Solve our disagreement about turning round when driving backwards

[OhForkItThen]

Today I picked up a friend, she lives down a long narrow road with no turning points if full of parked cars, which means sometimes you have to reverse the entire length to get out. I did today and she gave me a funny look as a turned around to drive back, one hand on the wheel.

Then I got to mine and reversed onto the driveway, it’s a 3 lane busy road with a well used pavement and I reversed across the two oncoming lanes to reverse onto my drive. Again I turned around to drive backwards across the distance (looking forward, back and round, it’s a bust a-road by a junction) it’s a funny angle.

My view is it’s normal to turn around to drive backwards, she reckons you should use mirrors at all times as it is what they are for and I need to learn to. I’d use mirrors for little manoeuvres in clear areas like bay parking or three point turns, but surely if driving backwards for more than a small reverse you turn around? I can drive backwards very well, at a normal speed in tight areas such as down a road of parked cars. Doesn’t looking out the back give better visibility and a better judge of distance than in mirrors? Also easier to steer looking where you are going?

She’s adamant I’m wrong and should use mirrors/ am a driving test fail. She points out you have to use mirrors in vans etc.... but I just drive an awkward long estate car and it’s far easier to look back...

So who is wrong?

I used to turn round, but then spent years driving transit vans at work so got used to just using mirrors, find that far easier now.

Driving examiners want you to look back and use your mirrors.

You fail the driving test if you don't look behind you as well as using mirrors

Don’t know if it’s a driving test fail but I’ll look behind once (only if it’s a long reverse, not if just parking for example) and then use mirrors. I need to see where the sides of the car are more than I need to see what’s behind me, as if I’m ever reversing down a road it’s lined with cars so I’m creeping backwards anyway!

Funny I was thinking about this the other day. I remember my dad used to look behind and put his arm round the passenger seat - I’ve never done that. I’m not even sure I could when parking

I’ve driven a minibus for work, obviously used mirrors then but I simply wouldn’t do in it the manoeuvres I’ve described (reverse a whole road/ across traffic). I’d avoid them as dangerous, unless I had a second person with me to stand alongside to monitor (eg if reversing in a busy area like a school car park with kids around).

Lol Eliza, I do the arm round the seat. But I don’t creep back, I drive at a fairly normal speed down her road. Or you’d probably get stuck with another car coming up too.

Mirrors are a useful tool paticurlarly in tight areas however they don't allow a full view of everything especially the peripheral view which can only be gained by turning around.
None of the modern assistance gadgets such as park assist or cameras can ever replace that overview if reversing around corners or over a long distance.

You should absolutely be looking back, not relying on mirrors. Even for small manoeuvres.

You still have blind spots with mirrors, and they are curved so give a confusing impression of distance.

Your friend is a dangerous driver if she doesn't bother to look behind her.

You have to look back as well as use your mirrors for fine adjustments; mirrors don’t cover all the blind spots on a car for one thing (vans have bigger more extended mirrors) and, for another, you’re supposed to look in the direction the vehicle is traveling. Your friend is wrong.

Point of safety though, regardless of whether you turn round or not, you should not be reversing the distances you mention in your OP at full speed.

Sorry, 'normal speed' as you say in your post.

I learned to drive 20 years ago but my instructor taught me that you should generally look in the direction in which you are travelling. The mirrors are an added assistance. You are definitely right here.

You are supposed to do both.

Normal speed for reverse gear obviously, not creeping but I can’t do 30 in reverse! The gear is pretty limited isn’t it, like first... just a normal reverse speed. Not creeping or braking/ adjusting. Just a standard speed a car does in reverse

I used to drive backwards like you OP. I had to drive for my job and spent a lot of time manouevring in tight spaces and was very good at it. It even helped in snowy conditions as I could reverse uphill in my front wheel drive car to get a better grip.

Then I moved to a country where we drive on the right and the driver sits on the left. I can’t turn round now and steer with my right hand - and I’m rubbish with my left. I envy you your skill.

I’m described it as normal to be clear I’m not one of those people who need to creep braking and adjusting every foot as they hesitate to go backward air hover on the brake. Just sensibly driving at a consistent speed.

Response is : Mirrors have blind spots, any good driver always checks with their eyes

Arm round the back seat no but a glance back and then use mirrors is ok. (I think)

I reverse backwards using my rear view mirror and reversing camera to get a full view,
Mainly as my back window is about the size of an envelope and too high to see any children/animals/short people/walls etc etc etc

I tend to look forwards, backwards and side to side, especially in car parks as I am terrified a toddler could wander behind the car and not see them.
Hoping for a reversing camera on my next car.

You do both. If you did a three point turn in your driving test just using your mirrors, and not turning, you would fail outright.

Thank goodness for that modern invention, the reversing camera!

I always thought it was face the way you travel, checking mirrors. So if reversing you should mostly be looking behind the car, with glances at mirrors and the windscreen to check for changes in surroundings.

I use both, mirrors don't cover everything.

As an aside, tell your friend that she's welcome to meet you in future if your driving isn't up to her standard.

I'd fail because I stick my head out of the window! I feel disconnected to the outside if I use only mirrors, and even looking back isn't as good as head out of window.