Why do people back into spaces in parking lots?

This makes no sense to me. Yes, it's easier to just pull out of the space, but if you add up the difficulty of pulling in + backing out, vs backing in + pulling out, you are definitely losing out. It's so much harder to back into a space than to back out of a space, that it makes no sense to try and do the former. And because backing in is harder, it's more disruptive to parking traffic, especially in a garage. You're ostensibly trying to make your life easier, but you're actually making your life, and everyone else's, harder.

It's a lose lose situation.

So STOP IT!

Thank you.

(The only exception is if you're driving one of those ridiculously large pickup trucks or SUV's, in which case it might possibly make sense, except that it is negated by the fact that it makes no sense that you're driving such a hulk in the first place, so you're wrong anyway and still deserve my approbation.)



(note to self: start backing into more parking spots)


drummerboy said:
This makes no sense to me. Yes, it's easier to just pull out of the space, but if you add up the difficulty of pulling in + backing out, vs backing in + pulling out, you are definitely losing out. It's so much harder to back into a space than to back out of a space, that it makes no sense to try and do the former. And because backing in is harder, it's more disruptive to parking traffic, especially in a garage. You're ostensibly trying to make your life easier, but you're actually making your life, and everyone else's, harder.

It's a lose lose situation.

So STOP IT!
Thank you.
(The only exception is if you're driving one of those ridiculously large pickup trucks or SUV's, in which case it might possibly make sense, except that it is negated by the fact that it makes no sense that you're driving such a hulk in the first place, so you're wrong anyway and still deserve my approbation.)



 Was just observing how stupid and annoying this practice is while waiting for someone to do it at my gym parking lot.   


bub said:
 Was just observing how stupid and annoying this practice is while waiting for someone to do it at my gym parking lot.   

 well, yeah. I was at the JCC this afternoon in WO which got me going on this. There's barely enough room in there to maneuver as it is. When you back into a space you bring the place to a grinding halt.


PVW said:
It’s much safer to back into parking spaces. Why don’t we do it?

 I don't even have to read that to know that it's flat out wrong. It's not safer at all, and I guarantee you that backing into spaces is a major cause of body damage to boot.


Its situational.  I was taught by teamsters to back in whenever possible, and always do in my driveway.  As I'm approaching the driveway I can clearly see everything around me.  Kids on the sidewalk, approaching traffic, parked cars.  As I back in I know it's safe because I saw all of that.  Now, when I'm pulling out I can see all those things, especially pedestrians, ahead of me, instead of looking over my shoulder and possibly missing something.  

  Really, the goal is to be safe, not to make things faster for the car behind me.


drummerboy said:


PVW said:
It’s much safer to back into parking spaces. Why don’t we do it?
 I don't even have to read that to know that it's flat out wrong. It's not safer at all, and I guarantee you that backing into spaces is a major cause of body damage to boot.

Don't worry, it was't for you. You seem pretty comfortable in your opinions, and I wouldn't want to disturb that. The link is for those genuinely curious about the topic.


I was consulting at a security company (lots of high level law enforcement, military products). They all told me to always back in. In the event of an emergency, you’ll be the safest, quickest one out. I still don’t back in but that was their logic. And the safety/visibility reason above sounds logical too.


Drummerboy, I’d like to return the favor and encourage a look at that article. I’ve read Ben Yagoda’s stuff before, and he’s no dummy.


I find it easier to back in.  When you are backing in, it is much less likely that people will be walking in the parking space.  It is easier to see while you are in the aisle as you position to back in.


When you are trying to back out, you have to watch more for airplanes, i mean cars, flying down the aisles, as well as phone zombies looking at their phones and not watching where they are going.


last year, I was at Walmart in Union.  the car across the aisle from me was backing out.  An idiot with her eyes on the phone, walked out from between 2 cars on my side of the aisle...and straight toward the car backing out.....the car had been moving before the woman came out from between the cars.


Also, at the same Walmart.  After I got into my car, the ace cart collector left a bunch of carts right behind my car.  As my car is higher, I could not see them below my window....and I backed into them.


I honestly tend to park further away in the lot, where both spaces are empty, so I can pull through one space and park facing out in the other.


drummerboy said:
This makes no sense to me. Yes, it's easier to just pull out of the space, but if you add up the difficulty of pulling in + backing out, vs backing in + pulling out, you are definitely losing out. It's so much harder to back into a space than to back out of a space, that it makes no sense to try and do the former. And because backing in is harder, it's more disruptive to parking traffic, especially in a garage. You're ostensibly trying to make your life easier, but you're actually making your life, and everyone else's, harder.

It's a lose lose situation.

So STOP IT!
Thank you.
(The only exception is if you're driving one of those ridiculously large pickup trucks or SUV's, in which case it might possibly make sense, except that it is negated by the fact that it makes no sense that you're driving such a hulk in the first place, so you're wrong anyway and still deserve my approbation.)



 Some years ago after doing it for a couple years I figured out the rule to driving in the city.  The rule is watch out for the guy in front of you.  Accordingly this rule applies also to the guy behind me.  In other words, if you're behind me, I don't owe you Sh!t.  


And yes, I do drive a full size pickup truck.  


DaveSchmidt said:
Drummerboy, I’d like to return the favor and encourage a look at that article. I’ve read Ben Yagoda’s stuff before, and he’s no dummy.

 I did read it. He's still wrong.


wrongo wrongly el wrongissimo


This thread is about parking in parking lots. Not your driveway. In a covered tight parking lot, with a lot of traffic it's better for everyone if you just park head on. But better is relative to who's driving. Some people think they have this God given right to back in without regards to the people they are holding up. Some parking lots ticket you for backing in. There's a reason why. It's common sense.


Dear Drummerboy,

Just because 95% of drivers do not know how to operate a motor vehicle correctly**, does not mean  that those of us who do, should not follow the safest practices.  I always back in, including into my own drive way.  And, I know the length of my vehicle, I can stop within 4-8 inches of the car behind me without hitting it.

** For further evidence, consider the number of drivers, who:

  • Stop 1-3 car lengths from the stop line at traffic lights.
  • Are afraid to pass a left turning vehicle, despite ample space for theirs to pass.
  • Fail to signal turns & lane changes.
  • Can't place their vehicle correctly in marked parking spots (see 'How to Park like a Tool').
  • Pull to the right, in order to make a left turn (and vice-versa).
  • Fail to use highway ramps to accellerate to highway speed.  
  • Drive in center (or left) lane, without passing anyone.


Backing in to park isn’t just for your driveway at home, it also gives safety advantages in parking lots 


If I’m somewhere where I know I’ll need my trunk, like Costco, I’ll park head in. But more often than not I’ll back in.  The time it takes to back in where I can still easily see pedestrians and other vehicles is worth it considering that backing out when people and cars don’t have the common courtesy to stop even when they see someone trying to back out.  I do have a back up camera on my car, but it doesn’t beat pulling out of a spot head first for visibility  


https://www.usafireprotectioninc.com/blog/2018/09/why-reverse-parking-or-forward-first-parking-is-safer/


I see...the whole issue is having others wait on you while you back in... instead of you having to wait for people to pass before you back out. I figured that much.


Jaytee said:
I see...the whole issue is having others wait on you while you back in... instead of you having to wait for people to pass before you back out. I figured that much.

 BS.  The issue is safety for others, even if it slightly inconveniences someone in another car.  


I am pretty sure if someone is struggling to back into a space and slowing down traffic they are going to struggle to back out of that space and slow down traffic. 

drummerboy, you okay? You seem a little grumpy. I'm worried about you.


You know its illegal to back into some public spaces, right?  I've seen tickets be given out for it in public lots.  There must be some reasoning behind the "head in only" rule.  And its clear to me that the people who do it in parking lots are thinking about the ease of getting out without thinking about the extra effort they're making to get in.  Safety has nothing to do with it.

The person I watched trying to do it the other day was so spatially challenged that they couldn't do it and gave up.  I zipped right into the spot head first.


I back into every legal spot I can. There are too many distracted drivers, people who walk behind cars backing up and trying to get out of a space without getting creamed is getting more and more difficult.  If you practice, backing into a spot should be almost as fast as pulling in...and out to straighten your car


mrincredible said:
I am pretty sure if someone is struggling to back into a space and slowing down traffic they are going to struggle to back out of that space and slow down traffic. 
drummerboy, you okay? You seem a little grumpy. I'm worried about you.

 no this is incorrect, because it's much, much easier to back out of a space than to back in. Watch people who back in, almost none of them can do it in one maneuver if there are cars on either side of them.

And poor driving makes me especially grumpy. grrrr.


tomcat said:
Dear Drummerboy,
Just because 95% of drivers do not know how to operate a motor vehicle correctly**, does not mean  that those of us who do, should not follow the safest practices.  I always back in, including into my own drive way.  And, I know the length of my vehicle, I can stop within 4-8 inches of the car behind me without hitting it.
** For further evidence, consider the number of drivers, who:


  • Stop 1-3 car lengths from the stop line at traffic lights.
  • Are afraid to pass a left turning vehicle, despite ample space for theirs to pass.
  • Fail to signal turns & lane changes.
  • Can't place their vehicle correctly in marked parking spots (see 'How to Park like a Tool').
  • Pull to the right, in order to make a left turn (and vice-versa).
  • Fail to use highway ramps to accellerate to highway speed.  
  • Drive in center (or left) lane, without passing anyone.

I don't quite get your point with the list of driver transgressions (and I don't even understand this one "Are afraid to pass a left turning vehicle, despite ample space for theirs to pass." What?)



As I said in my very first post, it is all situational.  Of course, if someone doesn't know how to back up a car they have more problems than just parking.  And if it says head in only then we need to do that.  But my original response stands.  In general it is safer for others in the area for us  to back in.


It's only harder to back in if you're not adept at maneuvering your vehicle. 

(Side rant: if  you aren't spatially inclined, you have no business driving a large vehicle)


I agree with Film Carp -- it depends on the situation and conditions.  

I do notice since most cars now have the back up cameras more people are backing into spaces.  

I almost always back into spaces at events with very large parking lots and everyone leaves at the same time.  


Jaytee said:
Some parking lots ticket you for backing in. There's a reason why. It's common sense.

Are you talking about private or public parking lots?


You are going to hold people up in 1 direction or another...whether you back in and hold people up while backing in, or when you back out and hold people up as you back out.  Sure some people are inept at backing in and take much longer than backing out, but if you have reasonable skill it doesn't take that much longer.  The reason why it may seem that backing out is significantly quicker is because too many people go too fast and don't take the time they should to be cautious.  


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