I see a thread or two in the PIT, but let us try some honest discussion. A couple of my wife’s cow-orkers talked her into trying it- “as you have a faster get-away”"- but I talked her out of it (slight hill in driveway, stick shift, causes extra wear on clutch- which are very expensive on Volvos).
My buddy, instead, tries to find a spot where he can pull in frontways, but into the next spot- so yes, the car is facing out- but at least no backing.
Anyone else?
A lot of commercial firms require their employees to back in to parking spaces, especially when driving trucks or vans. Reason being that it supposedly reduces accidents because the driver can see traffic the whole time while backing into the space and exiting the space.
More accidents supposedly happen when someone backs a vehicle into the traffic lane as opposed to backing into the parking spot. No idea if this is supported by any actual data or not.
P.S. Many of these employees have internalized the practice and use it for their own vehicles as well.
Research shows it is safer. You have better sight lines for approaching traffic. I generally back in when I am in parking lots except where I am planning on pulling a shopping cart up to the trunk. At home I pull in straight as there is a retaining wall that would be harder to avoid if I backed in.
I either pull through or back into parking spaces as much as I can, and it’s for two reasons. First, the faster getaway. I used to park in a multi-level parking structure at work, and I found that often, if I was fronted into a space, other people leaving work at about the same time were loathe to stop and wait and give me a chance to back out. This was even more of an issue when we used to attend professional sporting events and parked in the structure adjacent to the arena: NOBODY would let you back out, so you’re stuck there for an eternity.
The other reason is because I believe (no facts to support it, however) that backing out of a parking space is more likely to cause accidents. If I’m pulling out forward, I can easily see everything that’s going on in front of me, but if I have to back out, I have to watch in at least 180 degrees, and most of it over my shoulder/in the mirror. When I back in, I can clearly see if anybody is approaching and nobody is sneaking into a blind spot. If I have to back out, that’s not always the case.
I have gotten pretty good at backing in to parking spaces, and can do it in one move, no backing and filling required, and always spaced evenly between the lines, but I wasn’t always so great at it. I have had a lot of practice.
YMMV.
I’m a (skilled) back-in parker. I had to learn as part of a job when I was young and still do it occasionally.
It’s useful when I’ve got children or dogs in the car. While loading and unloading, they have the open door between them and traffic if one of them bolts.
How is this different in any way than the Pit (Pit not PIT) thread? People gave their reasons and discussion on both sides there.
In the commuter (small) car, Nose in
In the Long Bed Dually: Back in if the parking space is ‘compromised’.
Like, if I can get the slot in the corner, so I can back straight out, then pull forward and turn down the lane, I’ll do that.
I’ve been in situations where I made use of empty slots to get in a position so I could get out if those slots filled up.
I will park WTF Out in the sticks with the truck. It will never park at a Trader Joes.
The truck is massive, it gets used, it’s not a Parkway Princess, and it only gets used in-town when both of us are commuting and can’t use the Mini or the Motorcycle or WFH. Otherwise, it’s hauling the 5th wheel.
In the Pit there seem to be people that just like to argue that they are skilled at backing out and all real drivers should do it their way. And they voice annoyance at the time it takes people to back into a spot without acknowledgement of the time saved when people leave (with less chance of an accident happening).
Also the use of backup cameras In modern cars is downplayed as being like cheat. Its progress, once you get the hang of it saves all the time they are crying about and it’s much safer both ways.
But the pit is the pit, and some just like to argue a point.
I usually find myself in parking lots where the spots are diagonal and the aisles are one-way. I like those because for the MOST part, people go one way. Of course it is a problem when people go the wrong way. Including when they pull forward to exit from their spot and find themselves going the wrong way in the next aisle.
At Costco the aisles have straight spots and are two-way, but I don’t want to back in because I will be loading my car from the rear when I leave.
I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to be a bother so if I’m coming in to an event and there are people waiting behind me to park, I won’t back in.
But if I’m at an event where I know everyone will be leaving at the same time, and there will be pedestrians walking through the aisle when I go to leave AND I’m not holding people up when I park, THEN I will back in.
I’d just like to point out that, while there are advantages to back-in parking, often you’re backing up into a wall and that interferes with access to the trunk/hatch.
And, with bumper cameras, these days you probably have better sight through your camera than you would facing the outlet.
Doors in the way of kids running into the street is probably a worthwhile consideration, though.
Yeah, me too. But instead of fronting in, I’ve been known to drive past an empty spot and let the person behind me take it while I move further down the parking lot to one where I can back in without holding up anybody (usually the person behind me holds up the line behind THEM long enough for me to get into a spot backwards).
And, conversely, in that Pit thread, there are also back-in advocates who became very heated in their criticism of those who don’t do it their way. There’s a whole lot of Pit-level flaming going on there.
When you’re backing up, you have less visibility and control. So you back into safety - there shouldn’t be any pedestrians or cross-traffic in the parking spot. Then you can pull forward with maximum visibility toward where the risks actually are.
The exception of course would be if you can actually pull into an opposite space so that you’re facing outward without needing to reverse. But you also have to be careful about that, because someone else may be trying to normal-park that space while you’re pulling in. I’ve actually seen signage that said you can’t park that way, not sure exactly what risk they had in mind.
Parking is a matter of preference. Backing in gets the hard part out of the way first. Backing out when you leave is, in my opinion, ( I have to say that in this thread), is the more dangerous part.
In large parking lots like a Safeway, Costco, or Walmart, my wife says “grandma is parking up front and always leaving” so she is always looking for a spot up front. She gets door dings and minor dents more than I do.
I will always look for a nice car like a Corvette parked in the far part of the parking lot and park next to them. They are not going to be opening their door into mine or making some other stupid move. I am safe there and it is just a longer walk to the store, probably good for me.
Its a Car Guy thing.
I can see back-in parking in some situations, like a parking garage with limited visibility and where you do not need to load anything in the back. But what if you need to load/unload something? People are saying it’s better at places like Costco and stores, but then you have to squeeze the huge cart between cars, and loading the rear can be awkward. Going skiing we see people backing-in at the parking lot, and then it’s a mess for them getting ski equipment out/in and changing clothes, etc. There is so little room compared to front-in parking, people are self-limiting themselves - I don’t get it. What about cameras that are on most cars now - hasn’t that mitigated the “danger” of backing out of a parking space somewhat?
As a strong advocate of backing into parking spots I have to admit that this one of the main reason I would ever park straight in looking forward. Especially at home depot, Costco not so much because they actually make their parking spots really big compared to the rest of the universe. Unless of course I’m going to be loading a 100” big screen. 
As long as you clean it off. Then you have to resort to the "old fashioned “ way, which can catch you guard in like a rainstorm or snowfall. I’ve gotten into the habit of wiping my clean but it happens that I don’t sometimes.
I am a habitual back in parker. Partly, because at a young age I had to back a trailer into a garage 5 times a week as a landscaper and I got used to practicing reversing using only side view mirrors. No back up cameras in the 90s, and the truck had a dump bed so the rearview mirror was useless. Today, I’m a boater and still have to back my trailer down launch ramps a couple times a year, so it’s a good skill to keep sharp. But there’s a far more pragmatic reason when I’m in the car with no trailer.
Where I work, parking permits are checked using license plate scanners. Ever since they charged me for parking during COVID when we were all working from home I have ‘neglected’ to renew my parking pass. My car doesn’t have a front license plate, so the campus rent-a-cops can’t scan me for a parking permit if I back in. After 5 years of doing this, not one of them has had the initiative to get out of their car and check my license plate. So now, it’s just a habit. Backing in is the way I park everywhere. If you can’t wait an extra 30 seconds, that’s not my problem.
It has been proven again and again. Child death stats, vehicle collision stats, it’s very clear. Back-in parking is safer.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339286946_Safety_effects_of_parking_maneuvers
Now that I have a car with the back-up camera, I never want a car without one.