Reverse parking v driving in forwards

[HalloumiHannah]

I suppose this is more of an AIBU. I’ve just been to Aldi. Busy carpark, lots of people walking/pushing trolleys around going in to Aldi or the other shops in the retail park. And lots of people reversing their cars out of parking spaces into the carpark, having to slam brakes on to avoid people are milling about, struggling to get the angle right to pull away. This then causes congestion as other cars approach. People taking 2 or 3 attempts to turn the wheel to get into the space into the first place.

Why on earth don’t more people reverse into parking spaces? That way, you’re going backwards into an area with fewer pedestrians, and you have a much clearer view when driving away. I really don’t understand it! Surely it’s so much safer to reverse in and drive out? My elderly neighbour was almost caught by a car last week that started backing out of a space without looking (there was no other path for her to walk on), if that driver had reversed in he would have seen her straight away.

I don’t reverse park when shopping as other have said impossible to load boot
When walking around a car park you have to be aware of cars starting up the amount of people you see wandering about oblivious to cars reversing

@PuppyMonkey

They do it so they can access their boot more easily.

End of thread.

Exactly! People are wierd

The boot is at the back of the car. That's it.

Pretty much always reverse park even up my own path.
In the super markets I go to there are usually spaces with little pedestrian paths or grass verges behind them so its still fine to reverse park.

Yep, I always reverse park. If you drive in, you don’t know who will park next to you whilst in the shops (knowing my luck a high sided van!). And most people need to shunt back and forth several times (avoiding pedestrians) when they have driven in. I can reverse park in one move. I just take the bags to the boot if I can’t get the trolley to the boot. Zero issue.

Because in most supermarket car parks there is no space to get your trolley down the side of the car to access the boot.

I tend to park over the far side of the car park to avoid this issue.

There's often a small space between two cars at supermarkets, so I always park forward. Unless there's a path and I can load the boot directly.

I reverse park everywhere else unless there's too much traffic and no space given by the drivers behind to reverse.

A supermarket carpark is the one place I would never reverse in a space

As many others have pointed out, in most supermarket carparks there would be no way to get your trolley to the rear of your car if you've reversed in

I always reverse park, I find it easier than forward parking. That's maybe because I'm just so used to revere parking at this point. I leave my trolley at the front of the car, or where possible park at a space with the pedestrian path behind it, so I can unload the trolley.

The only annoyance I find comes from people driving so far into your boot that they then have to reverse themselves, when they realise that I'd actually quite like to park.

Our local Aldi car park is so tight that you can’t get the shopping into the boot if you reverse in. It’s difficult enough to slither out of the car - getting DS back into his car seat was virtually impossible.

My car isn't new either (registered in 2010). Its just big and some car park spaces are tiny. Put the two together and there's no way of getting the trolley to the boot.

It's easier to fill the boot if you don't.

I don't like reverse parking.

I pretty much have no idea how to reverse park. Parallel parking is iffy too.

YANBU I'm terrified of trying to reverse out of a spot in the car park. I'm not good at reverse parking either - I usually go to the furthest part of the car park where I can find a few spaces free together although at Christmas that doesn't always happen.

Slanted car parking spaces are the answer, with a one way system. It seemed pretty common in Germany. Easy to drive into, and easier to reverse out.

At our local supermarket, the boot is either up to a hedge, a bollard or another car. The tailgate can't open if you reverse in.

I always reverse into parking spaces, (I have a camera so it's dead easy) exept when I'm doing grocery shopping as I'll need to open the book to put the shopping in.
I do carefully reverse out though, with the help of my camera.

I went to the supermarket at 9pm this week. Large car park with barely 5% of spaces filled. Drove straight through a double nice and near a trolley park. Come back out at 10pm and some twat has parked up behind me so I have to contort to open up my boot. There were hundreds of spare spaces he could have chosen.

I do sometimes reverse into a tight space if boot access is not a priority, it depends on the angle. The problem is that people don't expect you to reverse park and if it's busy, they don't allow space to manouver.

If supermarkets designed their carparks better instead of squeezing so many spaces into the area, there wouldn't be a problem.

@BogRollBOGOF Oh my god why do people do that? Or park right next to you as close to the line as they can get so you can't open the car door when there's an entire empty car park of spaces to choose from?

The only place I drive into a car park space rather than reversing in, is at the supermarket. I do a huge shop every week, and I want to be able to unload my trolley straight into my boot afterwards.

I prefer to reverse in and I’m super quick at it in my car due to sensors and a camera. But, most of the time especially this time of year there’s somebody driving right up my arse into the car park and they won’t give me space even when I stop by the space first and indicate they still follow me when I pull forward to reverse.

YANBU I always reverse park. Always have since passing my test. 2 police officer parents who always do as well. Much safer most of the time. I'm now actually terrible at just swinging into a space I can reverse park quickly though and normally only takes me one manoeuvre.

I don't reverse into a supermarket car park because I need to put my shopping in the boot otherwise I reverse park .
Pedestrians shouldn't be walking out in front of cars reversing anyway after all it's a car park , cars will be reversing/ driving .

@islockdownoveryet

I don't reverse into a supermarket car park because I need to put my shopping in the boot otherwise I reverse park . Pedestrians shouldn't be walking out in front of cars reversing anyway after all it's a car park , cars will be reversing/ driving .

This is true but you don’t have a choice in lots of car parks - the one I was in this morning has no paths. To get to the supermarket from your car (or back) you have to walk around and close to parked cars.

I go in forwards because I want the boot of my car to be easily accessible when I come out so I can put the shopping in.