Backing into parking spots

[Deep Dish]

I strongly recommend, whenever and wherever possible, for you to back into parking spots instead of forward. It's far safer for you to back into spots because it gives you a wider field of vision when you're leaving.

If you don't believe me, there's some science:

"When entering and leaving a parking space, three maneuver options exist for drivers: (1) forward, (2) reverse, and (3) pulling through an adjacent parking space. When specifically entering a parking space, the maneuver options become: (1) pull-in, (2) back-in, and (3) pull-through. When leaving the parking space, the maneuver options become: (1) pull-out, (2) back-out, and (3) pull-through. This study found that the pull-in/back-out vehicle maneuver’s percentage of total crashes was greater than the percentage of vehicles that were actually observed to use the same maneuver. The analysis from this study implies that the pull-in/back-out parking maneuver is more likely to result in a collision and therefore, is associated with a higher crash risk. Further analysis of North Carolina’s parking related fatal and serious injury crashes found that vehicles backing out of parking spaces was overwhelmingly the main cause for these serious injuries. 90% of North Carolina’s parking related fatal and serious injuries occurred during a back-out maneuver."

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847819308812

Additionally,

"In Tucson, AZ, two blocks of reverse diagonal parking have been installed along the University Boulevard Bikeway (see Figure 1), which leads into the west entrance of the University of Arizona (-36,000 students). In the two years of reverse diagonal parking, there have been no accidents along the segment, despite the large number of cyclists using the bikeway.

Figures 2-4 illustrate some of the benefits of back-in/head-out angle parking. In Figure 2 the driver is able access her trunk from the curb rather than from the street. Figures 3 and 4 show that the driver can have eye contact with oncoming traffic, in this case a bicyclist."

"Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee says that after implementing the back-in/head-out angle parking scheme in Tucson they 'went from an average of 3-4 bike/car accidents per month to no reported accidents for 4 years following implementation.'"

https://weblink.ci.wheatridge.co.us/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=287170&dbid=0&repo=cowr&cr=1

I found a misguided article on The Federalist sanctimoniously titled "For The Love Of All That Is Holy, Stop Backing Into Parking Spaces," which points out that there's a chance you might hit one of the parked cars as you backed into the spot, but that's a smaller risk to take, and they don't point to any science studies.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/01/0...hat-is-holy-stop-backing-into-parking-spaces/

Unfortunately, reverse parking is not always legal. Some cities have ordinances against reverse parking. Government authorities cite the need to identify license plates from a distance, because their convenience is more important than your safety.

 

[Velasco]

Lol. I just back into parking spaces cus it's cooler. Didn't know it was actually safer too

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Now if there was only a way to signal this maneuver beforehand and not leave people wondering wtf you're doing....

Funny how reluctant peeps are to mention this whenever this discussion comes up. Almost like they're not arguing in good faith lolz.

Repeat after me, write it down 100 times on the chalkboard if you have to.

"There is no way to signal back-in parking maneuvering"

And quite obviously, the studies cited in the OP don't measure stationary objects getting hit (i.e., the parked car next to you as you're backing in), only moving ones. And no mention in the OP of the point made in the Federalist article of how newer cars with back up cams has led to a proliferation of this behavior by those without good maneuvering ability (which matches my personal observation). Instead, that article is "misguided".

Gee, almost like the OP himself isn't arguing in good faith. Go figure, lololz.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I learned how to parallel park and back in exceptionally well while driving box trucks back in the day

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Now add in the fact that in practice those leaving their backed-in spaces tend to do so overly fast, leaving parking lot-goers with a second gratuitous "wtf" moment.

Some say it's a good litmus test for character - do they insist on backing in with a crowded area rife with drivers and pedestrians? If so, then probably yes. To be fair though, in a world of casual sociopathy, it tends to get lost in the mix.

Btw, OP what prompted this post, did you get into a shouting match with a stranger today? Seems like somewhat of an emotionally-charged post. Lololz.

 

[Bible_Belt]

 

[CornbreadFed]

I learned to back in after buying my huge truck with crowded parking spots. I walked past the owner of a big Silverado which happened to be a woman and asked her how does she manage to park in the garage. She told me that backing in is the only option.

 

[Divorced w 3]

Now if there was only a way to signal this maneuver beforehand and not leave people wondering wtf you're doing....

Funny how reluctant peeps are to mention this whenever this discussion comes up. Almost like they're not arguing in good faith lolz.

Repeat after me, write it down 100 times on the chalkboard if you have to.

"There is no way to signal back-in parking maneuvering"

And quite obviously, the studies cited in the OP don't measure stationary objects getting hit (i.e., the parked car next to you as you're backing in), only moving ones. And no mention in the OP of the point made in the Federalist article of how newer cars with back up cams has led to a proliferation of this behavior by those without good maneuvering ability (which matches my personal observation). Instead, that article is "misguided".

Gee, almost like the OP himself isn't arguing in good faith. Go figure, lololz.

Put your hand out the window and motion them to go by you or, you can simply flip the bird also

 

[Deep Dish]

Now if there was only a way to signal this maneuver beforehand and not leave people wondering wtf you're doing....

Funny how reluctant peeps are to mention this whenever this discussion comes up. Almost like they're not arguing in good faith lolz.

Repeat after me, write it down 100 times on the chalkboard if you have to.

"There is no way to signal back-in parking maneuvering"

And quite obviously, the studies cited in the OP don't measure stationary objects getting hit (i.e., the parked car next to you as you're backing in), only moving ones. And no mention in the OP of the point made in the Federalist article of how newer cars with back up cams has led to a proliferation of this behavior by those without good maneuvering ability (which matches my personal observation). Instead, that article is "misguided".

Gee, almost like the OP himself isn't arguing in good faith. Go figure, lololz.

If there is a car behind me, which rarely ever happens, I keep driving a little bit, until there isn't one. This once happened as I was going into the driveway of my condo. I drove a little bit to take a u-turn, and then went into my driveway. Additionally, you can read this article which suggests flipping on a turn signal. "This, combined with the reverse lights, will tell anyone behind you that you're about to back into that empty spot you just passed."

https://www.wikihow.com/Reverse-Into-a-Car-Parking-Space

If traffic in a parking lot is so heavy that you don't have an easy chance to reverse park, then go ahead and park forward. Like I said in my opening sentence, whenever and wherever possible, I didn't say always.

I don't a backup camera in my car, and don't have a problem, so I didn't feel it was worthy of mention. You can also look and see if the cars are well within their spot or too close to the stripes, so you can judge if the spot is worthy of attempting a reverse park.

 

[Grandma Penkitten]

I like to find a spot that I can pull through so I don't have to reverse.

 

[Vending Machine Veteran]

I have to back in sometimes, due to vehicular restraints

Where I'm from we call it "blacking in"