I’m a back-in parker. I’m not the problem. In another thread that touched on back-in parking, I posted this about an informal survey I did in a tight Trader Joe’s parking lot where I found, in general, that back-in parkers actually parked faster using fewer gear changes than people who drove straight in. The lot was tight and most cars simply couldn’t pull straight in without repeatedly straightening themselves out. Most back in parkers got in quickly without adjusting (there was an outlier that skewed the data in the end). I didn’t monitor people pulling out of the parking spots but no one doubts that driving straight out is faster and safer.
That’s an interesting article that links to a study that concludes back in parking is safer, but the author can’t concede he’s wrong, so continues to rail on about his petty annoyance and how this is a source of disagreement in America instead of, you know, learning something and changing his opinion.
Interestingly, he observes that many back-in parkers drive “big American work trucks,” which he suggests backs his wife’s theory that back-in parking is some display of masculinity. It isn’t. Front in parking only works when you have a travel lane that is considerably wider than the front-in car is long. Big American work trucks are very long and simply couldn’t get into most parking spaces by driving straight in.
Maryland supposedly has the toughest driving exam in the country. One skill they test on their driving exam is the “reverse two-point turnabout,” which in plain terms is back-in parking. They also recommend back-in parking as safer.