To think that if you can't reverse, you shouldn't be driving?

[MoonlightKissed]

I live in a semi-rural area. To take my DD to school (not walkable, no school buses pass us) I drive through a single track country lane. It's not the kind of lane you go down if you don't know the area/road. It's quite long, about a mile, and bendy. There are passing places, but some of them are currently unusable as so wet - you'd end up stuck in deep mud.

This morning, I was driving through, and met a car coming the other way (regular thing). This car had a passing place about 5 yards behind them, whereas the nearest passing place behind me was about 50 yards, and would have involved reversing round several bends - I can do it, but it's not very safe if there's a better alternative. Other car spent ages refusing to reverse. I tend to just sit quietly, I don't get irate. Eventually they did reverse back to it - or at least, they attempted. And quite honestly, I was embarrassed for them! It was only a few yards, and all they needed to do was go back a bit, then in to the pull in by a couple of foot. It took ages, and involved being in the middle of the road, then hitting the bank. It was very clear they couldn't reverse at all. Eventually they got to a point where I could squeeze past, even though they were in the weirdest position.

There's another road I go on with passing places on a single track road, also on a hill just to make it even more exciting. This one is a very common cut through for cars - and the amount of reversing I've seen on this road that is creative is shocking. I've seen people zigzag from side to side of the road, hit the banks, mount the kerbs. There's been times I've been torn between crying with laughter, and other times I've been tempted to get out & offer to go & reverse their vehicle for them.

Surely if you drive on the roads, you ought to be able to reverse? Definitely if you're going on country lanes? It's not safe if you can't? I'm not expecting everyone to be able to reverse really complicated turns, but surely they ought to be able to go backwards in a straight line, perhaps pull in a bit to one side?

BishopBrennansArse my car is a sort of a bronze colour and it’s hard to tell where the mud stops and the paint starts!

I once reverse parked in town and a lovey old gent came over and congratulated me on my perfect parking. I hope he was just generally impressed and not amazed because I was a woman.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig I have had that too! I did a near perfect parallel parking outside a pub and an old gent clapped me and looked very impressed.

My dad taught me and he is the best parallel parker I have ever encountered, no space is too small for him

It doesn't seem like an all that hard thing to do, saying that I'm not consistent with my manoeuvres. One day I can parallel park like boss and the next it takes me 4 attempts and I'm still too far away from the kerb for my liking. I don't reverse bay park as the driving instructor taught and how it's expected to be done in the test but it is a much simpler method and works every time.