# Don't park facing the wrong way - why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2005, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922 "2005-08-14T02:11:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/41 "2017-09-18T10:34:42Z")
In the UK at least, until recently it made checking the tax disc much easier as they would all be on the kerb side. It was a legal requirement that they be positioned on the lower left corner of the windscreen, which would have allowed any policeman or traffic warden to see the date on it at a glance without having to step into the road. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/42 "2017-09-18T12:25:40Z")
> [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](#): > > This could be one of those laws that made more sense when it was first written. > > Or, it could just be a money maker. Or it could continue to make sense. I recently, and for the only time drove my car from a spot where it was parked the wrong way. My wife parked it there, and when I met up with her, I was going to drive home. I was surprised how far into the traffic I had to drive to see cars that would potentially be coming at me, and low and behold there was a car coming at me. He was surprised, I was surprised, and he had to completely stop while the tragic cleared so I could cross his land to get into the one I need to be in. It was a mess. The law makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/43 "2017-09-18T12:37:43Z")
One good reason for the correct way to park rule , is that on a dark road, the driver might be left unable to see the road clearly due to the brightness of the parked car’s headlights, and assume they should pass the parked car on the other side… which is off the road. Also it would be an excuse for driving on the wrong side of the road “I had to drive down the wrong side a little distance, as I was parked backward and then my reverse U turn was blocked by other vehicles, so I had to go forwards”. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/44 "2017-09-18T12:47:47Z")
Or it could be both. Common sense, (don’t drive OR park on the wrong side of the street!), and, one would think, self evident! (Really? You need this explained to you?) WITH the added bonus of being a money maker. Personally, I find I have no issue whatsoever with municipalities profiting from such things, even extravagantly, if the end result is everyone else’s taxes don’t have to increase. Want to jack speeding, failure to stop at a sign, or no turn indicator used, laws and their like? I don’t have a problem at all. Why should speeders etc, still be paying 1970 rates for their infractions? I say jack them up until they are actually deterrents. Especially if it means no tax rise for the non speeding population. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/45 "2017-09-18T18:22:36Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > But when you have to turn across the street, you have no other option, and it is a predictable and expected maneouvre. When you park the wrong way, you DO have another safer option, park the right way. > > Why would you even want to park the wrong way? I see this at the school bus stop. Somebody is late and the right hand side of the street is full but the left is fairly empty so they park on the left side and run to the stop and then pull a u turn and go home. It bothered me at first but then I realized it was a stupid rule. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/46 "2017-09-18T18:39:22Z")
The one time I visited and drove in/around London it was amazing how frequently cars were parked facing the wrong direction – maybe roughly one third of the cars were parked wrong. Why? This image was not uncommon. Here there are 11 cars parked and 6 of them are facing one way, and 5 the other. [https://www.google.com/search?q=street+parking+london+england&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=mnsiv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj16Oivr6\_WAhVP62MKHXC5DdkQ\_AUIFCgE&biw=768&bih=928#imgrc=S5BSBb5eFEqygM:](https://www.google.com/search?q=street+parking+london+england&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=mnsiv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj16Oivr6_WAhVP62MKHXC5DdkQ_AUIFCgE&biw=768&bih=928#imgrc=S5BSBb5eFEqygM:) ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/47 "2017-09-18T18:42:52Z")
Because it annoys and perplexes the neighbors and they complain? At least that’s the way it went when someone parked backwards in front of my house. Besides the fact that they didn’t recognize the car, I think they were worried that the driver had been drunk or crazy. Never did see who it was. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/48 "2017-09-18T18:47:45Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > The one time I visited and drove in/around London it was amazing how frequently cars were parked facing the wrong direction – maybe roughly one third of the cars were parked wrong. Why? > > This image was not uncommon. Here there are 11 cars parked and 6 of them are facing one way, and 5 the other. > > [street parking london england - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=street+parking+london+england&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=mnsiv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj16Oivr6_WAhVP62MKHXC5DdkQ_AUIFCgE&biw=768&bih=928#imgrc=S5BSBb5eFEqygM:) Yes, this is a big difference between the UK and the US. I don’t know how much the laws differ, but the facts on the ground are very different. In the US it’s very unusual to see a car parked the wrong way, while in the UK it is commonplace. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/49 "2017-09-18T18:51:11Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Why would you even want to park the wrong way? Because the only nearby parking space is on the other side of the street. You could drive to the next intersection, do a U-turn, and come back, or you could just parallel into that spot on the left side of the street. On a 25 mph residential street, if there’s no traffic at the moment, it’s easy enough to do. Mind you, I haven’t done it since the one time I got a ticket for being parked on the wrong side of the street, about 4 decades in the, um, rearview mirror. But it was a snap. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/50 "2017-09-18T19:07:33Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Yes, this is a big difference between the UK and the US. I don’t know how much the laws differ, but the facts on the ground are very different. In the US it’s very unusual to see a car parked the wrong way, while in the UK it is commonplace. I agree. I live in an urban area. To me, the idea of parking on the other side of a two-way street is so far outside my idea of what is “normal,” that it wouldn’t even occur to me to do so. I can maybe see it happening in suburban areas where the roads are wider and clearer, but on a city street, nope. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/51 "2017-09-18T19:19:23Z")
If you back into a parking spot on a street your exhaust would be pointed towards people on the sidewalk or possibly into a business. This can be dangerous if you sit there at idle for a prolonged period of time. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/52 "2017-09-18T19:37:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > If you back into a parking spot on a street your exhaust would be pointed towards people on the sidewalk or possibly into a business. This can be dangerous if you sit there at idle for a prolonged period of time. This is a different situation than what this thread is about. You are talking about backing into a head-in space. The thread is about parallel parking against the direction of traffic (i.e., driving across the center line to parallel park on the opposite side of the street from the direction you are traveling). ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/53 "2017-09-18T19:40:52Z")
Where is this legal or illegal? Is it legal in the UK? In some American jurisdictions? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/54 "2017-09-18T22:58:15Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Where is this legal or illegal? Is it legal in the UK? In some American jurisdictions? It is illegal in many American jurisdictions but varies by state, county, and city. For example, there are signs in the Rio area of Gaithersburg, Maryland, where there are signs posted saying you will be ticketed for parking opposite of the traffic flow. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/55 "2017-09-19T00:26:30Z")
Although some local jurisdictions have ordinances against it, there is no state law in North Carolina prohibiting it but on a two-way street you have to commit two moving violations to do and undo it because it’s against the law to drive to the left of the center of the roadway. That of course has to be witnessed by a law enforcement officer who has nothing better to do at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/56 "2017-09-19T00:55:02Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > Although some local jurisdictions have ordinances against it, there is no state law in North Carolina prohibiting it but on a two-way street you have to commit two moving violations to do and undo it because it’s against the law to drive to the left of the center of the roadway. That of course has to be witnessed by a law enforcement officer who has nothing better to do at the time. Unless overtaking when safe to do so? In which case it would be legal to park on the ‘wrong’ side if there was a car illegally double-parked on the ‘correct’ side? (illegal in vic.aus. Just one of those odd laws that you only learn about when you find a place where parking on the wrong side is the safe, sensible, and obvious thing to do. The actual rule is ‘more than 18’’ from the kerb’) ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/57 "2017-09-19T01:26:45Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-54882.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-54882.html) This was asked before and the old thread has some good answers , we can’t park the wrong way in Massachusetts but people do it on my dead end street all the time b/c the police only come on our street when someone call them . People don’t follow the parking ban in the winter b/c they know nothing will happen. ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/58 "2017-09-20T08:43:48Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > One good reason for the correct way to park rule , is that on a dark road, the driver might be left unable to see the road clearly due to the brightness of the parked car’s headlights, and assume they should pass the parked car on the other side… which is off the road. > > Also it would be an excuse for driving on the wrong side of the road “I had to drive down the wrong side a little distance, as I was parked backward and then my reverse U turn was blocked by other vehicles, so I had to go forwards”. This is the reason. Your headlights will be shining directly into oncoming traffic. Very blinding and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/59 "2017-09-20T21:53:39Z")
> [@Mavic\_Chen](#): > > This is the reason. Your headlights will be shining directly into oncoming traffic. Very blinding and annoying. I don’t buy that is \*the \*reason or even \*a \*reason. On any road where I have ever seen parallel parking available, it would be no more blinding an annoying to see headlights from a car parked to your right as it would to see them from oncoming traffic to your left. _The_ reason is that to park that way you have to drive on the wrong side of the street to get there and again to get back out. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922/60 "2017-09-20T22:47:21Z")
I lived in London in the late 70’s and as far as residential areas were concerned, no one cared what direction they were facing. If you found a spot, you grabbed it quick. Maybe on major roads you needed to be careful, but once you were off the high street, anything goes. In point of fact, my English GF came back to the US with me and got a ticket here for parking the wrong way and couldn’t believe it. “Damn American regimentation!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-park-facing-the-wrong-way-why/316922.md?page=4)