Ask Lemmy

Sometimes backing in seems easier than backing out

I thought it was pretty obvious to everyone that it’s because it’s easier to get out that way. You don’t have any blind spots. Easier for you to back into the spot than to back out of it (angles permitting).

Safer when pulling out of parking stall. Less blind spots.

Although I don’t back in. I drive through from one spot to the next in front of me. So I can drive out.

Because you have more control and visibility both when you get in and get out.

There's a reason a number of large companies that self-insure mandate backing in for all their vehicles (Schlumberger, Cargill); it's demonstrably safer practice that results in less accidents when leaving the parking space. You can see everything when you back in that was there when you pulled up, and when you pull out, you're right up front looking forward into the lane as you pull out. You quickly learn how to back in, even without a backup camera, if you learn how to use your mirrors.

It is by far the statistically less accident prone method.

I have way more maneuverability backing into a space.

Think of it in terms of circles (well, arcs, really) . If you front park in a space perpendicular to the road, your front wheels make a large circle and your back wheels a smaller one. The parking space needs to be big enough to accommodate the larger circle. If you back into the same space, the larger circle happens on the road.

It takes advantage of right-of-way to avoid collision while backing.

I'm following you. When you decide to back in to your parking space, you have the right-of-way over the lane until you have completely left it. I have to yield to you, even if you come to a complete stop in the lane of traffic. While your vision and attention is compromised due to backing, I am responsible for avoiding you.

When you are attempting to back out of the parking spot and into my lane, you do not have right-of-way until you are fully established in the lane. Despite your vision and attention being compromised due to backing, you are also responsible for avoiding me. I don't have to yield to you until you are completely within the lane.

Not only makes it easier to leave when you need to, as you can see everything that you might hit or might hit you.

But going backwards means you can more easily line up in the space as you have more control over your angle.

Like parallel parking is essier when reversing as you dont need to correct once in the space. Just 45 degree to the kerb and straighten up and you are in. Going forward parallel parking takes loads of correction or needs a really big gap to fit in to.

Unless I am going to be putting stuff into the trunk, backing in is better, it's more dangerous to back the car out of the space than into it.

Backing in is the correct way to parallel park too.

Obviously so everyone knows I'm better than them

Backing into a parking bay where the amount of traffic in the bay is close to zero and visibility is great allows you to drive out into the street facing forward where you can see what traffic is coming.

If you drive forward into a bay then you have to back out of it into the street where you cannot see anything except what's directly behind you and you have little to no visibility sideways, unless the bays next to you are empty, so essentially you're backing out with your fingers crossed, hoping that nothing will hit you.

Moreover, the traffic rules, at least where I live, specify that a reversing vehicle has to give way to everyone.

As a bonus, when you're loading things, you're not standing in the street with your back to traffic.

In other words, learn how to back into a bay.

I worked at a job site prone to flooding so it was mandated to speed evacuations. I liked it and kept the habit.

Then some misogynist asshat told me it's a masculine thing to do and I should be careful to come across more ladylike. So added on a layer of spite and anti-bigot defenses to why I keep doing it.

Much easier to park AND drive away. I see very few disadvantages really

Much easier to pull out after, and I can leave quicker despite taking slightly longer to pull in.

Is backing into parking spots not the norm in the US? Here in Germany we back into parking spots most of the time, mostly because the spots are too narrow or short to enter forward. We also learn this in driving school and it's pretty much an essential skill that's expected from drivers in Germany.

1. People/oncoming cars/kids are more likely to be in the road than in the spot I’m parking
2. I have better visibility when I’m facing forward than when I’m in reverse

Therefore I would rather reverse into the spot where people/cars/kids are least likely to be and drive forward into the place people/cars/kids are most likely to be. I personally almost always back in to be safer towards pedestrians and avoid getting hit by other cars.

fwiw, I've parked trailers for a living for 10+years--I do it out of habit and a work ethic of 'put the work in on the front end so I can backslide on the tail end' Tho I can see a practicality/safer attempt to having a better view upon departing the parked position. Obviously if you'd like to get into the geometry of it, backing in gives you a much wider range of flexibility to work with in the positioning phases of the maneuver.

Not sure if it's true. but I was also told that changing gears on a transmission that's been running for a bit is easier on the mechanical parts/bits involved (as opposed to swapping gears on a cold startup)

tldr because there's tons of good reasons to do so, and very nearly 0 good reasons not to do so. Leave the rest to the mathematicians and statisticians

Because then I don't have to reverse out, which is far more difficult

Easy and safe.

In Australia, you're considered at fault for reversing accidents. Backing out is riskier.

It's just easier to get out, you even have to park like that when taking the exam.

When parking i can get a good view of the immediate area, it's easy to spot pedestrians and oncoming cars. Pulling out is easy. If I have to back out I don't have such a good view. Yeah I get a look as I approach my car but by the time I sit down, click my seat belt, start the car, someone i didn't see could be coming along.

I first learned how to drive on these old pickup trucks at a summer camp I worked for as a teenager.

The nice old fella who maintained the trucks (and who, not incidentally, taught me how to drive) said to do it that way and would get disappointed if you didn’t.

So, I guess it’s because I first learned it that way, but also because I don’t want to disappoint Alan (who may or may not be dead by now, I’m not sure.)

I back into my driveway. Way I see it, I either back in or back out. So what's the difference

When you are approaching a parking spot you're already looking everywhere and can find obstacles as you back in. If you drive into a parking spot backing out may have issues because you may not have seen obstacles that would be in the way. We are not always as observant approaching our vehicle as we are when we have already been driving it. Plus, it's a whole lot easier to get back out of the parking spot if you can just drive away.

For years, I worked in a large building that required all employees and visitors to back in for a few safety reasons, with approximately 600 spaces and an almost full lot most weekdays. It was stated in our safety training that it was easier to see other people and vehicles when exiting facing forward and faster evacuation in times of extreme emergency. It had the benefit that it did seem to quicken flow of traffic when everyone left around the same time at the end of the day.

If a parking spot is straight, I tend to back in for those reasons, but if it is an angled spot, it typically denotes a singular directional flow, and it makes more sense to pull in and back out.

You can fit in more easily. Having the steering axle in the back relative to the direction of movement allows you to drive tighter curves (like a forklift).

My mom does this every time she parks, even in our driveway. She's always said it's so if her car stalls, it's easier to get it jumped or towed out of the spot.

I'm blind in one eye so find it hard to judge distances and gaps. As a result I find it easier to back in, especially if I am doing it between two parked vehicles, because I can judge it more easily using my wing mirrors.

My backup camera has little lines that show where I am backing up and change as I turn. So that combined with the 360 camera I will know exactly how I will fit in a parking spot. Also makes getting out faster since im usually an early bird to places.

My boss apparently backs his truck into his parking space every morning out of a combination of overabundance of a caution and the reduced turning radius while in reverse. Well, he did he did up until I pointed out to him that mostly what this accomplishes for him is making it irritating to load anything into his truck... Which is, not to put too fine a point on it, what we do all day around here.

Our parking lot is very quiet, private only us and the other tenants in our building, has no random pedestrians, and cross-traffic isn't an issue.

Some people think, but for the wrong reasons.