Explain to me the allure of backing into parking spots

In My Humble Opinion
41

I have a Dodge 1500 Quad Cab pickup, so I back into spaces so I can have the overhang in the rear over a concrete island in the parking lot, rather than sticking out into traffic.

I drive to the train during my morning commute, so it’s also helpful to have my truck pointing in the right direction when everyone sprints from the train to their vehicles to get the jump on exiting the parking lots. The difference between getting out of there quickly and getting stuck in a huge line of cars waiting to turn onto a major road can be a matter of mere seconds.

(I’m not kidding. The drivers in a LIRR parking lot often behave like kindergarteners when they’re entering and exiting. Many of them SPRINT to their vehicles in order to have the best chance at being the first one outta there. Once they make it to their vehicles, they tend to gun it as fast as they can. I’ve seen many humorous accidents over the years.)

42

[QUOTE=RealityChuck]
It’s a lot easier to go in forward and back out. The safety isn’t an issue in parking lots – people are looking out for movement to begin with. And when you back into the space, you often end up too close to the next space, so others can’t get out of their car.
[/QUOTE]
It is easier to pull in forward and easier to pull out forward, and it is more difficult to back either way. However, of the four possible maneuvers, backing out is the most difficult.

First one has to see oncoming traffic in two directions looking back over one’s shoulders, whereas pulling out forward one does not need to look over one’s shoulders. In a parking lot, there is the added disadvantage that one is farther away from the actual end of the parking space, meaning that adjacent cars block more of your view as you begin to back up.

I’m not sure where you live where no children or elderly ever use parking lots, but I see lots of kids and a small number of seniors blithely walking past cars with their backup lights lit. Seeing a pedestrian (particularly a short pedestrian) through the back of one’s own car and the sides of the cars adjacent is significantly more difficult than seeing them across the (typically sloped) hood of one’s own car.
As to other drivers in parking lots looking out for traffic, you’ve got to be kidding. However, even if they were, when more than two cars are exiting at the same time, you have three or more drivers each having to swivel their heads back over their shoulders to look in both directions to watch for a constantly changing environment with other cars backing into the lane and still other cars moving down the lanes, all the while judging how far they need to pull out before cranking their steering wheel over to change direction in the lane (whille trying to not back into the car doing the same from the other side) and very poor visibility to exchange looks with the other departing drivers to acknowledge who will go first.

In contrast, backing into the slot, while interfering with other drivers for, maybe, three seconds, (about the samer length of time that one interferes backing out), brings traffic to a halt on either side, allowing you to enter the slot without further distractions and without knocking down the two year old who just broke free of his or her parent’s hand. Before backing in, one has already “cleared” the slot and the lane one is in, already knowing where pedstrians and moving cars might be, unlike backing out where, the situation will have changed since you last saw the lane before entering your car, adjusting your packages, (buckling the seat belt), and starting the engine.

I am not claiming that backing out is some horrendous task that only skilled drivers can accomplish. Obviously, most drivers tend to do it all the time. I am simply pointing out that in terms of relative ease and safety, backing out is the worst maneuver.

While quick getaways and easy access to the battery have influenced my decisions to back up over the years, safety remains the most important issue, to me. As I drive past the parking lane, I can look it over and see whether there are any kids near it, then swing my car slightly away from the slot, stick it in reverse, and back in.

43

[QUOTE=Trunk]
Yeah, it seems obvious to me.

I need to reverse one time. I’d rather do it into an empty space than a lane of traffic.
[/QUOTE]

That’s why I do it. Also I’m a person who hates spending 15 minutes looking for an up close parking spot and will usually pull into the first empty spots I see allowing me to pull across to the other spot so I can drive out forward that way. I’d never back into a diagonal space, they aren’t made for it. But at my mother’s place with all those damn kids running about I always do.

It’s really very easy when you give it the slightest amount of practice. Just like parallel parking.

44

If you back in, it’s less likely that a cop driving past will notice your expired tag/missing license plate and leave a ticket on your windshield.

45

[QUOTE=tomndebb]
I am not claiming that backing out is some horrendous task that only skilled drivers can accomplish. Obviously, most drivers tend to do it all the time. I am simply pointing out that in terms of relative ease and safety, backing out is the worst maneuver.
[/QUOTE]
Though you make a good case for this being comprehensively true, it’s really not technically true.

There are some people who simply Can. Not. Back Up. Between two cars? Hopeless. I know some people who would make 5 or 6 attempts, get out of the car to visually assess, and still not get any closer to being successful at it.

However, everyone can back out of a parking space. Does everyone do it safely? Responsibly? Judiciously? No. But everyone can do it, and most do without getting into an accident (often by just being lucky, since they’re often not being very safe/responsible/judicious in the maneuver).

Backing out is the hardest maneuver to do correctly, but not the hardest to do in 99% of all situations. Essentially, it’s a balance of safety vs. convenience. Some people choose convenience all the time, some safety, and some (like me) take it on a case-by-case basis. Fortunately, I rarely park in lots at all–most of the parking I do tends to be street parking, so it’s all parallel, baby!

46

I usually pull in front-wise (my term, thank you)*, but back in when circumstances warrant. Sometimes, in a tight lot, it is easier to back in. I’m thinking of a situation in which you are driving down a lane in a tight lot, and the spot you want is on the right. Because you are already on the right, you need to swing out wide to the left in order to create a big enough turning circle to clear the other parked cars. And you may have to adopt a stop-reverse-adjust-repeat strategy to get in. You can back in, however, with much less maneuvering – just a twist to the left, shift to reverse, and twist to the right. (And, assuming you know what you’re doing, you’ll have more clearance between you and the neighboring cars.)

(I’m not sure any of that made sense. If it didn’t, you’ll have to trust me when I say that I can picture it in my head, I’ve done it, and I’m right. Also, I’m right about everything else I’ve ever said. Trust me.)

  • I am strongly in favor of in any phrase in which “-wise” is appended.
47

[QUOTE=LionelHutz405]
I usually back in. It’s not a big deal but here’s a few reasons:

I know for a fact I’m not in a hurry now. I may be later, so why not back in to save a bit of time later?
[/QUOTE]

I know it’s not a big deal and everything, but unless you’re a superhero, when could you be in so much of a hurry that the five to fifteen seconds spent backing out is of any significance whatsoever?

I mean, if there’s anything you should not be trying to do while driving, it’s hurrying.

48

I back in because you often can’t see to back out when there’s a van on one side and an SUV on the other. You just have to back out and hope whoever’s coming sees you. Plus it’s a little investment in the future, you know you’ll leave easier than you arrived.

49

[QUOTE=Hampshire]
**Explain to me the allure of backing into parking spots **
[/QUOTE]

Its the only chance you’ll ever get in your life to hit a building with your car’s rear bumper. :smiley:

50

Hmm, I don’t always back in, but if nobody is behind me and I am in no hurry, I do.

I would say the reason is that I drive a small car and it is sometimes hard to see what is coming as I back up. Since many people fly through parking lots and don’t stop to let you back up, I figure backing in is actually safer. When I get ready to leave I can see who is coming much easier.

51

[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
Because I would rather back into an empty parking spot than into traffic.
[/QUOTE]

Concise. Logical. Correct.

Cheers,
Indyvet

52

I don’t think I’ve ever backed into a parking space in my life. I’m sure I’d hit both cars if I tried to. I’ve never really developed the knack for driving backwards. After one bad backing up event during my teenage years that left the bumper of my car stuck in the wheel well of my father’s car, we spent an afternoon driving around the neighborhood backwards, but apparently the lesson didn’t sink in. (FWIW, I can parallel park just fine.) At any rate, I would much rather back out, as the chances are higher that there won’t be anything within 10 feet of my back end.

To hijack a bit, I’ve noticed parking garages in the area with signs that specify that you should park front end in. Anyone have a guess as to why that should be?

53

[QUOTE=Lightnin’]
There’s a cute young woman who drives a big honkin’ SUV and works in my building, who always backs into her parking space. It’s not necessarily a guy thing.
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And by “guy thing” I’m sure cher3 meant that the means NO GIRLS EVER DO THIS. :rolleyes: Be reasonable. I know there are some women who do this, but I would have to agree, that by and large, it’s a guy thing. I umpire sports and it seems to be a really huge thing for umpires. I don’t usually do it, but occasionally will when facilitates changing into or out of my umpire gear. And that’s at all levels of ball. You’d be surprised at how many NCAA games where my partner and I are changing by our car. It’s either that or walk a block away to the convenient changing room they set up for us. That deserves a double: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

54

I don’t own a pickup truck and don’t envision myself as a big badass driving one either. I’ve been driving a minivan since 1993.

I always back into parking spots. It is infinitely safer to back into a parking spot where there is less likelihood of you striking a pedestrian, AND less likelihood of your vehicle being struck by oncoming traffic that you can not see.

You are backing into a spot whose dimensions are clearly seen by yourself and unless you’re at the zoo or the county fair and there are kids streaming around every parked car with an unhuman zeal to get to The Front Gate, you are fairly safe in thinking that you are backing into an empty area.

Not so with backing out of a spot into the lane where both automotive and pedestrian traffic flows.

It has nothing to do with being in that much of a hurry either, since I tend to ease out slowly even when I’m facing forwards.

When I drove an ambulance for a few years, that habit came in really handly. Learning the dimensions of the rig took some time, but I became quite adept in backing an ambulance into rather snug areas. For the safety reasons listed above, you always back a rig in- and in the case of the paid EMS Group I worked for, you had to have the other crew member standing behind the rig, backing you in for safety’s sake.

BetsQ, yes I can guess. As you yourself said, it’s something that one must practice and most people NEVER do it. It’s considered unsafe and parking garages are all about avoiding lawsuits.

Cartooniverse

55

[QUOTE=Enright3]
And by “guy thing” I’m sure cher3 meant that the means NO GIRLS EVER DO THIS. :rolleyes: Be reasonable. I know there are some women who do this, but I would have to agree, that by and large, it’s a guy thing.
[/QUOTE]
I have to respectfully disagree. I’m a girl, and I almost always back in when I’m drivig my personal vehicle. When I’m at work, I always back in.
As for the OP, it’s just easier. I’d much rather back into a spot, and then be able to pull out when I leave, rather than the other way around.

56

I know for a fact that some girls DO back in: they’re the ones I’ve trained in ambulances and fire apparatus. If you can’t perform a stall park in one pass after training, you’re not a qualified operator.

I’d also offer that all the girls who operate triaxles and tractor trailers would disagree, too.

57

Our company Health and Safety person and our Health and Safety “Driver’s course” advises that backing into a parking space, or pulling through if it’s available, is safer. I’ve always done it because even though it take a wee bit more time (for my huge work truck) to back into the space, it’s easier to back into an empty space bordered by two or three other vehicles (and therefore unlikely to be occupied by moving vehicles as is the driveway portion of the parking lot) than to pull out into the parking lot where you can’t always see (as someone else said) dogs, kids running, bikes, tiny old people walking as slow as molasses and teensy cars going by behind you.

It doesn’t take anymore time or effort (if you have an over-sized vehicle, you’re likely to have to back up at least once even if you’re going head in, if you don’t, it’s the same as pulling in head first, just one smooth motion backing in) , it’s not that difficult once you become practiced at it.

Oh yes, and I’m a 48 year old woman, so it’s not a “guy thing”.

58

I back in whenever I can for many of the reasons given here, plus one more. Since I refuse to leave a vehicle so far to one side in a parking spot that no one can safely park next to it (Orange County yuppies, I’m looking at you), I at least try to get it squarely between the lines. While backing into a space I can easily see the painted lines in my side mounted mirrors. If I have to pull in frontwise I can’t see the line on the driver’s side unless I roll down my window and stick my head out, and I can’t see the line on the other side at all.

[QUOTE=BetsQ]
To hijack a bit, I’ve noticed parking garages in the area with signs that specify that you should park front end in. Anyone have a guess as to why that should be?
[/QUOTE]

This is one of those things that seems intuitively obvious but that I can’t easily translate into words.

Cars leak oil, some more than others. Over time a significant greasy area develops beneath where the cars’ front ends, and therefore their dripping engines*, rest while parked. When all the cars in a parking garage are faced “in”, the oil spots are confined in rows further away from the center aisle than they would be if the cars were backed in. I imagine the management of a building and its associated garage would object to motor oil tracked into the premises via shoe soles, not to mention potential costly slip-and-fall lawsuits, and having the inevitable grease patches farther from the center aisles of a garage means fewer opportunities to tramp through them on the way to the nice carpet in the lobby. And now another doper can come along and get the same point across with one third of the words I used. :slight_smile:

*Which raises the question, what about a car with a rear-mounted engine? I’m thinking of my Seventies-vintage VW Beetle that routinely drips like an ice cream cone on a hot day. If I park facing in I leave a new oil spot but if I park facing out I risk the wrath of the management. I don’t really need a reply, I’m just musing. :cool:

59

Just musing as well… many parking garages have small signs near the Handicapped signs that clearly read,

Pre-1972 Beetle Parking

Haven’t you ever wondered why?

The phrase referring to ice cream cones was brilliant. Dad had a 1958 VW Beetle, Mom had a 1968 SuperBeetle ( First year they were out, I think ! ).

Dad’s …uh…seeped. Mom’s wasn’t so bad. But that blue beetle. Messy.

60

I remarked on this only a few days ago at work. I asked, “Why is it that the only people who choose to reverse park in a parking garage are the people who can barely control the vehicle they are driving?”

All we could come up with was that they are trying to improve their skills.