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.

No. The simple solution is to do what you’re supposed to do, and not reverse out of spaces??

Normally I'd agree totally that reversing into a parking space is the way to do it, then you can drive out more easily/can see oncoming vehicles much more easily

But in a supermarket I like to leave the boot easy access by driving into the space

Otherwise it's a faff getting in between the other car and then depends if the car behind has parked within inches of my boot making it tricky to open!

Some certain supermarkets have a pedestrian lane which runs between spaces so it's easy to get to the boot- I'd reverse park at those

Although I'm a total supermarket tart these days depending on prices!

I’m utterly shite at it. However I am fabulous at reversing out. A genius at it. So it’s all good :)

You're right. I always reverse in!

When you reverse out you wait for a gap in traffic. When you reverse in you make traffic wait for you. It interests me how many men feel very comfortable holding up traffic to do an exaggerated reverse.

Can’t fathom why people’s lives are ‘at risk’ from reversing out but not in to a carapace.

If it’s a “hazardous” or busy space, I much prefer to reverse out, my car’s cameras are excellent and give me a much better view than my own eyes would if I were facing forwards.
also, in a supermarket I’d never reverse in as need easy boot access.
I find it easier to reverse park, but often don’t, because of above.

I do this and agree it is much easier and also safer. I hate reversing out of a parking space.

The only time I would pull into a parking space is if it's a single bay, as in there's not a bay infront and I can pull out.

I was taught when I had driving lessons many moons ago to reverse into a space and much prefer it as you do get some ejits that park next to you on the wonk.
So much easier to pull out in these cases.

Can you share your source?

Given you'd tugged on the heartstrings talking about kids, I'd assumed pedestrians. Apologies, mistaken assumption. But can you share the source of your figures, please?

PS You should actually read the Highway Code.

I reverse park because it's easier (don't tell DH I said that, I strongly disagreed when we first together). However I usually pull in head first in the supermarket so I can load shopping into the boot. Unless I can get a space by one of the walk ways then I reverse in and can push my trolley up to the boot.

Some people just find it easier?

To be scrupulously fair though, you can't assume that all of those deaths are solely caused by reversing. It's entirely possible that some, lots, or even all of those deaths would have occurred even if the person had been driving forwards. The stats just report that the deaths occurred when a reversing manoeuvre was being performed, not that the reversing caused it.

The deaths might have been caused by poor visibility/lack of attention while reversing. Or they might have been caused by other road users/pedestrians/cyclists with the reversing not being relevant at all. The point is, we don't know.

Without more detail, those stats don't really prove or disprove anything re the level of the danger of reversing.

I am “slimline” and I’ve had that problem several times. A few large cars side by side, completely filling the spaces and multiple packed to the brim bags for life will do that.

Do you feel better about your life if someone finally, honestly posts saying they find reversing into tiny spaces much harder than reversing out?

Because I know that's what you're getting at. Everyone else here knows what you're getting at. You know that's what you're getting at.

And you've ignored people giving actual reasons why they may do so. It's really not that big of a deal other than to make you feel special. Here's the attention you're craving.

To get wheelchairs in and out of the boot. To put shopping in the boot.

I've heard it safer too. I'd say it's because most people can't be bothered (even though it's probably the same amount of time either way). It does feel like more pressure reversing in, that reversing out as well if someone is waiting for you to park

Because I have to carry my bags from the trolley around to the boot and then hope I can get it open.

This baffles me every time I go my local Lidl. There’s a row of spaces with a walkway behind that is only a few metres from the shop door. There’s also ample space to swing out prior to reversing and then back in to the space in one easy move.
But almost everyone chooses to drive in forwards so they have to first push the trolley through the car park, then load the boot with the trolley sitting in the oncoming traffic, and then reverse out into said traffic.
Come on people, the car park was literally designed to avoid all this!

Guessing you won’t mind if I bash your car a bit getting my pram out and bringing it down the side between the cars?!
Husband couldn’t understand why I drive in when we had the pram, so in the end I let him find out for himself .

Because I can’t!

It’s far easier to reverse out of a space than in to it. You just need to get out of the space and drive off. When you reverse in you need to make sure there is enough room for your passengers to get in and park exactly in the middle of the space and in the white lines. And obviously not hit cars either side or behind.

Also, once you get the hang of it, reversing in to a space is so much easier than driving forwards. Especially if you have reversing cameras.

I have wondered if parking head in is left over from the days of horses. You used to park your horse head in, because if you parked it head out, it might bite innocent passers by. So we went from coaches/wagons drawn by horses to cars and naturally just parked head first out of habit.

Oh hang on, are you using US figures?

That's not really applicable in the UK context - as you point out, we have different driving laws and guidelines, we have very different driver training (the linked article points this out), different housing stock and household parking, a massively different driver/pedestrian ratio in urban areas and quite a significantly smaller population.

I remain intrigued by your proposal to ban driveways over pavements.

I've never had any problems reversing, but I mostly go forwards onto my drive because other cars are completely moronic if I try to reverse.

Even though it's obvious which drive I'm heading for, they misread the manoeuvre and move to "help" me - which often involves them reversing into traffic.

Because I'm confident at reversing safely, I'm satisfied that I can reverse safely off the drive.