To ask school to choose? (parking)

[Carpark1]

Aibu to ask my DD’s school to choose to alert that they must reverse park. There are no guidelines in the car park and I just feel like it’s mayhem. If we all reversed parked then it may be s bit more streamlined and time saving? Do you think they would find me weird for suggesting it ?😂😬

I passed my test in 1992, I had to reverse park on the test, as well as around a corner. I remember clearly being taught how to over and over. I find it easier than driving in front ways tbh.

Ok, ok, bloody hell Carpark1, it doesn’t say in your OP that it’s rural where you are. No need to get all ragey.

If you think you can't reverse park, just go to a carpark at a quiet time, go to the far end and practice practice practice reversing in between the lines. Give it an hour, and you'll be able to do it.

My alternative, try to do it in front of a group of young men. I discovered this method shortly after passing my test (I'm ancient so no theory test, no reverse parking) and happening to try to reverse park. I was laughed at so I wound the window down and asked for instruction.

My son's nursery has this rule and everyone obeys it. It's for the safety of the children, i don't understand why anyone would ignore it.

Also under health and safety legislation, the school should probably have this rule. They should have done a risk assessment of the car park and 'reverse only' should be one of the ways identified to avoid accidents (if there ever was an accident I'm sure the school would be forced to have the rule by the HSE). It's worth bringing this up with the school before such an accident. As a parent, if you have a safety concern you should tell them.

As for 'not being able' to reverse park... seriously?!?!?! If you've learnt how to drive a car and can reverse out of a space then you DO have the skills to reverse park.

PantsyMcPantsface

Reversing into a parking space was only added to the driving test fairly recently really - I never had to do it when I learnt to drive (I can but was never tested on it)

That’s not true, I passed my driving test 34 years ago and had to do reverse parking. I remember because I parked on my dad’s foot when he was being ‘the other car’ in an almost empty car park!

I also had to do it when we returned to the test centre as the examiner said that he was going to see if he could get his hand between the car and the wall as I’d parked so close.

I am amused at all the posters who are frantically justifying why they can't perform a necessary manouvre that is part of the driving test.

I took my test decades ago. There used to be a set of ‘ 5 mandatory manoeuvres’ (hill start, 3 point turn, emergency stop, reverse round corner and parking) that everyone had to pass years ago;…it’s just 1 or 2 out of 5 these days I think. Even so, surely you should be able to do all of them 'just in case' ?

That’s not true

It is true. Bay parking was introduced in the last set of changes to the test. Parallel parking was introduced in the early 90s.

@Roussette it wasn't when I learned. It was parallel park, reverse round the corner and three point turn.

Our school has a reverse parking rule as Its safer to drive out of a space when there might be children in the car park. I'd say about 75% of people do it even though we get termly reminders of this rule. If you can't reverse park, don't use the car park.

I don't think it matters in terms of tests.

Drivers should be able to reverse at different angles and use the mirrors.
Thus, all drivers should be able to reverse park.
Some of us are even able to reverse park into spine parking at a less than 90o angle. Without any point turns.

I did my test in 2002 reverse into a bay was part of the test if the test centre had its own car park. The test centre I used didn’t so my instructor didn’t teach it

Thankfully my mum took over lessons and taught me to drive not to pass a test!

I’m confused to those who say it’s a recent addition?
I passed 11 years ago and I had to reverse park in my test?

11 years ago is not that long in terms of passing driving tests. I took mine in 1989 and we reversed round a corner. It is the same manoeuvre in terms of controlling the car but there are no white lines or cars on either side to look out for. Having said that I did what most people do, I practised in a quiet part of a supermarket car park until I could do it!

I think UWNU to ask the school but I don't think the school will be able to enforce it.

No reverse parking or parallel parking in my test but I've become good at both over the years.

Ginger if you can parallel park, do a three point turn etc, you can reverse park.

I just don't understand stopping myself learning something vital. I want to be able to do something that everyone else can! Give it an hour in an empty carpark and a person could crack it
I don't want to think... oh, there's a space, it would be much easier given where it is, to reverse into it, but I don't know how to, I better drive on and find another one!

I didn’t have to do it in my test in 1996. You had to do a 3 point turn, reverse round a corner and parallel park. Bay parking was not taught.

I used to be a wizz at parallel parking because it was the only option where I lived. I’ve not done it for years now though.

What always gets me about these threads is that everyone says ‘I always reverse and everyone who doesn’t is clearly an unsafe idiot’ yet whenever I go to a car park most cars are parked in forwards.

I can’t reverse park and I only passed about 7 years ago. Manoeuvres were parallel park, reverse round a corner and three point turn. Also if you need access to your boot it’s a pain to reverse park. It can be virtually impossible to open your boot if you’re backed up against a wall or hedge, and squeezing down the side of the car with bags, pram, etc to put in the boot is a faff.

yet whenever I go to a car park most cars are parked in forwards

If they have double parking rows like in supermarkets, people will have pulled through from the row behind.

The ideal is that you drive off safely. If you can’t get there by driving through two spaces, then you should reverse park.

Nobody in their right mind reverse parks at supermarkets unless there's a pedestrian passage behind the rows, because of the shopping.
Or anywhere you need to put things in the boot.

For most other situations, including street parking, it's always best to reverse park.

I always reverse park at the supermarket because people drive far too fast around it so if you're reversing out of your bay, a car will come round the corner too quickly for you to stop.

f they have double parking rows like in supermarkets, people will have pulled through from the row behind.

No they really don’t. People go in forwards so they can get their trolly right up to the boot.

I’m off to B and Q later. Shall I reverse park so I can’t get to my boot? No.

No they really don’t. People go in forwards so they can get their trolly right up to the boot

I’m off to B and Q later. Shall I reverse park so I can’t get to my boot? No

Maybe you just live somewhere with uncommonly small spaces....

I’ve been driving for 18 years, never driven in at a supermarket and never had an issue accessing the boot.

I really can't understand why reverse parking would make things easier. You just get people blocking the way for ages while they reverse in at snails pace and pull in and out straightening up a million times.

But then the issue in incompetence not reverse parking. Reverse parking isn’t hard and shouldn’t take multiple manoeuvres.

TwistinMyMelon
My understanding is it is much safer to reverse into a smaller space that is clear than to reverse out into a busier space.

The same logic with reversing into side roads not onto main roads, reversing onto drives vs out into the road.