to ask why people don’t reverse in?

[Divorcedalongtime]

to parking spaces…
i know the safest is to reverse in and
drive out, so why do 95% of all cars drive in?
every time I go shopping I see cars desperately trying to get out of their parking bay with cars and walkers going past, whilst if they had reversed in they would get out so easily.

it makes zero sense.

In many cases it is easier to drive in and reverse out, especially if you need to access the boot.

I also think in a busy car park the extra time taken to reverse park (as opposed to swinging quickly into a space) causes just as many hold ups and issues as doing it the other way around.

When I use our very old beetle to go to the supermarket, I reverse in as the engine is in the boot, and I can stick the shopping in the bonnet. If I take the newer car, the shopping goes in the boot.

I do reverse into our drive off the road, so I can drive straight out onto the main road though

Because reversing into an open space is much easier than reversing into a barely-more-than-car-sized space.

I reverse in unless I need particular access to my boot. I don’t have a pram anymore but would drive in back in those days. I’ll sometimes forward in at the supermarket as well since I have to unload the trolley afterwards.

I would absolutely love to reverse in to my driveway, but no one ever ever stops or slows down to let me do it

But they do stop when you are reversing out on to a busy road?

It's easier to drive in and reverse out - especially when you need to get to the boot.

I reverse park in plenty of other situations but not in car parks where I need to get shopping in or the dog out 🤷‍♀️

I reverse park quicker than I do I I go in forwards 🤷🏼‍♀️. I do have a large car though

I always reverse park, even in the supermarket; the supermarket I use has a part where the cars are in front of a walkway so I always park there.

Parking forward facing is such a faff, having to get the car lined up to get into the space, whereas if you reverse park you can do it in one movement. You drive beyond the space and just back in smoothly. So much easier. And then you can just drive out when it's time to leave.

YANBU however I am shite at reversing. So I tend to drive in as well. Also if I am at the supermarket and I am going to need a lot of shopping, it’s easier to access the boot. If I don’t need to access the boot I try and drive through two spaces so I can drive out as well

If in a supermarket its to get to the boot, anywhere else its because they are shit drivers who can't reverse park.

Amazed at all these people thst can't carry shopping from the front of the car, to the rear....

Their driveways must back directly onto their fridges for unloading....

Ie. This scenario which I encounter regularly with a standard 2.4x 4.8m carpark, and smaller than the usual 6m for manouvre. I think it’s about 5m. Leaving 2.5 metres to get out if someone decides to park opposite whilst your away.

It’s a nightmare to drive out of that and if people besides you parked a bit silly then it can be impossible to drive out of that. But you can reverse out of it usually with only a little back and forth.

I've been driving for 12 years and haven't reverse or parallel parked since my test. I lack the skill to do it neatly on the first try and I lack the confidence to hold up cars or people whilst I try. I get flustered at the thought of them watching and judging my less than perfect parking skills.

I've never had any trouble in pulling into a space forwards and I've never had any problems in reversing out of any space, like those mentioned in your op.

If you really wanted to change habits on this, instead of trying to make people feel bad about the fact they have to drive in forwards to put their shopping away, you'd be better campaigning for supermarkets to have access walkways down the centre of each double row of spaces, meaning people could reverse in and still access the boot to put away their shopping from a protected pedestrian area. You'd also reduce the distance pedestrians have to traverse on the parts of the car park that vehicles use, reducing the risk they'll be hit by any vehicles that do still reverse out.

But this would take up a lot of extra space, as each access path would need to be at least two trolleys wide, costing supermarkets a lot more money (which would be reflected in prices), which is why they don't do it. And it would mean further to walk to the supermarket entrance, and a lot more land being tarmacked over. Either that or far fewer available spaces, which would cost supermarkets money in lost custom.

The most effective way to change behaviour is usually to change the things that shape people's behaviour — appealing to the risk of a rare event (will never happen to most drivers) to change behaviour probably won't do it, and even laws aren't always that helpful.

I can't do manoeuvres to save my life, so I just drive straight in and reverse out.

It's because there's not enough space to squeeze between two parked cars with heavy bags of shopping 🤷‍♀️

Apparently, in a number of companies with large fleets of vehicles, it is a disciplinary offence not to reverse in to a space because statistically a lot of accidents are caused by people reversing out and it costs them money. If you're not comfortable reversing in then learn. If you reverse out and hit something then, from an insurance perspective, it's your fault. Convenience in loading the boot is not an excuse.

I've literally never had a problem, and I'm hardly slimline.

It’s not illegal. For one thing driveways are private spaces and not the public road. I believe it’s advisable for the reasons you give to reverse in and drive out however

As others have said, it's so I can access my trunk. I've been driving for 30 years, I've never hit anyone reversing out of a parking space, or even come close to hitting someone.🤷‍♀️

It isn't just getting to the boot, although that is what people will inevitably say. Our local supermarket and shopping centre both have wide paths behind every car so that you can access the boot even if you reverse in. Nobody but nobody reverses into the spaces. And it's every carpark ever. People just aren't confident reversing and I've seen many near misses as they back out of spaces and a couple of crunches.

Same here

@FixTheBone lucky you 🤷‍♀️

Some people have mobility issues that mean they're not very flexible or struggle to carry bags of shopping in narrow spaces.

Some people can't physically carry shopping so need to put the trolley right by the boot of the car.

Some car parks make it impossible to access the boot if you reverse in because there's bushes or walls in the way.

And yes, I'm sure some people do it because they're lazy or find it easier but does it really matter?

I reverse in because I drive an estate and it's easier to park and then I don't have issues seeing unlike if I were backing out of a space. However it's a pain getting the pram out and shopping in. It has to be wide or I can't get the pram out.

I head for the spaces furthest away from the store, where there's usually plenty of spaces and do a "drive through" - no reversing required!