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Gardenarian
10-29-13, 4:23pm
Why do people do this? You're in a crowded parking lot and a driver ahead decides they need to back into a space, rather than just pulling in like everyone else. They hold up everybody waiting to park.
I've been seeing this more and more lately. It seems like way more of a hassle to back into a space than to back out.
Why???

Alan
10-29-13, 4:31pm
Have you ever been in a parking space with two larger vehicles on either side of you, blocking your view of traffic or possible pedestrians? In that situation it's safer to pull out of the space in a forward motion.

bae
10-29-13, 4:45pm
Unless you find a handy pull-through pair of spaces, you are going to have to back out, or back in.

It is safer to leave a parking place moving forwards.

When backing *into* a space, your conditions are more controlled, and it is safer, though perhaps holding up people who are impatient for a few seconds.

Pick safety.

Miss Cellane
10-29-13, 4:52pm
Yup, it's a safety factor.

You are right that it does take longer to back into a space than to pull forward into it. But if you drive a sub-compact as I do, backing out of a space in a crowded parking lot can be an adventure. No matter where I park, when I get back to my car, it has a van or an SUV on either side of it. Backing out blind is scary.

However, I know that other drivers get impatient with people who back into spaces. So whenever possible, I park way out in the parking lot, where there are no other cars and it is easy to find a pull-through spot.

That still doesn't stop the large vehicles from parking right next to my car, but at least I can see to pull out of the space.

Besides, being able to just drive forward out of your parking space, instead of having to slowly back out, makes for a faster get-away, should you ever need one.

goldensmom
10-29-13, 5:44pm
Why? I'd say safety as noted above and habit. My husband is a chemist and works at a chemical company and they are required to back into parking spaces in case they need to evacuate the area suddenly. He always backs into a parking space, safety and habit.

Dhiana
10-29-13, 6:06pm
Everyone here in Japan backs into their parking spaces. Maybe it's the law for safety reasons? Maybe a cultural thing? The more I live overseas the more I realize we Americans seem to just do a whole lot differently than many other places in the world.

Like, why are we not using the metric system?

pinkytoe
10-29-13, 6:13pm
Quite a few parking spaces here are moving to angled, back-in parking - I believe for bicycle safety as the bike lanes are often behind them.

ToomuchStuff
10-29-13, 7:12pm
Besides the already mentioned reasons, with trucks, or hatchbacks/station wagons, one might back in, due to location (dock, etc).

Also on vehicles with larger doors, the vehicles mirror next to you could be a hazard (Once saw a hefty person get out of the vehicle and their door rose to the mirror of the neighboring vehicle).

SteveinMN
10-29-13, 8:33pm
I always just figured it was because you never know when you'll need a jump ... >8)

lmerullo
10-29-13, 9:12pm
I agree that backing in seems safer and faster to esçape / leave.

I visit a ski resort in snow season and there are signs posted to back into sites. I think this is due to two things - ease of a jump start and access to tow.

My hometown recently passed a law that it is illegal to back into a spot in the downtown area. These spots are not double depth. The reason for the front only is so tags can easily be seen by law enforcement as they will all face the street or alley.

Tiam
10-30-13, 1:21am
I can't say I back into parking spaces much, but it's probably safer. I think my town is making a plan to make a downtown parking area, back in only.

mtnlaurel
10-30-13, 3:17am
I started backing into spaces once I entered kid-dom.

When leaving school, practices, etc. where # of kids outnumber adults it's easier to see the little folk.

Gardenarian
10-30-13, 11:51am
I did some research on this and yep, it appears that backing in is safer. I'm really surprised.

Maybe it's just my poor depth perception, but I have a hard time backing into spaces.
Or that I'm shorter? Not to be sexist, but it's mostly men I see pulling in backwards. I think it's easier twist and look behind if you're a little taller. (Of course men and women have lots of different driving habits.)

This is something I'll need to practice, now that I'm teaching dd how to drive.
Thanks!

nswef
10-30-13, 1:18pm
I find it much easier to back into a spot than to back out of a spot. I generally try to do the "drive through" method and park far away from others so my backing in doesn't cause a problem.

Glo
11-2-13, 11:46pm
I preferd backing into spaces; this drives DH crazy. We moved into our house 5-1/2 years ago and have a 200-foot driveway. None of my women friends can back up 200 feet. I find this amazing! Good thing we have a turnaround.

Tiam
11-3-13, 12:46am
I did some research on this and yep, it appears that backing in is safer. I'm really surprised.

Maybe it's just my poor depth perception, but I have a hard time backing into spaces.
Or that I'm shorter? Not to be sexist, but it's mostly men I see pulling in backwards. I think it's easier twist and look behind if you're a little taller. (Of course men and women have lots of different driving habits.)

This is something I'll need to practice, now that I'm teaching dd how to drive.
Thanks!


I think it's more that teaching backing up is merely touched upon when we learn to drive. When I got a CDL I had to learn to back up without turning my head and only using mirrors. We under utilize our mirrors I think.

jp1
11-3-13, 9:42pm
I would suspect that the main reason it's safer is that when one is backing into the space you are starting from in the middle of the aisle. It's readily apparent what you are doing and people walking will stay out of your way, as opposed to when backing out of the space where your car suddenly appears in the aisle, after being hidden behind the car/truck parked beside it.

I've also noticed that at the strip club that SO and I pass regularly when visiting my father at least half the patrons back into their spaces. I can only assume that that's to be ready for a quick getaway, and not for safety reasons. Perhaps someone hear with experience at strip clubs will be able to confirm? :-)

SteveinMN
11-3-13, 10:49pm
Perhaps someone hear with experience at strip clubs will be able to confirm? :-)
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller??

Alan
11-4-13, 7:48am
Perhaps someone hear with experience at strip clubs will be able to confirm? :-)


Anyone? Anyone? Bueller??
While I don't have any recent experience, say in the last 3.5 decades, I was pretty well acquainted with strip club etiquette in the 70's. During that time a quick getaway was the last thing on my mind.

jp1
11-4-13, 10:06pm
Since only one person other than me here seems to have strip club experience (and I always walked or took the train so I don't have knowledge of parking etiquette...) I guess strip clubs must not be part of the simple lifestyle. I guess I won't bother starting that thread on the personal finance section regarding whether it's more economical to use a credit card or cash to pay for that private lapdance...

mtnlaurel
11-5-13, 9:06am
Since only one person other than me here seems to have strip club experience (and I always walked or took the train so I don't have knowledge of parking etiquette...) I guess strip clubs must not be part of the simple lifestyle. I guess I won't bother starting that thread on the personal finance section regarding whether it's more economical to use a credit card or cash to pay for that private lapdance...


Why leave your nice, comfy simple home & pay others for things that you can do yourself at home for FREE ?!?!

... maybe that's more of the Simple Living Way - DIY -- many of us are minimalists, it would be a very short strip show :~)

ToomuchStuff
11-5-13, 5:25pm
Since only one person other than me here seems to have strip club experience (and I always walked or took the train so I don't have knowledge of parking etiquette...) I guess strip clubs must not be part of the simple lifestyle. I guess I won't bother starting that thread on the personal finance section regarding whether it's more economical to use a credit card or cash to pay for that private lapdance...


Been 20+ years since I have been. Last time was a friend wanted to go, to celebrate his dream job.

As for paying with plastic, be careful where you slide that thing, as your asking to get slapped. (about the same as using dollar coins, in ice water):laff:

Spartana
11-6-13, 4:39pm
While I don't have any recent experience, say in the last 3.5 decades, I was pretty well acquainted with strip club etiquette in the 70's. During that time a quick getaway was the last thing on my mind.
Oh those infamous Alaskan strip clubs :-)

I don't personally have any experience with strip clubs or their parking, but I was a criminal justice major and one of the vice classes I had talked about the different ways of parking in certain places that showed the type of sex acts a person in the vehicle was willing to do for a fee. I won't go into the details but you can imagine :-)

I just think that they back in because it's easier to go forward out of a parking space after a night of drink and debauchery :-)

Alan
11-6-13, 6:05pm
Oh those infamous Alaskan strip clubs :-)


You called it! Anchorage strip clubs were numerous and entertaining.

nswef
11-6-13, 6:22pm
Spartana you made me laugh!

oldhat
11-11-13, 8:33am
I've found that a good solution to the backing-in-versus-backing-out dilemma is to park as far as possible from the door of wherever you're going. This has the dual benefit of making it easy to find a drive-through space and forcing you to walk to your destination, thus adding a bit of exercise to your day :).

razz
11-11-13, 10:16am
I've found that a good solution to the backing-in-versus-backing-out dilemma is to park as far as possible from the door of wherever you're going. This has the dual benefit of making it easy to find a drive-through space and forcing you to walk to your destination, thus adding a bit of exercise to your day :).
That is my solution as well.

Gardenarian
11-12-13, 3:04pm
I've found that a good solution to the backing-in-versus-backing-out dilemma is to park as far as possible from the door of wherever you're going. This has the dual benefit of making it easy to find a drive-through space and forcing you to walk to your destination, thus adding a bit of exercise to your day :).

Excellent idea.

I still think taking the time to back up in a crowded underground lot with 40 cars waiting is not worth whatever safety benefits there might be.

mira
11-17-13, 5:21pm
^^ I do this too because I barely ever drive and therefore suck at it.

Love seeing this additional kinky side to some of the posters too hahaha!

dado potato
11-20-13, 10:37pm
I am with bae, hubcap to hubcap. I prefer to back into a parking spot, so as to have better visibility pulling out. If I delay someone behind me, I naturally assume they have the good sense to understand this.

We all want to go somewhere, but we can be courteous about it.

San Onofre Guy
12-14-13, 9:34pm
Most municipalities have a municipal code that prohibits back in parking in municipal lots. It is much easier to back into a wide aisle than a narrow space. Most who want to back in drive large trucks, four door pick ups with full size bed. Those large vehicles should not be parking in olds designed for normal private passenger vehicles

SteveinMN
12-15-13, 9:58am
Most who want to back in drive large trucks, four door pick ups with full size bed. Those large vehicles should not be parking in olds designed for normal private passenger vehicles
We can't even get people to observe signs marked "Compact cars only"...

Since this thread started, I've paid more attention to how many people park nose-out in parking lots here. The vast majority of people here pull in and then back out, as opposed to the majority in this thread who back in. Curious.

Alan
12-15-13, 10:16am
Since this thread started, I've paid more attention to how many people park nose-out in parking lots here. The vast majority of people here pull in and then back out, as opposed to the majority in this thread who back in. Curious.
Not so curious, people who have a definite opinion on the subject are more likely to chime in.

I've found that I feel much safer advancing out of a parking spot in a forward motion. There are lots of SUV's, vans & large pickup trucks, many with tinted windows these days. This makes it difficult to see pedestrian traffic, especially kids, while attempting to back out of a space. Backing into a space may take a few seconds longer and require a little more effort, but I feel I have much more control during the process than if I set myself up to back out of a space where my rear and side visibility are severely limited by adjoining vehicles.

Frankly, I wonder why more people don't back in whenever possible.

Tammy
12-15-13, 10:34am
Because we are not as good at driving - especially backing up - as you are. I love to pull out of a spot after my husband backs the jeep in ... But if i tried to back in I'd be hitting othet cars. Sad but true. At leastI'm not one of those drivers who is bad but thinks she's good. I admit the obvious. ;)

Miss Cellane
12-15-13, 10:53am
Most municipalities have a municipal code that prohibits back in parking in municipal lots. It is much easier to back into a wide aisle than a narrow space. Most who want to back in drive large trucks, four door pick ups with full size bed. Those large vehicles should not be parking in olds designed for normal private passenger vehicles

Where did you get that from? Just curious. Because I drive a sub-compact car and I back in/pull through just so that I can see where I'm going when I leave a parking space, because I'm always being blocked in on both sides by huge pickups or vans. It's bad enough pulling forward when you can't see if a car is coming; it'd be 10 times worse backing out of the space.

SteveinMN
12-15-13, 12:00pm
There are lots of SUV's, vans & large pickup trucks, many with tinted windows these days. This makes it difficult to see pedestrian traffic, especially kids, while attempting to back out of a space.
True. 'Course, for those of us who aren't participating in that particular arms race (and not implying that you do), seeing past the four-foot-high hood of the pickup or SUV next to us offers pretty much the same visibility as backing out. At least if I do get hit, it's the cheaper end of the car....

early morning
12-15-13, 12:09pm
I park in a county garage. There are no pull-through spaces, even on the roof. It does seem that the huge dual cab trucks like to back in, so that half of the doghouse is in the aisle, instead of a quarter of the bed. Perhaps they too can't see to back out. We have "extended vehicle only" spaces but those signs are ignored as much as the "compact cars only" signs. The one way signs are often ignored also - *sigh*. We used to have "pull in parking only" signs but there was a county garage e-mail war a couple years ago (very funny, the commissioners finally had to email the entire county list and tell people to get back to work) and that rule was changed. Now even more of us back in. There is a day care center attached to the garage, so the potential for a rogue child running amok is always there. It is far easier, and safer, to pull out than to back out.

Alan
12-15-13, 12:18pm
True. 'Course, for those of us who aren't participating in that particular arms race (and not implying that you do), seeing past the four-foot-high hood of the pickup or SUV next to us offers pretty much the same visibility as backing out. At least if I do get hit, it's the cheaper end of the car....
It's not necessary to imply (or not), my primary vehicle is a Ford Escape SUV (do I get points in the judgmental arms race for it being a hybrid?), with a secondary VW Beetle. The added visibility offered by forward motion out of parking spaces makes it a no brainer for me, regardless of vehicle. It's actually easier in the Escape as it sits higher, so I'd think smaller, lower vehicles such as our Beetle would be much safer pulling out rather than backing out although, as always, your mileage may vary.

I'm also more concerned with pedestrians than other vehicles, which takes the "cheaper end of the car" out of the equation.

SteveinMN
12-15-13, 6:15pm
I see SUVs as a ridiculous arms race. Too many people claim they need the heft of one to ward off the danger from other drivers, ignoring that someone else can up the ante with an even bigger truck and ignoring that most people don't know how to drive trucks and get no special training to do so, and ignoring that there are many smaller, more efficient vehicles which can carry that much cargo or people. The off-road business is a canard -- for most owners, "off-road" is a gravel driveway or the soccer field. And most people are not towing anything that requires the power and capability of an SUV.

But people do what they want and they don't always do sensible things.

What I have noticed is that millions of people around here, in one of the most educated states in the country -- and one which has more than its share of driving challenges throughout the year -- choose to park nose in. Must be something to it. Whatever reasons there are to persuade people to park nose-out apparently have not been deemed sufficient. But so long as a parked vehicle is taking up only one space, I don't give a damn if it's parked nose-in, nose-out, or on its end. Whatever one wants.

Alan
12-15-13, 9:07pm
I see SUVs as a ridiculous arms race. Too many people claim they need the heft of one to ward off the danger from other drivers, ignoring that someone else can up the ante with an even bigger truck and ignoring that most people don't know how to drive trucks and get no special training to do so, and ignoring that there are many smaller, more efficient vehicles which can carry that much cargo or people. The off-road business is a canard -- for most owners, "off-road" is a gravel driveway or the soccer field. And most people are not towing anything that requires the power and capability of an SUV.

I'm sure if you simply explain to us why we do the things we do, and why it's wrong, we'll make better choices in the future. ;)

Now, to get back on topic:

What I have noticed is that millions of people around here, in one of the most educated states in the country -- and one which has more than its share of driving challenges throughout the year -- choose to park nose in. Must be something to it. Whatever reasons there are to persuade people to park nose-out apparently have not been deemed sufficient. But so long as a parked vehicle is taking up only one space, I don't give a damn if it's parked nose-in, nose-out, or on its end. Whatever one wants.
Perhaps it just goes to show you that even the most educated people may prefer the path of least resistance, but then again, maybe their education hasn't covered the safety aspects of one versus the other. I can't say with any certainty as I was mostly educated in the south and tend to use experience and common sense as a guide.

I'm with you on the 'whatever one wants' thing though.

SteveinMN
12-16-13, 3:51pm
I'm sure if you simply explain to us why we do the things we do, and why it's wrong, we'll make better choices in the future. ;)
To quote Saint Ronald, "There you go again...." >8)

I don't see experience and common sense applied to buying SUVs. There is an extraordinary "sheeple" mentality held by so many people buying them. If folks were willing (or able?) to examine what they need for transportation, many would realize they are not best served by buying an SUV. There are very few vehicle buyers in the U.S. for which the capabilities of an SUV are unique. Want one? Fine. But don't be whining to me about how it's hard to make ends meet anymore because your ride has to be fed several times a week. And don't keep asking me to support wars in countries which interest us only because they're sitting on oil stockpiles. People would revolt in this country if they ever had to pay the true price of gasoline or diesel. Weird how many people who are all for freedom of choice and supporting themselves get really pansy-***ed about paying the real price of a gallon of gas or diesel. Just my experience.


Perhaps it just goes to show you that even the most educated people may prefer the path of least resistance, but then again, maybe their education hasn't covered the safety aspects of one versus the other. I can't say with any certainty as I was mostly educated in the south and tend to use experience and common sense as a guide.
*shrug* All I know is that for as many people as have posted here about parking nose-out as The One True And Good And Only Reasonable Way To Park, it certainly hasn't gained much traction with folks here. I'm not buying the "least resistance" thing, either -- that argument is just as popular here as it is anywhere else.There's apparently just something not compelling enough about the Argument. Just my experience.

ToomuchStuff
12-17-13, 5:36pm
Perhaps it just goes to show you that even the most educated people may prefer the path of least resistance




The path of least resistance does go in part, at least, also towards the buying trend. I like the usefulness of my Ranger, but the smaller trucks are getting harder and harder to find, and my 19 year old truck, won't last forever. (probably get five more years out of it)
I signed up for the test drives, when they announce Mahindra was going to be bringing a small diesel pickup to this country. Then that went away.
As is, my large truck (gift from work) is driven for work, when the larger payload is needed, and pulled in (need bed access, can't reach over the side like my Ranger). I'd like to combine features from both it and the Ranger and that would be possible if the Ranger/Mazda were still made.
I am not so much a fan of an enclosed SUV due to my needs.