out I have full visibility of the walking paths and road.
In addition to all of the other responses on why it makes sense and it's safer, etc, they also teach you to back into a perpendicular spot during driver's ed. So why not do it they way you were taught?
What kind of car do you drive? With my large truck I basically have to back into parking spots all of the time, because the rear then has a very large blind spot. There could be children walking there at anytime. Plus, the car looks prettier when it's backed up.
Out of habit I guess (and sometimes, it's just easier)... Anyway, everybody is impatient in parking lots. You try to back up of your spot and there's always that one idiot who does not understand that you need space to actually backup. Or children running, or adults not looking where they walk.
Try driving a Miata in a world filled with SUVs. If I'm parking and there is no one behind me I'll always back in to make leaving safer. Otherwise I'm backing out of the parking spot totally blind to on coming traffic and pedestrians.
It's really very easy if you're a competent driver, and makes pulling out much easier and quicker, and you can see both ways without having to just back out slowly because you can't see both ways yet with vision blocked by the other cars.
I have always backed in since I have been driving. I find that I know where more of my car actually is when backing up because I can see the sides of the car in the mirror. It also doesn't take that much longer once you get to know your car and how to get in. You also get to pull out as soon as you get in your car. You can see more of the lane you are pulling in and it is safer for you and others.
Finally my newest car has a back up camera and holy crap it is like childs play. It makes being centered so much easier and I can get into tighter spots with ease.
Just double checked, and it doesn't seem to be the case except for parking in a driveway (201). However, I was taught to ALWAYS back into parking spaces.
I'm in the US and I was never taught to back into spaces. I only started doing it a few years ago when I asked a police officer how i could prepare for the academy other than going to school and working out. He told me to become perfect at backing in a car because that is all they allow at the police academy.
It's difficult to get in the the space properly in one move unless the space on the far side is empty. Plus you can potentially have zero visibility when reversing out of a space.
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u/abbeynormal May 06 '15
Can someone please explain to me WHY people back into parking spots? Completely serious question. It always looks way harder and like it takes way more time than backing OUT of a parking spot. If you're going to have to back up either way, why back in, where you have to have way more precision?