# Back-in Parkers - You Bastards! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 20, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858 "2026-02-20T19:31:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/1 "2026-02-20T19:31:58Z")
So if you’ve been backing in to parking spaces prior to the 2015 U.S.reverse camera mandate read no further, as I assume you’re a competent person whose head swivels on their neck and who can accomplish this feat in under 5 minutes. But the rest of you… just stop it! Yes, this new and ubiquitous technology does make it _possible_ for you to back in to a parking space, but your lack of skill makes the process take far, far too long and requires that other drivers of every skill level wait for you to awkwardly reverse the planet-sized SUV you can barely operate going forward into a narrow slot. And for what? To save you the trouble of backing _out_ into an area that is literally the size of the entire planet minus the space you’re pulling out of, is what. And 9 times out of 10 you complete the maneuver only to be dissatisfied with the job you did, so you pull out and start over. Gah!! Get a goddam bus pass or learn to drive! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/2 "2026-02-20T19:39:22Z")
Relevant thread from the prior decade with one of the more memorable titles: > [@The perverse motivation of back-in parkers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perverse-motivation-of-back-in-parkers/716793): > > I just don’t get it. Who are these people and what motivates them to act in such a jackass way? In my apartment’s parking garage, over 90% of people pull in to their parking spots front first, like the quick, easy, normal, rational way to do it. But around 10% of people feel the urge to stop in the middle of the parking garage, hold up everyone driving behind them, as they try to back in to their parking spot. So the front of their car faces outwards. It takes 20-30 seconds longer, as every… ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/3 "2026-02-20T19:40:18Z")
As someone who does **not** back in to parking spots, I can appreciate the advantage of doing so. Namely, that I often have some gigantic hulking pickup truck or van on one side or the other – on a good day, on **both** sides – so I can’t see a goddam thing when backing out. The advantage of moving forward instead of backing out is that things come into view much sooner. But yes, I agree, backing out is very much easier than backing in, because no real accuracy is required. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/4 "2026-02-20T19:41:00Z")
If this person is as bad of a driver as you say they are (ie " you can barely operate going forward"), I’d rather wait for them to play bumper cars with the neighboring vehicles than trying to back out and playing bumper cars with my face. A few times I’ve almost been hit by someone backing out of their spot. It’s always been the same, they’re backing out, I’m walking behind their car. Their eyes are glued to the screen so they’re not checking for pedestrians that are slightly off to the side of where the camera is pointed. When my daughter started driving, I made sure she knew she could use the camera to get an idea as to if it’s safe to back out, but she really needs to be looking over her shoulder when she’s moving. To be clear, I have zero issue with back up cameras, but when you’re backing out of a parking spot in a busy parking lot, you really need to have more situational awareness than the camera gives you. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/5 "2026-02-20T19:43:32Z")
I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren’t much safer driving straight out of a spot than they are backing out. They’re either paying proper attention or they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/6 "2026-02-20T19:43:49Z")
My car is old enough not to have a backup camera but I do prefer to pull out of a parking spot, so whenever possible, I find a pair of facing parking spots so I can pull in and through to the rear spot facing forward. I will even park further back in the lot if I can find an appropriate spot. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/7 "2026-02-20T19:47:40Z")
I have no problem with this behavior, for the record. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/8 "2026-02-20T19:48:31Z")
It’s the best of all possibilities, since I’m not backing in either coming or going. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/9 "2026-02-20T19:58:32Z")
Not sure I’ve ever been really held up by a back-in parker. And I AM the kinda guy to notice and be pissed by such things. Gotta say, the back up warning thing - where it signals traffic coming from the side - is likely my favorite new car tech. Makes it so much easier to back out amidst the land yachts. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/10 "2026-02-20T19:59:31Z")
My father, on whom be peace, had some firm opinions about driving. One of them was that someone who couldn’t drive competently in reverse was no better than someone who only knew how to turn left, And we had to pass his driving test before taking the gummint test. Which was a snap by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/11 "2026-02-20T20:06:23Z")
My car has no camera, and when I’m forced to get one, I’ll be sticking a post-it over it lest, catching sight of it while backing up, I vomit profusely upon the dash and myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/12 "2026-02-20T20:09:19Z")
If people back into a space, others might have to wait while that happens. If they park nose-in, others might have to wait while they carefully reverse out at the end of their parking session. Seems like a wash to me. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/13 "2026-02-20T20:20:52Z")
My last 4 vehicles have had 4 cameras each to allow for a 360° overhead view of parking. I am able to swing in and out of parking spots with ease, always having an equal amount of spacing on both sides. No delays at all. Screw the haters I say! 🤤 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/14 "2026-02-20T20:27:12Z")
I doubt anybody has accidentally run over their toddler or pet while pulling out of their driveways while driving forward. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/15 "2026-02-20T20:29:59Z")
My rule of thumb is if there are no other cars around and you want to back in, have at it. If you want to back in but you will be holding people up, DO NOT be an ass and back in! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/16 "2026-02-20T20:32:26Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > If people back into a space, others might have to wait while that happens. If they park nose-in, others might have to wait while they carefully reverse out at the end of their parking session. Seems like a wash to me. It’s not a wash because of the “degrees of freedom” rule – there are very narrow constraints on how to maneuver backwards into a narrow parking spot – but you can swerve all over the place backing out! > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > My last 4 vehicles have had 4 cameras each to allow for a 360° overhead view of parking. Sounds confusing. Maybe youi need 4 more screens to display reruns of _I Love Lucy_, _Lassie_, _Leave It to Beaver_, and a view of your vehicle from the International Space Station while you’re backing up! Me, I just look out the windows when I back out. > [@needscoffee](#): > > I doubt anybody has accidentally run over their toddler or pet while pulling out of their driveways while driving forward. No, they run over them while backing up into the driveway. 😲 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/17 "2026-02-20T20:34:30Z")
With a pickup truck tall enough your adult wife can’t be seen over the bow, it’s rather easy to run over adults, kids, pets, and toys while pulling forward out of a driveway or parking space. And yes, it does happen. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/18 "2026-02-20T20:36:05Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Seems like a wash to me. Not really. When driving in a parking lot, they stop (past the spot, much to my confusion) and everyone around them has to stop and wait while they try to back in. When pulling out, if they parked in nose-first as God intended, _they_ have to wait for traffic to clear. So, all the waiting is on the part of the parker, not on the other 8 billion of us. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/19 "2026-02-20T20:42:34Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > I doubt anybody has accidentally run over their toddler or pet while pulling out of their driveways while driving forward. > > No, they run over them while backing up into the driveway. 😲 That’s why you need a turntable in your driveway, so you never need to back in or out. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858/20 "2026-02-20T20:42:55Z")
My employer’s garage has a “Head in parking only” sign on the first level, because the attempts by folks to back into parking spaces was blocking entry into the garage and into the street during the 8 to 8:30 arrival rush, and we are on a major arterial road, so the police are not happy. People leave over a lot longer timeframe, so backing out is not really an issue. But on the odd occasion when everyone or a big group leaves at once (power outage for example) this becomes a problem. Basically no one can back out once the driving lanes are full. Now that we have cameras and cross traffic warning alarms on most cars, backing out is not as hazardous. But with many cars with auto-park capabilities backing into a parking space is not as big a challenge as it was a decade ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-in-parkers-you-bastards/1027858.md?page=2)