Why do people back into car park spaces.

storker

You're going to have to reverse at some point, so it's better to do it on the way in where it's easier to line up the car because the wheels doing the steering are at the back, and you have good visibility and thus better situational awareness. If reversing out you're at the wrong end of the car, sitting facing the wrong way and frequently with severely restricted vision due to obstacles on either side.

The only downside of reversing into a space is possible difficulty getting your supermarket trolley beside your boot...and if you have a wall to the rear, remembering to leave enough space for your boot to open.

HeidiHeidi

Mmmmmm.... def a wind up. Getting a bit boring now.

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868267#Comment_117868267

There or their?

MarkR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868213#Comment_117868213

And you're obviously not answering the question. How do you reverse out of a spot safely when there are two high sided vehicles on either side of you?

Macy0161

This thread kinda sums up what's wrong with a significant proportion of motorists in this state - self importance and impatience. Drive in, as you might delay other motorists a few seconds, parking sensors eliminating bumps to other vehicles, but the point about other people/ children being injured way beyond their comprehension!

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868226#Comment_117868226

Ah yeah, don't worry I know plenty of lads that think they have the spidey sense like you. Unfortunately you can't always control what other people do so I much prefer to spend a few extra seconds reversing into a spot and being able to see all around me pulling out than worrying whether other drivers are knobs or not.

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868123#Comment_117868123

I think the people reversing in are the ones who don't care. How exactly is reversing into a space neater?

beggars_bush

in NZ its the law.

also once got fined for parking against the flow of traffic on a street in NZ.

Dante

Way easier to get in and out.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868306#Comment_117868306

Because unless the space is very wide, it takes less manoeuvering. And I think the main point being made is safety when exiting the space - or did you miss that bit?

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868159#Comment_117868159

Would you not be holding up both sides of the road while reversing in as well? And unless you've a big truck either side of you, you wouldn't have vastly reduced visibility. It's much quicker and easier than reversing in.

Gregor Samsa

Paring spaces: If the carpark isn't busy or particularly tight, or if I need access to the boot for loading or unloading, I'll drive in. Quick and easy. If it's tight, it's much easier to reverse in. Both my cars are relatively big (Skoda Superb estate and Ford S-Max 7 seater), so if the spaces are small or the neighbouring cars aren't parked right, or if the roadway between rows of cars is narrow, reversing in is actually much easier than maneuvering to drive in. And much easier to drive out than reverse out from.

I always reverse into my driveway. I live in a quiet cul-de-sac, but kids play on the road. Much easier and safer to reverse in to the driveway, and then my boot is right at my front door for loading and unloading. Only time I'll drive in is if I need to do something in the engine, so that bit is closer to the house for access.

Big bugbear of mine is people who reverse into angle parking spaces. They're specifically designed to be driven into and reversed out of, and doing the opposite messes the whole traffic flow up. These spaces, which aren't so common here, should always be driven into. This pic is from my local primary school, and I'd say about 50% of people incorrectly reverse into them. In other countries, you'll get a fine for that. In some countries there are spaces angled the other way that you must reverse into.

Manic Moran

Easier, safer, faster, for reasons mentioned above.

I can only think of two reasons I may nose in as a matter of preference. 1) I'm being tailgated by some jerk who doesn't leave enough room for me to reverse after I move in front of the space. 2) The parking spaces are very narrow, and the person in the adjoining space has already reversed in. If one has parked in the alternate direction (eg driver's door next to driver's door, or passenger door next to passenger door) it is possible to park with more space between the drivers' doors and less to the passengers' doors, thus making it easier to squeeze into the driver's position. For passengers, you need to pull out to open the door. (Note, If I see a baby seat in the neighboring passenger's side, I'll adjust spacing)

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058208063/why-do-people-back-into-car-park-spaces

If you think that reversing into an empty space, that you've just slowly driven past and been able to visually assess for size/space, and ensure it's safe and clear, is "20 times more work" then surely reversing out from a parking space into a traffic lane (possibly with pedestrians crossing), with limited visibility, is even more work again - never mind being a lot more dangerous

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868400#Comment_117868400

Reversing out of a space saves you from being a knob, apparently.

Mr. CooL ICE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868267#Comment_117868267

Says yer man that can't reverse into a space

Get Real

I don't understand how reversing in is 20 times the work?

Say a free spot is on your left and you drive in front ways. Drive up to spot, turn wheel left, make a few mini turns to straighten up.

If you're reversing in, drive up to spot, turn wheel to left, put gear in reverse. Make a few mini turns to straighten up.

Both methods require one main turn?

Nevermind the fact that reversing out of a spot is more dangerous, holds up others as you slowly budge out. And if you're unlucky enough to hit something, you may be at fault for reversing onto a major road (an offence) , depending on the circumstances. So good luck giving some cyclist or taxi man your insurance details.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868411#Comment_117868411

To badly misquote the Elmore Leonard line - might be something for the OP to ponder

“If you run into a knob in the morning, you ran into a knob. If you run into knobs all day, you're the knob”

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868448#Comment_117868448

I don't have to straighten up if I drive straight in though. I also don't have to stop and hold up the cars behind me. I just drive straight in. There's also no point in reversing into a space in a supermarket when there's a wall behind me and I have a trolley full of groceries to get in the boot.

ablelocks

as well as being safer, it's also more fuel efficient to reverse into parking space

magicbastarder

i live on a busy road with a bus lane, always reverse into the driveway. maybe three times over the years i've gotten **** from bus drivers for doing this. once the bus driver pulled the bus up to my bumper and refused to back off until the old lad standing chatting beside him cracked up laughing when it became obvious the driver was trying to prevent me from reversing into my own house and had descended into farcical arguments to justify his actions (e.g. 'you should have put your reversing lights on before you got to your driveway so i'd have known what you were doing')

FunLover18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868267#Comment_117868267

Says the guy who's thinks reversing into a space is 20 times the work to everyone else telling him it's actually quiet easy.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868763#Comment_117868763

Some people just don't have the driving skills I have I guess.

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058208063/why-do-people-back-into-car-park-spaces

If your car looks good it allows you to show it off a bit more. It's a good habit. Depending on the person, you'll be able to tell whether they were late for work or not by the way they parked.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868306#Comment_117868306

Unless you have skid steer or crab steer on your vehicle then you need more room to swing in and it is more likely you'll need to adjust. Your rear wheels follow your front wheels but in a tighter circle. When the steerable (front) wheels are to the outside of the parking spot, it is trivial to straighten the vehicle at the end. So it is easy to leave the vehicle parked straight and neatly. Reversing in also means that any "swing" happens to the front of where adjoining vehicles are parked. So you have more room for manoeuvre if you need it. If you are driving forward into a tight spot, you would probably need to be fully straight before the very front part of your car enters past the front of the adjacent cars. You could, if capable, reverse "around the corner" into the same spot from your own side of the road.

Basic maths and geometry, innit?

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868942#Comment_117868942

That's a lot of waffle to be honest. A competent driver will park neatly regardless. Would you still go to the trouble of reverse parking if the car park was practically empty? I mean you could just drive straight through to the adjacent space and avoid the reversing altogether.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869087#Comment_117869087

A competent driver would be able to reverse park too. You will need a larger room to swing in if you drive in. The front wheels will always move more laterally than the back when you need to move your car. I'm trying to explain that as simple as I can.

Always better to leave the car facing outwards. If you need to drive through the spot behind to do that, sure do it. That empty carpark, as someone mentioned above, might have two vans parked either side of you, obscuring your view when you try to reverse back out later if you park facing in.

FunLover18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868832#Comment_117868832

The driving skills to make reversing into a spot 20 times harder?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869199#Comment_117869199

Incompetent drivers have to back in

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869194#Comment_117869194

The extra room needed to swing in is negligible, I always have more than enough. As someone else mentioned, its not always ideal to reverse in if you need easy access to the boot and there's a wall behind you.

FunLover18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869207#Comment_117869207

How can you call them incompetent when they're doing 20 times more work than you.

Burt Renaults

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869207#Comment_117869207

No, incompetent drivers have to reverse out of parking spaces because they lack the confidence to reverse in the first instance. They just want to get out of the car as quickly as they can because they're terrified of driving. Later on, they've left themselves with no choice but to attempt a more dangerous manouevre that, in many cases, is beyond their abilities. It seems like you're one of those people. You should practice in an empty car park. Over twenty years ago, when I started driving, I got my hands on a stack of traffic cones (the small ones that the Gardai use at incidents - they left them behind after an accident, so I snatched them) and would spend hours in a local car park on a Sunday afternoon practicing parallel parking, reverse parking, etc. It stood me in good stead. Two decades on, I still find myself looking for the most awkward parking spots and tightest gaps to squeeze my car into. Too many people aren't properly acquainted with the size of their own vehicle.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869302#Comment_117869302

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869207#Comment_117869207

Clearly a pisstake now.

How could reversing into a car park space be incompetent 🙄🙄

Burt Renaults

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869306#Comment_117869306

Nah mate, I've come across your type before (usually in car parks, unfortunately). You shouldn't be ashamed to have a few more lessons, regardless of whether or not you somehow passed the test. Every day's a school day.

Danonino.

After the insurance nightmare my ex housemate had after someone ploughed into them as they reversed out of a parking space I always try reverse in so I can drive out since.

Even though it happened in an estate, the driver who hit him stretched the life out of the ordeal. They had both the guards and insurance teams on their side as reversing onto a road means you don’t have right of way and are at fault if there is a collision.

Constantly telling him it would be the same in a car park or an estate…. That the space/drive is considered minor and the lanes/culdesac major so you would be reversing onto a major road so at fault. Which I thought was absolute nonsense but that was what they stuck to and kept hammering home.

Eventually he won the thing. The person who hit him also hit another parked car after ricocheting off the housemate. The damage done to that car was intense, would have to be traveling 50+ (60+?) in the estate (iirc the speed limit is 30). So the other driver was found to be at fault for speeding when the parked guy claimed. Once that happened the claim against the housemate was clear. If they didn’t hit the other car he would have been out of pocket.

So pretty much, I reverse in to avoid the above more than anything else.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868345#Comment_117868345

Holding up other traffic is not a big deal. How long would it take you? 2 or 3 seconds? Much safer for pedestrians, cyclists and kids to reverse in as you can see what you are at going in and out. Going in you have a wider view with no obstacles.

A lot of drivers seem primarily concerned with other drivers rather than people in general. You see this where parking on footpaths, in cycle lanes etc. Also positioning on road at junctions and crossings.

blackbox

Reverse in UNLESS...

A. It is an angled space designed for going in forwards or

B. You need to access the boot.

85603

Dont mind them OP.

Roll right in. No faffing.

When you roll right in it means you dont have some scowl faced arse moving up behind you thinking they're getting the spot, or looking to get past. When you need to back out you also wont have some scowl faced arse gawking at you because you're vacating a spot for them, so they'll be patient.

Plus going straight in prevents any attempts at stealing your spot.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869447#Comment_117869447

You may have noticed some lights on other cars that flash intermittently. Those are called "indicators". You will likely find that they are also a feature on your car if you look for them. If you use them, the person moving up behind you is informed that you intend taking that spot and won't build up their hopes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlH9RGLJqxE

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058208063/why-do-people-back-into-car-park-spaces

So they dont have to reverse out of them 🤔

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117868080#Comment_117868080

Reversing out is much more difficult and dangerous because you potentially have moving cars coming up behidn you out of nowehere

85603

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869653#Comment_117869653

How can you be named after one of the worlds most brass necked individuals, yet still not know some people will willfully ignore indicators.

magicbastarder

anyone who has ever driven a forklift will know it's easier to steer precisely when it's the trailing wheels doing the steering.

Quantum Erasure

its easier to back into something than to back out of something...

Heart Break Kid

It's easier and it looks impressive for those that don't care

Andrea B.

If you are speaking of car park slots: You are always legally in the wrong when in reverse. So if someone drives/walks in to you while you are reversing, you are liable.

Easier then to reverse in to slot as you have a good view all around and same with exiting if driving forward out.

saabsaab

It just makes sense. Some have the offset parking spaces, at an angle to allow driving in and better view when reversing out.

KGLady

Rules of the Road - RSA

https://www.rsa.ie/Documents/RotR%20BOOK%20for%20web%202019.pdf

When parking in your own driveway or in a car park, you should, where possible, reverse 'in' which enables you to safely drive out.

The Rules of the road are why I reverse into spaces in car parks and my own drive, unless I need boot access. I would be actually be questioning why some people don’t correctly reverse into parking when it’s plainly stated the laws and best practices in the RotR.

Only imbeciles that can’t drive go front first into spaces. Complete nuisances reversing back out.