# Backing into parking spaces **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299 "2011-12-24T17:53:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![straykat23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@straykat23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straykat23)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/21 "2011-12-25T02:36:07Z")
A lot of the apartment complexes here don’t allow backing in to parking spaces when they are close to a building, so that exhaust fumes don’t go into open windows or doors. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/22 "2011-12-25T02:52:43Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > As I’ve complained about in other threads, pedestrians have a habit of taking the precedence of foot over vehicular traffic as an infinite license to ignore vehicle movement. Not just pedestrians, but drivers as well. I can’t tell you the number of times\* in just this past week\* I’ve backed out of a parking spot that other drivers insist on driving past me as I’m backing out! Hell, I’m slowly backing out and see I’m clear on both sides and behind me, yet approaching vehicles still want to drive by! ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/23 "2011-12-25T03:12:14Z")
I don’t care either way if it is done well and nobody else is about (in addition to a lot of people who apparently can’t do it straight and centered, there seem to be a lot of people who have no idea how long their car is and so don’t pull all the way into the spot). But don’t do it when there are people behind you since we have no idea that you just drove past the spot you’re planning to back into. And then when we won’t/can’t back up to let you into the spot you just apparently passed on (or worse pull into it) accept it like a grown up and move on. And if either backing in or backing out is all that problematic for you I recommend just going straight to the outer regions of the lot where you’ll have 9 empty spaces to each side and can be as incompetent as pleases. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/24 "2011-12-25T03:13:56Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > The problem with people who back into a parking spot is that 9 out of 10 times they do a bad job. Most of the time they are too far to one side of the parking space. > If you do it, do it right! you should do a study, go to a large busy parking lot. count all the cars nose in parked badly AND parked well (you need both to determine a percentage) then count all the cars backed in both well and badly. I suspect you will find its a much higher percentage of badly parked nose first vehicles but I am willing to be proven wrong. in 40% of all collisions involving police vehicles someone was in reverse. (this stat isnt possible with the general public as that kind of info isnt tracked) of those nearly all of them could have been avoided with proper backing habits. as already posted it is much safer to back into an empty driveway/parking space when you are able to see the street/parking lot and other vehicles/pedestrians around your car. if you are in the Seattle area and want to spend an hour or so learning how to back like you have a clue pm me, I can bring your confidence level up in no time and give you the basic skills needed to not crash into stuff. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/25 "2011-12-25T03:20:46Z")
Being able to see traffic before you back in seems like an advantage. I may try it one place where I go most weeks. It is at the edge of town on a country road and I usually end up behind some trailers. Some people come down what is a fairly open road pretty fast. Cars have longer overhangs in the back, enough to cause trouble if you back up clear to the curb. I got trained to back into my driveway the winter of 78. My driveway was a long white trench sides and bottom. With a cold engine producing a white cloud of exhaust, there was no backing out of the driveway in the morning. By the time I got home at night, the engine was warm and not producing as much white cloud. I also had more time to mess around. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/26 "2011-12-25T03:28:46Z")
> [@straykat23](#): > > A lot of the apartment complexes here don’t allow backing in to parking spaces when they are close to a building, so that exhaust fumes don’t go into open windows or doors. I’d also be careful in certain public parking spaces-I got ticketed for backing into a spot on a main thoroughfare in downtown Gainesville, Florida once. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/27 "2011-12-25T03:53:55Z")
When I worked as a tech for BellSouth we were required to park our vans nose out at all times. This was done for a safety precaution. The thinking being that we pulled out and could see better, the less chance of an accident. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/28 "2011-12-25T04:08:58Z")
This is my thinking: It’s easier to drive forwards than to drive backwards. It’s easier to drive from a tight space into an open space than from an open space into a tight space. So parking nose-out makes it hard to get in, a cinch to get out. Nose-in, you split the difference. Bad logic? Also, if you pass a spot to back in, the guy behind you will jump into it before you even get into reverse. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/29 "2011-12-25T04:25:04Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > But don’t do it when there are people behind you since we have no idea that you just drove past the spot you’re planning to back into. And then when we won’t/can’t back up to let you into the spot you just apparently passed on (or worse pull into it) accept it like a grown up and move on. If you see a car ahead of you turn on its left turn signal as it passes by a parking spot on the left, you should understand that as an intent to back into that space. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/30 "2011-12-25T04:31:26Z")
> [@EdwardLost](#): > > This is my thinking: > It’s easier to drive forwards than to drive backwards. > It’s easier to drive from a tight space into an open space than from an open space into a tight space. Actually, driving into a tight space is easier to do “backwards” - i.e. with the steerable wheels facing away from the space. It allows better control, and requires much less clear space for maneuvering. When you’re driving forward into a tight space, you have to be aligned with the space _before_ you enter the tight space. If you’re going backwards, you just have to stick the tail end into the space, then straighten up as you move into the space. For the same exact reason, forklifts and warehouse carts have rear-wheel steering. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/31 "2011-12-25T05:04:09Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > If the OP will excuse the slight tangent, I’ve noticed that some places have signs prohibiting back-in parking. Any idea as to why? An apartment complex where I lived in 1991 had such a rule. The superintendent said that it was to allow for towing. I still haven’t understood that part. Most cars in 1991, as today, had front wheel drive, so towing a car from the rear was bound to make a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/32 "2011-12-25T05:06:41Z")
Power mirrors prove extremely useful when backing in, which I do when I remember to. When parking a car in my girlfriend’s driveway (giggety), I back in because she has hedges which are already enough of a visual obstruction and would be a serious nuisance if I had to back out. The parking space (and driveway) are known quantities - look at 'em, see that they’re empty, and they’re like to continue being empty while you maneuver into position. The lanes of the parking lot, or the street… not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/33 "2011-12-25T05:20:07Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > If the OP will excuse the slight tangent, I’ve noticed that some places have signs prohibiting back-in parking. Any idea as to why? If you back into a building, the building owner has to deal with the problem, including figuring out who caused the damage and getting that person to pay for the repairs. If you back out of a parking spot and hit another vehicle or pedestrian, there is no liability at all against the building owner. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/34 "2011-12-25T06:08:29Z")
Several have mentioned that backing in is “easier” than forwarding in. But if I’m not mistaken, and clearances on sides and exiting are sufficiently tight, backing in may be possible, while forwarding in (or backing out) is simply impossible. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/35 "2011-12-25T06:56:20Z")
I pull-through whenever I can. If I can;t, I go in front first. It is too hard for me to try and back in between two other cars. Backing out, I have a lot more clearance. As for people who say there is a danger of backing out into other cars or people, and the guy who implied Dingbang killed children while doing it, Just pay attention to what is behind you. Not that hard. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/36 "2011-12-25T07:12:22Z")
Some cities are implementing [reverse angle street parking](http://www.davisvoice.com/2010/08/reverse-angle-parking-in-downtown/). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/37 "2011-12-25T08:27:25Z")
I rarely back in, and the only reason I can think that makes me do it is when there are no other spaces and someone has parked right up to the line on the drivers side and I will need more room to get out. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/38 "2011-12-25T09:16:33Z")
I rarely back in and don’t even bother to pull through when I can. If I’m parking in a lot I’m usually going shopping and I want to be able to pop the hatch as I approach and chuck the shopping in. Being backed in means maneuvering between my car and a wall or another car. My objection is that on the odd occasion I am behind someone reverse parking it always seems to be someone who can’t do it without 3 tries. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/39 "2011-12-25T09:31:28Z")
It has been my experience that the majority of people are terrible at backing up. A smaller percentage of those are, in fact, _terrified of backing up, and will do anything to avoid it. I’ve seen people with long narrow driveways make ridiculously long 8-point turn-around maneuvers just to avoid backing up. And mirrors? A majority of people don’t use their sideview mirrors_\* at all\*\*\*, even when driving straight, so forget about the double whammy of using them while going backwards! So in terms of parking, nobody wants to have to back into a narrow space because, quite frankly, they can’t. They literally lack the ability to do so. Not without making fools of themselves by having to shift between R and D a dozen times while helplessly flailing the wheel back & forth. Pulling in forward is simple. And although they, again, dread having to eventually back out they now get to back out into a reasonably open space. And they can then just assume other cars will see them and stop, whereas when backing into a space its only up to them to not hit anything. If I sound a bit snobbish it’s because I am. When I learned how to drive I eventually spent some time practicing driving in reverse and found it not that hard to get the hang of. I can back down a narrow street, with curves, and turn into a driveway, using my mirrors, all at 15-20 MPH in reverse no problem. Backing into a parking space is little different than pulling in head first to me. I despise those signs commanding me to park head-in just because most people are lousy, ignorant drivers… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299/40 "2011-12-25T13:22:01Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > If you see a car ahead of you turn on its left turn signal as it passes by a parking spot on the left, you should understand that as an intent to back into that space. Sure, though when you’re behaving differently than 99% of the people in the parking lot even if you indicate you’re going to be different you should just accept that sometimes it isn’t going to work out for you and take it with a minimum of whining. But that said, there’s nothing about being a back-in driver, in my experience, that makes them any more likely to use a turn signal than anybody else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backing-into-parking-spaces/607299.md?page=3)