I am baffled by reverse parking

[PookieDo]

This might make me sound like a total nut job but today I went to 2 really big multi story car parks which just blew my mind, and I just have to ask people why they reverse into spaces? It is becoming a really irrational thing to me - being held up by 20 people on my way in or out very very slowly reversing back into spaces. I just swing my car in the space front first, then reverse out in one complete movement (unless pedestrians present obviously). No 28 point turns required

In my brain it doesn’t make any sense. It’s much harder and time consuming to reverse into a space than out of one. If you are shopping, your boot is now around the back of the car, close to the wall/another car and you can’t get a trolley down the side of the car so you have to carefully take all the bags down the narrow-ish gap, minding your car and the car next to load your boot.

Am I a loony for letting this annoy me so much?

Your town needs a better driving instructor if none of you can reverse into a standard space quickly.

Much better all round to reverse in and go out forwards. Try it, you will agree.

I wouldn’t reverse out onto a main road I’m not that crazy

your rear wheels don't steer. You can reverse into much tighter spaces than you can drive into

^This. The staff spaces at work were marked out years ago and are tiny in relation to modern cars. When I first got the job, I tried to go in frontwards and found I had to do a 28 point turn to get back out again without knocking cars adjacent and opposite. But now I've become an accomplished reverse parker and it's MUCH easier to get both in and out that way. Safer for passing predestrians too.

It's cos your front wheels turn when you turn the wheel. So easier to park straight in one go in reverse rather than going in head first. To be honest, it winds me up when people drive in front first cos they then faff about straightening up.

Far easier, quicker and safer to drive out of a space. I can reverse park a wagon into spaces most people wouldn't consider usually have more trouble opening the doors than parking, yet reversing out oc a space is difficult and takes some effort.

The car park that drives me the most mad is actually generously spaced. One ended up dumping his wife and mother out so he could reverse his very long Volvo 28 times into his chosen space

I don’t have a technical problem reversing into a space I didn’t see the point!

Reverse in: quick getaway out. Sign of a professional bank robber.

I do it every time.

I've worked in some companies where the rule is you reverse park in their car park due to H&S e.g. you are less likely to run someone over as you can see them more clearly through your front windscreen when you drive out. I actually have to reverse out of where I park at home and it is more dangerous as some pedestrians insist on doing things like dumb walking.

Definitely easier to reverse in a big car. Most car parks aren't wide enough for me to be able to swing my car in forwards so would end up doing the back and forward thing to straighten up. Only time I drive in is if I need into my boot.

I’m baffled that you’re baffled tbh. Reverse in and drive out is so much easier and safer as well.

You'd hate me at the mo. 40 years of driving and this car is like my Kryptonite for reverse or parallel parking. It's the only car I've ever had where I haven't been able to park within a whisker first time.

But reverse in, drive out definitely.

I would be with you op. I reverse into my drive, (the slope meant the bottom of the car would catch of we fronted in), but front in elsewhere. Most of the time when parking I need to access the boot.

I can see safety wise why people prefer to reverse in though.
I once watched someone reverse park in a supermarket car park in the most stupid way possible. Lots of empty spaces, to choose from (think a few rows of 30 spaces completely empty) and they cidecar to :code to park in a space that had cars either side and behind it. They had multiple goes to manoeuvre the car in. The then pulled it forward so the front 3 foot of the car were no longer in the space, to allow room to get a pram out of the boot. They then struggled to get the pram out from the car.
They could have reversed into a space further down which had no other car behind, meaning the could have still reversed

I don't understand either OP and I don't believe it's easier to reverse into a small space than to reverse out into a wide open roadway. Makes no sense to me.

Reverse in: quick getaway out. Sign of a professional bank robber.

Well yes, or armed forces. Or, in my case prepper. When the zombie Apocalypse comes, you front parkers will all be eaten while I zoom away laughing, bwahahahahaha.

I always back in. Like a boss.

I drive a long 7 seater and physically can't drive forwards into most car park spaces. I guess it's something to do with the size of the turning circle when the driving wheels are at the back and at the front making it different.

So I almost always reverse in, and often need to go back and forth a lot to avoid hitting the cars in the next row with my front end. It's just how may car is. In my previous 7 seater I could drive forward into most spaces, so I'm sure it's the car and not my driving skill!

My husband drives a work van which must be reversed into spaces. He’s got driving/parking guidelines to follow and this is a big one. Every so often he’ll be inspected on jobs and this is something they check.

I always reverse in, including my drive. I’m the event I need to escape somewhere quickly, the car is point in the right direction.

In a big car, say you are parking on the left , you have to swing out to the right. If you indicate left the numpty behind you might try to overtake you as you aresignalling left, ditto if you signal right though it would be undertaking . Hence I reverse park so my car is diagonally across the space, it is clear then what I am doing so numpty behind will have to wait.

You have far better visibility if you reverse in. It's safer for pedestrians and generally a sign of a "good driver" though if it takes them forever to reverse in, maybe not! If you haven't worked out that you have better visibility, and are therefore safer, reversing in, that's pretty concerning tbh.

A lot of companies like oil refineries also want you to reverse in because it would make a mass getaway quicker if they had a fire etc.

I agree with the OP that reversing in does make accessing the boot a lot harder though.

Me and DH both reverse into every space when we park

That must be so time consuming.

I just choose one space and use that.

🤣

Reversing in if I don’t need the boot, unless tight spaces and previously parked cars mean it’ll cause difficulty re opening doors. Forward in if I’ll definitely need the boot.

We have to reverse park at work - I was told it was so that it's easier to evacuate the carpark in an emergency as you can all drive straight out.

If you reverse park into a space and then someone parks like an arse next to you it is much, much easier to just drive out.

I prefer to reverse in bit a lot of the time I can’t because of needing to get the pushchair out of the boot.

I wish I could reverse park but that spatial awareness part of my brain just seems to be missing