Are you a fronter or a reverser ?

[cumfy]

Last week we were out for a walk, when a near neighbour reversed straight out almost into us.
I had to pull our 8 yo away and slap the back of their Audi.

When the driver realised the situation he was naturally apologetic.
We didn't make a big deal, but when I suggested that it was best to "reverse in, and drive out", rather than "drive in, and reverse out" and that then such accidents/incidents would be significantly less frequent, I was met with rather a blank look and told politely that he would of course do his best to be careful, but otherwise it wasn't really my business which way he parked his car.

I feel that in 90+% of driveways, it is very definitely safer to "reverse in and drive out", and that safety is everyones' business. Clearly, however, as a "reverser" I am in the minority as I've noticed since that about 75% of people round our way are "fronters", many in driveways where it is clearly IMHO dangerous.

C'mon all you "fronters" I really want to know what your opinion/excuse about this is!

I'm not posh enough to have a drive to reverse into or out of, so no comment

either way at some point you're reversing, so neither way is safer. cars are slightly easier to get into a tight space if you reverse (assuming you have space at the front to swing in), but otherwise there is v little difference, unless there is a certain point where you can't see (whichever way you pull in/out)

military people are taught to reverse in, so that they're ready for a quick exit if they come under fire. i'm assuming none of us have to deal with that, even when using p&c parking spaces.

"The gist I'm getting is that for fronters personal convenience trumps safety of others."

Oh do piss off. The gist you're getting is you're being arsey. Which you are. Personal convenience does not trump safety of others.

So what if he ha nearly hit you whilst reversing onto his drive as opposed to out of it.

Would you then moan about reversers personal convenience.

Fwiw if i see reverse lights on my neighbours car, I tend to not walk behind it.

I'm always a reverser, and can't help thinking that 'fronters' CAN'T reverse properly (unless there is a particular reason such as opening boot)! Reversing in is just SO much easier overall IMO .

However, OP you do seem a little bit OTT. I would NOT be happy to be told how to park in my own drive.

Fronter in and fronter out as drive is big enough to turn around on

And that Nom trumps everyone

I am a reverser. I secretly judge my neighbours who are fronters.

But I am laughing at your little homily, and I probably would have done had I been on the receiving end of it.

I think Highway code says don't reverse onto carriageway if possible. It is common sense...reversing onto the carriageway will be more dangerous than nosing out onto it.

Because of hedges and walls around my drive I cannot see pedestrians if reversing so never do it.....makes sense not to put anyone at risk.

im a whatever suits the space-er!

lol hobnobs

My excuse is that I want to drive into my driveway forwards.

fortunately, my car is equipped with some rather clever little mirrors and I have also developed an uncanny ability to turn my head to look over my shoulder and these two phenomena, combined, make a BIG difference to being able to see what's going on behind me.

Depends how badly I need the loo.

Because of the angle and steepness of the drive in order to reverse in I need to drive down the road and turn around - if I need the loo I just drive straight in, otherwise I turn the car and reverse in.

YABU. he stopped. he apologised. you lectured him, he calmly said it was not your business. i don't think i would have been so polite. At age 8, your dc should have had some awareness, not a toddler.

i live on a busy main road. i drive in and reverse out. we all do.
if i was to pull over and wait to reverse in I wouldn't get a chance and would probably cause an accident by blocking the cycle lane.
on reversing out, someone always lets me out no problem, esp in traffic. i can see pedestrians & cyclists clearly both ways.

my dcs aged 4 and 6, who scoot to school, with me but ahead of me, have been taught to use their senses (listen and look) and check every driveway before whizzing past.

oh but i always reverse into car parking spaces, driving in i seem to make a hash of it. reversing i am a pro!

I don't have a driveway but if i did i would be a fronter I'm afraid. I am useless at reversing (used to be able to do it in my little pre-children car, but no chance in one twice the size!) and would be very likely to hit the gate post/hedge on my way in if I went backwards.

Surely pedestrians should be aware when walking accross driveways that there's a chance a car might be pulling out? As long as you inch out slowly and are watching the back window, it should be pretty difficult to hit anyone anyway.

I'm a fronter because it's impossible to reverse into our driveway.

I don't think it matters as long as you reverse safely.

I prefer to reverse in but don't always.

I'm a reverser, because I've noticed that small children run on ahead up the road, and could easily get run over, and I'd feel just terrible if I hit one. They just aren't aware of cars reversing out, and can't be seen by the driver.

So I think the original poster has a point - and I notice that most people on our road are reversers, too.

Surely it is just as easy to hit someone on the pavement whilst reversing onto the drive?

Your visibility is generally better from the road onto the drive. Visibility will be worse as you are reversing out blind to start with.

Any reversing has risks though.

You can install a turntable on a driveway you know. Maybe we should all do that then...

Seems a bit of an expensive thing to do when reversing is quite easy.

Not an issue on our drive as I can front in and front out as there is enough space to turn at the bottom.

However I do tend to reverse into parking spaces in car parks as I find it easier and safer to pull out of the space forwards due to the height of the car and general poor visibility when surrounded by other cars.