to reverse out of my driveway?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

Any parking thread on here where someone says it's difficult to reverse out of their driveway becayse of a badly parked car leads to hordes of responses about never reversing out of a driveway, you should always go in forward.

We live on a fairly busy road. I go swimming most mornings at about 6ish, when the road is quiet. However, when I get back home at some point between 7.30 and 8, the road is much busier. There are usually people very close to me. If I go past my house and then try to reverse into the driveway, there are often about 5 or 6 cars that have to reverse in order to let me do so. It can take ages. Whereas if I swing in forwards that issue doesn't occur.

So in our case, reversing in isn't always the best option I don't think. AIBU for going into the driveway forwards or should I be holding up half the town by insisting on reversing onto my drive and making the whole queue reverse as well?

I have a family member on a busy main road just after a junction. The traffic is accelerate mode and as there's a side road close by, it's assumed you're indicating for that, so just to turn in requires checking of mirrors and managing road speed and position to manage the vehicle behind, as well as watching out for hasty oncoming right turners from the opposite side.

Pulling up to reverse would just result in a pile up of traffic and no space to manouver.

Inching off backwards until someone charitable pulls up and holds the traffic is safer. It just takes patience and fine control.

Double yellows, and the few hours a day it's quieter, the traffic is faster, and more red light jumpers.

I've no issue with reversing into parking spaces.

So you have a driveway
looking at house you have fence to left, garden to right
reverse in and car door will not open because of fence
drive in it will open into garden

I get what you are talking about @Boogiemam

As a pedestrian with young kids often on bikes / scooters I’m fairly terrified of cars reversing off drives. It’s not safe for kids

I do a drop off where I have to reverse and park (not safe to get out otherwise) and if people didn't drive up my arse it wouldn't be an issue and they wouldn't need to reverse.

I live on a quiet road where houses have easy to access driveways, yet still lazy people drive in & reverse off, making it much less safe for pedestrians (and children in particular).

I do appreciate that some roads/driveway set ups mean driving in is the best (least worst?) option, but too many people who could reverse in put pedestrians at risk for their own convenience.

Another one who always drove onto my drive and reversed off - like others, it was on a steep incline and a right PITA to reverse into.

In 15 years of reversing off I never had an issue - just eased back very
slowly and usually had the window open so I could listen as well.

I've reversed out in front of a parked police car with police inside before. They didn't arrest me or anything. Loads of people do it.

I live on a busy road and agree, it's much more sensible to drive in forwards when the traffic is busy. There's no way with the parked cars on both sides that I would want to reverse with my hazards on stopping traffic in both directions.

Neighbours across the road do this every time and I would say they get tooted and worse several times a week.
Reversing out is much less stressful!
If I need to leave at rush hour the next day sometimes I do turn the car around in the evening but not often.

That's not true at all, reverse bay parking is one of the four manoeuvres you might have to perform on the test. Your daughter's instructor is talking bollocks or she's misunderstood and they’ve just not taught that skill yet. She definitely needs to ensure they teach her how to reverse park!

Yes but not holding up drivers is deemed more important than pedestrians it seems.

It is horrible walking behind a car which is going to reverse out as you have no idea if the driver has seen you or not.

You should reverse in

Mostly, yes. If I go to my office (about once a fortnight) I leave at 6.30am. If I go to the beach (several times a week) I go at 6.30am or after work at 6.30pm.

It's the coming back after a 6.30am swim thats the tricky bit, because it's close to 8am when I get home which is when the road is at its busiest.

If I'm.popping into town I walk or cycle

Another one saying use your hazard lights.

I don't see how using my hazard lights will help.

One of the problems is that our house is on a corner, so when I approach it and indicate left, people behind invariably think I am going to turn into the road, not into my driveway which is 30 foot before it.

No different from anyone pulling off a drive either way as long as the driver is looking for it to be safe to pull out?

Presumably there's grass or something on the other side of the drive so they can get out onto the grass rather than into the fence?

But surely all these issues about reversing in are just magnified when trying to reverse out?

it’s dangerous to reverse into a road

Why would you walk behind a car that’s clearly reversing? That’s on the pedestrian to also make sure it’s safe, not to just hope they’ve seen you!

I understand that, but on our road there's a narrow bit of grass verge between my front garden and the pavement. So if I reverse, I can move out slowly and it's (relatively) safe.

Don't indicate left, put your hazards on as you approach and then indicate left when you arrive.

You should reverse onto your drive.

On my road it would be more dangerous sitting with hazards on waiting for a space in the traffic to reverse in.

I drive straight in - not causing an obstruction.

When reversing out, I wait for a gap, which may take some time but I’m on the drive while waiting, so not in anyone’s way- again not causing an obstruction.

Highway code #201Highway code #201

Or perhaps you feel the highway code is for others and you're more superior...?

Just pull up along side your drive and indicate left. WAIT for a gap in the traffic then reverse.

If it takes ages then so be it.

If your not confident at reversing quickly then practice when quiet.

Or get a turntable driveway.

Reversing out is more dangerous than reversing in. That is why the Highway Code tells you to reverse in.

ok so I am exactly the same position as you then

the combination of hazards and left indicate makes over drivers take note that something ‘unusual’ is about to happen and they hang back

When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can

If you can - it’s guidance, not a hard set rule, you can’t be pulled up on it.

And this suggests you shouldn’t reverse on a busy road anyway, so if your drive is on a busy road you’re following this :)

Choose an appropriate place to manoeuvre. If you need to turn your vehicle around, wait until you find a safe place. Try not to reverse or turn round in a busy road; find a quiet side road or drive round a block of side streets.