To not understand why people say reverse bay parking is easier?

[crashdoll]

I was taught how to reverse bay park properly but I find it such a challenge. Everyone says it's so much easier to reverse park. However, I have practiced reversing in to spaces and driving in and I have deduced that driving straight in is easier. I don't find reversing out of spaces difficult at all, it comes much more naturally tome. Maybe it's easier for some people but not for me!

AIBU?

[Feminine]

Even easier is to drive straight in to a bay (that is at the front) and then drive straight out ...

[ImTooHecsyForYourParty]

You're stupid.

That's not close to what I am saying.

But you go ahead and patronise me if it makes you feel better.

[maddening]

I hate parking forwards - reverse parking is so much easier and i makes leaving easier too.

[prettymum]

I always reverse in as I can't forward park, at supermarket I reverse park into a bay with my boot facing the pathway leading to the shop so I can have easy access to the boot.

[Meerkatwhiskers]

I always reverse park into spaces unless i go to tesco at stupid o'clock at night and there's no-one else in the car park. We even reverse park onto our drive (only one in the row of 5 houses who does) but we are in a close not a main road so doesn't really matter too much.

There is a car park out the front of a hospital in Brighton that you have to reverse park in (well you don't have to but they ask you too). And you have to be good at it as it's chuffing tight!

[fossil971]

I nearly always reverse in - it's a nightmare trying to get in forwards without shunting. If I'm shopping I leave a bit of room at the back to take the bags round or maybe go in front first if I'll have a trolly.

It's common to have a reverse parking rule in some company's car parks because it's safer, especially in the energy/construction industry.

Also we are advised to do it as a lone female in case you are approached in a car park, you can get in your car quickly and zoom off out of trouble (staggeringly I was actually told this on a H&S course!)

[kickassangel]

But if you're reversing into a space, there's just as much likelihood of someone driving along the road as you try to turn OFF the road, as there is if you are trying to reverse and turn on to the road. And if someone parks really close to your car, you may need the extra manouevrability to get out, whereas you can see perfectly well how close cars are before you decide to move into a space.

As for the amount of petrol, well, is there really that much difference? I don't shunt backwards and forwards for half an hour, I edge back to get a clear view, wait til it's safe, then drive out and away. The same as going out forward, apart from one pause to go from reverse to first.

The only time when it really matters is if you're in the military, when you have to reverse park in case you need to leave in an emergency due to unfriendly fire. I doubt if many of us are in that scenario.

Park how you like, so long as you don't get in anyone else's way. Honestly, life isn't worth sweating the small stuff.

[orangepudding]

I find it hard to reverse out of spaces so always try to reverse park.

I always so two cars opposite each other north back out of a space backwards at the same time in a narrow car park. They were going slowly but they crashed and both had damage. If they had been coming out forwards I doubt they would have touched it other.

[CointreauVersial]

I've just shown this thread to DH because we always have this debate. I always reverse-park (for many of the reasons given above), and DH never does, and he always makes an absolute dog's dinner parking forwards. I knew I was right.

The only exception is when I'm at the supermarket. You really do need your rear end sticking out when there's a fully-laden trolley involved.

[Overberries]

Perfectly easy either way. Pretty tricky trying to buggy out of estate boot when reverse parked so this dictates my parking style

[sudaname]

Is this a reverse aibu then ?

My reverse parking skills were one of the first things that attracted my DH. Used to be able to get car in first time, every time with only inches to spare back and front. Don't know why - could just do it, bang on every single time.

Then he told me how impressed he was and ever since l reverse park like a five year old

[sudaname]

My DH always says whenever we drive past anyone struggling to reverse out of their drive on a busy road. 'Reverse in,drive out,it's the way forward !'

[sudaname]

That was to Tiggytape btw.

[sudaname]

Yeah it's daft that l cant do it to save my life now when DH is in the car or watching nearby. It's like l'm under pressure to perform now really.
So my new speciality is the 21 point turn instead .

[sudaname]

[grins]

[sudaname]

- even.

[sudaname]

@ image of Tiggys passengers diving out of still moving vehicle and kissing the terra firma in supermarket car park.


'What was that ? Do we want a lift home? Err no you're alright we'll get a taxi'

[boxoftricks]

At my friends work car park, they HAVE to reverse park. If not, you get a note and a warning!

[VivaLeBeaver]

There's a multi story near me with tiny spaces and no way would I be able to swing the car forwards into one of the spaces. Can only get in by reversing.

[IloveJudgeJudy]

I believe that if you live on a main road, you have to reverse park on your drive as it's much safer to drive out. I always reverse park, except at the supermarket as I wouldn't be able to access my boot as the spaces are tight and not very long (my Zafira takes up the whole length of the space). It's just a matter of practice. There are loads of videos on the web telling you how to do it. Like many others on here, I can reverse park within inches. If I start off wrong, I just pull out and start again, but that hardly ever happens.

[kickassangel]

If you try to reverse off a busy road, and someone comes along to fast, it is much harder to reverse quickly into the driveway as you're negotiating into a narrower space. So you are left out on the road and vulnerable.

If you are starting to reverse onto the road, and an idiot appears, putting the car in first gear and driving forwards onto the driveway is much quicker.

So it's safer to go forwards onto the drive. Unless there's a high wall obscuring the view.

Fwiw, I can do all sorts of fancy pants parallel and reverse parking, in both the US and UK. I park according to the circumstances, not with some arbitrary rule book in my head.

[SquinkiesRule]

I'm crap at reversing, I never reverse in to park mainly because I need to open. the boot to load up bags of food. reversing in makes that difficult.