Why are people so fixated on reversing into bay parking?
Discussion
0000 said:
I'm baffled as to how anyone can reverse in using any less movements than someone reversing out. It seems to be a regularly implied theme though.
But it is true - reversing in you can swing the front around as much as you like according to the needs. Reversing out you can't as there is a car next to you so you have to come out relatively straight.Simples!
RobM77 said:
Reversing in is better because:
a) You get a view of the car vs the parking space lines in both mirrors. Going forwards you can't see either line!! Cars are so wide these days relative to parking spaces that one needs to be lined up in a space; most of the time when I have to climb through the passenger door cause some idiot has parked six inches from my drivers door they have driven in forwards and therefore ended up at an angle...
b) The steering wheels, or the end of the car doing the lateral movement, is out of the parking space so it has room to move.
c) If you want to change the angle of the car relative to the space when driving forwards, then you pull the car to one side or the other of the space - do it going backwards and you don't, you mainly just change the angle.
d) It makes driving out safer and easier because you can see people and cars more easily.
e) Driving out forwards at night is safer for pedestrians and other cars because they see your headlights, which are brighter and more easily seen than tail lights and a reversing light.
Regarding a and b, this is why forklifts and dumper trucks have their steering wheels at the back - it's better for manoeuvring in tight spaces.
That's an absolutely perfect summary of all the reasons why it is good driving practice to reverse into a space.a) You get a view of the car vs the parking space lines in both mirrors. Going forwards you can't see either line!! Cars are so wide these days relative to parking spaces that one needs to be lined up in a space; most of the time when I have to climb through the passenger door cause some idiot has parked six inches from my drivers door they have driven in forwards and therefore ended up at an angle...
b) The steering wheels, or the end of the car doing the lateral movement, is out of the parking space so it has room to move.
c) If you want to change the angle of the car relative to the space when driving forwards, then you pull the car to one side or the other of the space - do it going backwards and you don't, you mainly just change the angle.
d) It makes driving out safer and easier because you can see people and cars more easily.
e) Driving out forwards at night is safer for pedestrians and other cars because they see your headlights, which are brighter and more easily seen than tail lights and a reversing light.
Regarding a and b, this is why forklifts and dumper trucks have their steering wheels at the back - it's better for manoeuvring in tight spaces.
Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 6th November 10:49
Spot on Rob
Sadly, there's nothing in the Highway Code about this subject but there is good advise in other DSA publications such as "Driving, the Essential Skills" and this gives the same perfect reasons as to why you should reverse into a space.
For the poster above who mentioned cars following and then stopping across your target space; try the following:-
Spot the space, check mirror/s, keep to the side where the space is on approach and signal to that side, then swing across the car park road in front of but away from the space so that the rear of the car is pointing at the space and very quickly engage reverse to get those reverse lights on. Not only does the 45 degree angle make the reverse easier but it also makes it clear to anyone following that you are about to reverse into the space.
This is again a good driving practice but you must carry out the MSM part very effectively as you approach to line up.
You may still get someone stop too close but then you will be blocking the space (so they can't take it) and also blocking their path. Just sit there until the penny drops that they need to reverse back a foot
By doing the above (in most cases) they will actually stop short of the space anyway and won't need to reverse back.
SilverWraith said:
But it is true - reversing in you can swing the front around as much as you like according to the needs.
That's more movements not less.Incidentally it's also something I was told I'd failed my driving test for when asked to reverse into a bay (after an argument where he told me I didn't do what he asked and he declined to tell me which gear I was in, he let me do it again 90 degrees on, begrudgingly letting me pass).
Bane of my life for years- daft bints reversing their ghastly Citroens and Peugeots into parking slots in the office car park. Even when empty they'd still do it- usually taking about 6 goes to do it and often reversing with the bloody door open. I was often drinking my coffee before they succeeded. Simple really- reversing into a big space - the rest of the car park - is far easier than reversing into a tight space - the typical parking slot. The IAM recommend it but if memory serves don't they also say you shouldn't put your belt on until the engine fires? Just on the off chance that your Fiesta may spontaneously burst into flames ...FFS
RobM77 said:
Surely anyone with an average level of car control can reverse in first time - not back and forth, just straight in?
Try driving something with massively restricted steering lock. Quite often in my Fiat Coupe there simply wasn't enough room between the rows of cars to reverse into a supermarket space in one go.Mr2Mike said:
RobM77 said:
Surely anyone with an average level of car control can reverse in first time - not back and forth, just straight in?
Try driving something with massively restricted steering lock. Quite often in my Fiat Coupe there simply wasn't enough room between the rows of cars to reverse into a supermarket space in one go.UrbanLegend said:
Spot the space, check mirror/s, keep to the side where the space is on approach and signal to that side, then swing across the car park road in front of but away from the space so that the rear of the car is pointing at the space and very quickly engage reverse to get those reverse lights on. Not only does the 45 degree angle make the reverse easier but it also makes it clear to anyone following that you are about to reverse into the space.
Exactly so. With experience you can be in the space before the sheep behind you go "derp... whuuuu?" and certainly way before the likes of the OP were inconvenienced. coppice said:
Bane of my life for years- daft bints reversing their ghastly Citroens and Peugeots into parking slots in the office car park. Even when empty they'd still do it- usually taking about 6 goes to do it and often reversing with the bloody door open. I was often drinking my coffee before they succeeded. Simple really- reversing into a big space - the rest of the car park - is far easier than reversing into a tight space - the typical parking slot. The IAM recommend it but if memory serves don't they also say you shouldn't put your belt on until the engine fires? Just on the off chance that your Fiesta may spontaneously burst into flames ...FFS
Pretty much why I tend to drive straight in.The drawbacks aren't enough to annoy me.
The only organisation that I know of that has a policy of forwards parking is a certain German supermarket chain whose boss prefers it. Happens to be the same chain who tell their managers that driving is wasted time & will (or vill 
)be used productively on the phone!
If anyone can find a driver training organisation that encourages forward parking as a safety measure then have a virtual
on me.
)be used productively on the phone!If anyone can find a driver training organisation that encourages forward parking as a safety measure then have a virtual
on me.RobM77 said:
Surely then reversing is inherently more suited to that car than driving forwards?
That wasn't the point I was arguing, it was definitely easier to reverse in, but it frequently needed more than one maneuver to do so. They do have the kind of turning circle that would embarrass a nuclear submarine however.This won't help answer the question, but I always park the furthest away from the entrance to a shop, as less chance of coming back to my car finding a dent in it.
Also less chance of some clown banging into it who can't park (most people) or some idiot driving along in a hurry as if it is the open road…and swerving into my car avoiding some other daft idiot not looking...
The law of averages really. Just less hassle, less stress.
However, I do reverse onto my drive as I find it easier to get out when I want to go anywhere the next time. I am sitting further forward, with better visibility, don't have to sit in 'no mans land' going from reverse to forward if again some teapot comes racing along the road. My headlights should be visible too.
I have to emerge between parked cars (if some arrogant f*cker hasn't blocked me in to go the sweetshop/garage/neighbours house/deliver a parcel/pick up their kids/deliver a takeaway/pick their mate up).
So I actually don't park on my drive half the time for fear of not getting off it again!
When I do park, I have a tow bar and make sure I park that against the vacant space, so if some fool is careless (as in everyone else on the road) it will be their car that gets a cracked bumper, not mine.
And just to round things off, I park the car in reverse with the front wheels at a slight angle if a RWD car. Security measure…
Thinking about it, the same if front wheel drive.
I find it easier walking if possible!
Also less chance of some clown banging into it who can't park (most people) or some idiot driving along in a hurry as if it is the open road…and swerving into my car avoiding some other daft idiot not looking...
The law of averages really. Just less hassle, less stress.
However, I do reverse onto my drive as I find it easier to get out when I want to go anywhere the next time. I am sitting further forward, with better visibility, don't have to sit in 'no mans land' going from reverse to forward if again some teapot comes racing along the road. My headlights should be visible too.
I have to emerge between parked cars (if some arrogant f*cker hasn't blocked me in to go the sweetshop/garage/neighbours house/deliver a parcel/pick up their kids/deliver a takeaway/pick their mate up).
So I actually don't park on my drive half the time for fear of not getting off it again!
When I do park, I have a tow bar and make sure I park that against the vacant space, so if some fool is careless (as in everyone else on the road) it will be their car that gets a cracked bumper, not mine.
And just to round things off, I park the car in reverse with the front wheels at a slight angle if a RWD car. Security measure…
Thinking about it, the same if front wheel drive.
I find it easier walking if possible!
BlimeyCharlie said:
This won't help answer the question, but I always park the furthest away from the entrance to a shop, as less chance of coming back to my car finding a dent in it.
Doesn't matter how far away from the door you park, chance are you inadvertently left the car magnet on and 9 times out of 10 somebody will park right next to you, even in an empty car park.
berlintaxi said:
Doesn't matter how far away from the door you park, chance are you inadvertently left the car magnet on and 9 times out of 10 somebody will park right next to you, even in an empty car park.
Ahhhh, Car magnet! So that is why. I hate it when this happens, and it always does. saaby93 said:
Discussed this once with a neighbour who parks nose in
Nose into a narrow space (the drive or here the supermarket space)
reverse out into a bigger space ( the road)
At last, this is the post I have been searching for!
This is the correct way to park. Front in, reverse out.
I had it explained to me many years ago in scientific terms, By someone whose opinion I respected. Lots of X=Y and so on, but at the time it made perfect sense.Until then I was a dedicated reverse in, but no longer, it's so easy, as explained in the above post, front in, to a narrow space and reverse out into a bigger space.Lots of previous posts have over analysed what is a fairly basic driving manoevre.
Easy
Nose into a narrow space (the drive or here the supermarket space)
reverse out into a bigger space ( the road)
At last, this is the post I have been searching for!
This is the correct way to park. Front in, reverse out.
I had it explained to me many years ago in scientific terms, By someone whose opinion I respected. Lots of X=Y and so on, but at the time it made perfect sense.Until then I was a dedicated reverse in, but no longer, it's so easy, as explained in the above post, front in, to a narrow space and reverse out into a bigger space.Lots of previous posts have over analysed what is a fairly basic driving manoevre.
Easy
If I go to the supermarket and I get the option to do this I usually drive in nose first and go straight through the parking space into the one in front of it so I'm facing nose outwards when I come out. I suppose this might make it look like I've reversed into the space if you hadn't seen what I'd done.
One of that car parks at the Heath hospital in Cardiff has a centre "road" with bays either side against the walls. There are signs telling you to park nose in (no idea why!) but you'll still see a proportion of cars parked the other way round.
One of that car parks at the Heath hospital in Cardiff has a centre "road" with bays either side against the walls. There are signs telling you to park nose in (no idea why!) but you'll still see a proportion of cars parked the other way round.
Mound Dawg said:
One of that car parks at the Heath hospital in Cardiff has a centre "road" with bays either side against the walls. There are signs telling you to park nose in (no idea why!) but you'll still see a proportion of cars parked the other way round.
Stupid if you ask me, I would reverse in as I always to a parking bay.
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