Comments on: Why Back Into the Parking Spot?

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:20:53 +0000

As for cars backed in that have scraped up cars doing so……………these people are called bad drivers and should not be driving forward or backing up.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:19:18 +0000

Ask any driving instructor or Insurance agent and they will tell you it is safer to back in. Would you back into a highway or a busy road? No, because it is dangerous. Same reason you don’t back out of a parking spot in a busy mall. A van has zero visibility backing out of a parking spot.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 03:26:46 +0000

I work in a place where about a third of the workers back in And they are the ones who have scraped up my car.

By: sars

sars — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:48:29 +0000

um because there is not always designated motorcycle parking?

By: admin

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:51:51 +0000

and what’s up with those motorcycles that park in car spaces??

By: DBiles

DBiles — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:36:18 +0000

I hear what you are saying, Hiram. The difference, I think, is the consideration of others. If you are backing in, that means you are most likely forcing people who are ALSO on their way into the garage to wait for you. That means they likely need to be going somewhere inside.

If you are backing out, yes, you may make someone wait, but they were already on their way out so it’s less of an inconvenience.

I know I’m being picky in writing this post, but it’s just one of those things!

By: Hiram

Hiram — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:01:41 +0000

I can see both points but tend to agree with Chris – logically, it’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. You physically have to traverse the exact same distance and it will take the exact same amount of time and/or safety risk to do so. It’s just a personal choice whether you want to expend that time and/or risk at the beginning of your parking maneuver (ie: backing in) or at the end (ie: backing out).

All of the proponents of backing-in tend to cite safety but I’ve yet to see anyone produce any actual hard data so again, I think it’s just a personal choice.

The one thing that drives me nuts is that people who back in rarely seem to be able to center their vehicle between the two parking lines. This invariably causes problems for the adjacent vehicle.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:41:31 +0000

We back in for two reasons. 1. to hide our license plate from the police and 2. So we can drive off fast if we have to.

By: Travis

Travis — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:37:10 +0000

The argument that you are less likely to hit a person backing in doesn’t fly. Not only are you backing into the parking space you are backing up in the aisle, the same aisle you would be backing into if you pulled forward into the space. The same or greater danger exists. The only valid argument I have heard is in the event of a very crowded lot and everyone leaves at the same time. The down side to that is people don’t know you wan’t out unless they look at you and you make hand gestures. Reverse lights give a clear signal.

By: Judy

Judy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:41:21 +0000

I’m known for always backing in, and my friends get a kick out of it. Those who pull in never understand my logic. But it’s simple … parking spaces don’t have “traffic” in them. Yes, there could be a child or adult who wanders into the empty parking space from out of the blue, but this would be rare. There certainly are no cars driving around in your space. When you pass it and then back into it, you can be 99.9% sure it’s clear.

Obviously, you cannot be so sure when you back out. Chris’ argument that you can see what’s happening as you walk up to your car just doesn’t cut it. In the time it takes to open your door, get in, start the engine and move, a lot could have changed.

Practically every time that I walk down the driving lane at a grocery store or mall parking lot, someone backs out and almost hits me. I’m 5’4″ which is average height. These people who are backing out simply cannot see who or what is out there in the lane. I’ve never been “almost hit” by someone backing INTO a spot!