# Reverse angle parking is safer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410 "2013-07-02T02:27:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Backcountry\_Medic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Backcountry\_Medic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backcountry_Medic)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/41 "2013-07-03T21:16:42Z")
Sorry, but anyone who says backing out is safer than backing in will have to provide some sort of data for this fact. If all of the corporate and government policies above haven’t convinced you (being made for safety rather than just because), read Tom Vanderbilt’s excellent book ‘Traffic’. Statistically, the most dangerous thing you do on an average driving day-for pedestrians- is go through an intersection. The second most dangerous is backing out of a parking space (or driveway). While it’s fairly challenging and inconvenient to avoid intersections, backing into your parking space doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t take any extra time and it’s actually easier once you practice a bit. With the exception of herringbone style lots, I think it should be the law. There are a variety of reasons why backing out is fundamentally imposing for a driver, but the only reason you couldn’t safely back in is a lack of driver skill. It’s really not as tough as some people are making out. Just go to the empty corner of your local mall, tilt your side mirrors down a bit and practice. If you can’t get the hang of it in 30 minutes, maybe you should consider cutting your license in half for the rest of our safety. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/42 "2013-07-03T22:23:20Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > 😕 I’ve been driving a standard shift for so many decades I’m not really conscious of how I push the pedals. But the car moves slowly when I want it to move slowly, and quickly only when I want it to move quickly. Accidentally “lurching” into a neighboring car isn’t one of the available options. > > I do realize YMMV. OTOH, I was chastised in a recent thread for having difficulty pocketing change with coins on top! Turnabout is fair play. Maybe lurch isn’t the best word. It’s not that the car suddenly moving faster, it’s the fact that the rear end of the car will swing wider turning in reverse than forward. > [@Backcountry\_Medic](#): > > Sorry, but anyone who says backing out is safer than backing in will have to provide some sort of data for this fact. If all of the corporate and government policies above haven’t convinced you (being made for safety rather than just because), read Tom Vanderbilt’s excellent book ‘Traffic’. Statistically, the most dangerous thing you do on an average driving day-for pedestrians- is go through an intersection. The second most dangerous is backing out of a parking space (or driveway). While it’s fairly challenging and inconvenient to avoid intersections, backing into your parking space doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t take any extra time and it’s actually easier once you practice a bit. With the exception of herringbone style lots, I think it should be the law. There are a variety of reasons why backing out is fundamentally imposing for a driver, but the only reason you couldn’t safely back in is a lack of driver skill. > > It’s really not as tough as some people are making out. Just go to the empty corner of your local mall, tilt your side mirrors down a bit and practice. If you can’t get the hang of it in 30 minutes, maybe you should consider cutting your license in half for the rest of our safety. Anyone claiming backing IN is safer than backing out needs to show some data. And not out of N accidents N1 were caused by backing out versus N2 caused by backing in. That doesn’t tell us anything because number of people who back in to parking spaces is dwarfed by the number of people who back out. It needs to be what percentage of backing out incidents results in an accident compared to what percentage of backing in incidents. The problem is no one counts the times people back out safely, even though nearly everyone who parks in parking lots ends up backing out. ---
**Author:** ![Backcountry\_Medic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Backcountry\_Medic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backcountry_Medic)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/43 "2013-07-03T23:24:52Z")
Honestly the ‘lurch’ (or rather the ‘rapid lateral movement’ as it seems to be) argument doesn’t make any sense either. Aren’t you going to have to orient the car with the steering wheels opposite the direction of travel at some point? And if it’s as challenging as you make it sound, why would you want to do it with a visual imparement? Do you never have the experience of walking to your car in the parking only to have to wait for a driver that can’t see you to back halfway out of their space before they notice you were standing there? Logically, how could that be safer than someone who can see approaching pedestrians, children, pets, shopping carts, etc because they are facing forward? Plus as an added bonus backing in trucks and SUVs makes it easier for other smaller cars to see, as their hoods are typically lower than the back. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/44 "2013-07-04T01:25:31Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Maybe lurch isn’t the best word. It’s not that the car suddenly moving faster, it’s the fact that the rear end of the car will swing wider turning in reverse than forward. Wait, what? Are you driving a forklift? When going in any direction, the front of the car swings more than the rear, without question. This means that when going into a lot, your swingy front goes into the lot first, making you less able to maneuver. When coming out of a lot, your swingy front comes out last, again making you less able to maneuver. Contrast with backing in, which allows you to have the LESS swingy end in first, so that you can maneuver and adjust as needed without scraping the cars at your sides. In fact, this is the whole reason why forklifts have their turning wheels at the back, not the front - they have their load in front, so they have to maneuver accurately forwards without swinging their front around too much, and this allows them to pivot around the front! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/45 "2013-07-04T01:47:15Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > > [@Rachellelogram](#): > > > > Use your side mirrors. There is literally no way you can accidentally hit something while reversing unless you fail to check them… > > Of course you can. Going in reverse a small overcorrection can cause the back end to make a sudden lurch to either side. Backing out it’s not a big deal, but backing in with maybe a couple of feet clearance on either side means you’ve got a clear view of your rear corner making contact with your neighbor’s door panel. The only reason it doesn’t happen much is that most people don’t back in to parking spots. Others have already pointed out that your “sudden lurch” is a false premise. I’m here to pick on something different. You’re having trouble backing in with “maybe a couple of feet clearance on either side”? You, my friend, need driving lessons. Driving my long-bed crew-cab pickup truck is like maneuvering a shrimp boat, yet I regularly back through areas where my mirrors are two or three inches from the mirrors of the vehicles next to me. If you can’t back in safely with two feet of clearance on each side, I fail to comprehend how you passed the test and got a license. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/46 "2013-07-04T06:07:16Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:45, topic:662410”] Others have already pointed out that your “sudden lurch” is a false premise. I’m here to pick on something different. You’re having trouble backing in with “maybe a couple of feet clearance on either side”? You, my friend, need driving lessons. Driving my long-bed crew-cab pickup truck is like maneuvering a shrimp boat, yet I regularly back through areas where my mirrors are two or three inches from the mirrors of the vehicles next to me. If you can’t back in safely with two feet of clearance on each side, I fail to comprehend how you passed the test and got a license. [/QUOTE] What about someone who can’t back safely with a hundred or more feet of clearance on each side? Because that’s what I’m questioning - the claim that backing out is somehow inherently dangerous even though the overwhelming majority of people who use parking lots back out of their spaces, and nearly always without incident. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/47 "2013-07-04T09:25:15Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > What about someone who can’t back safely with a hundred or more feet of clearance on each side? Because that’s what I’m questioning - the claim that backing out is somehow inherently dangerous even though the overwhelming majority of people who use parking lots back out of their spaces, and nearly always without incident. Try this: [kids injured/killed](http://www.kidsandcars.org/back-overs.html). n the U.S. at least fifty children are being backed over by vehicles EVERY week. Forty-eight (48) are treated in hospital emergency rooms and at least two (2) children are fatally injured every WEEK. I couldn’t find comparable statistics for injuries by drivers backing in - perhaps you can. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/48 "2013-07-04T11:39:28Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > In the “reverse” angle street situation we (well, the OP and some of us, anyway) are discussing here, of course you have just as much access the back of your car - and it’s safer since you’re standing on the sidewalk rather than out in the street. Of course you are absolutely correct. Over here, angled parking at the kerbside is fairly rare. Most of my parking is in supermarket or multi-story car parks where the spaces are at right angles to the driveway. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/49 "2013-07-04T11:47:35Z")
For several years I drove what Americans call a semi. Over here it is an articulated lorry (artic) and can legally gross 44 tonnes (97,000lbs) on six axles. Most deliveries in these vehicles require a precision reverse, often into a space between two other lorries. This with a lorry that bends in the middle (well near the front really) and has a long overhang at the rear. and it is a matter of pride to take no more than one or two shunts. Notwithstanding this, I still prefer to drive forward into any space where it is convenient so to do. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/50 "2013-07-04T12:08:54Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [snip] > As a local custom for Austin, do as the locals do. They must have a reason for it. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Righty-o. Off to drink beer at the movies. Doesn’t everyone drink beer at the movies? ---
**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:** [July 4, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/51 "2013-07-04T12:29:26Z")
> [@Backcountry\_Medic](#): > > It’s really not as tough as some people are making out. Just go to the empty corner of your local mall, tilt your side mirrors down a bit and practice. If you can’t get the hang of it in 30 minutes, maybe you should consider **cutting your license in half for the rest of our safety**. If you can’t look to see if cars or people are in your way before you back out of a spot, maybe you should do the same. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/52 "2013-07-04T14:25:51Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > If you can’t look to see if cars or people are in your way before you back out of a spot, maybe you should do the same. If you think you can always see if cars or people are ten seconds away from being behind you as you back out of a spot, then you are sadly mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410/53 "2013-07-04T16:39:19Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > Try this: [kids injured/killed](http://www.kidsandcars.org/back-overs.html). > > n the U.S. at least fifty children are being backed over by vehicles EVERY week. Forty-eight (48) are treated in hospital emergency rooms and at least two (2) children are fatally injured every WEEK. > > I couldn’t find comparable statistics for injuries by drivers backing in - perhaps you can. Where are the statistics for just drivers backing out in parking lots? That lumps all backover injuries and deaths anywhere other than a roadway together. Your link says that in over 70% the driver is a parent or close relative. That would imply that the majority take place not in parking lots but in driveways at home. Also from the same site: The difference in frontover fatalities and backover fatalities is only [9 per year.](http://www.kidsandcars.org/userfiles/dangers/shared/visibility-chart.pdf) (PDF chart) Since most people back out you would expect the difference to be far greater _if the risks were equal._ I also notice that some of their statements don’t add up. They claim 2 fatal backovers a week, but their numbers show 448 fatalities over a ten year period. Two a week would be 1040. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-angle-parking-is-safer/662410.md?page=2)