What, like the one who decided to reverse from the chip-shop forecourt a few days ago, just as I was walking along the pavement past his car? I had to bang hard on his back window to make him look, by which time he had pushed me a good yard out into the busy main road.

On 17 August 2024 at 23:08 Bazyle Said:

Selfish idiots like to hold up traffic and block the carpark lanes while they try to work out how to back into a parking space, and sensible people just get into place the way the car was designed to go – forwards – and are already in the shops etc before the numpty has tried for the sixth time to line up their back end.

The selfish idiots you refer to are also the same ones that impede traffic when they reverse outinto a moving traffic stream.

There are so many safety reasons for reversing into spaces.  A local factory has large signs which read “make your first move a safe one”.  Children san see other vehicles parking adjacent, if they are looking in the right direction when the car is parked up.  Other drivers allow a view over the bonnet, which is often more difficult, even when driving forwards from the space, if adjacent vehicle rear ends block the view.  If one can reverse in, driving out forwards is nearly always possible.

Local Anglian Water sites do not allow entry to the site, from the carpark unless reverse parked.  Same at the Viridian waste disposal site in Peterborough.  Same as at the power station at Spalding.  I expect they all know of the safety issues particularly when employees are all leaving the site at the same times after a long working shift when some degree of tiredness may be a factor – as well as part misted/iced rear windows etc.

When I worked at one place, we used to watch muppets trying to park frontwards, in one fairly tight car park.  They would try to get in several spaces but eventually park down the road, while those reverse parking could easily access those same dpaces.

I learned at the age of about 16, when I parked a two wheeled trailer load of hay under a barn frontwards and we were unable to extract it the next morning.  The farmer was not a happy bunny because of the difficulties (and time spent) removing it.  It would have been so easy to drive out forwards if I had reverse parked the trailer the previous evening.  A lesson never forgotten.

Just look out for the muppets parking in ‘parent and child spaces’ with parents loading shopping into the car fom the road instead of from the safety of the pavement.  Often, but not always, similar with disabled car spaces.

I’ll rest my case re this topic as many of those muppet drivers are clearly unable to park promptly and easily whichever way they park.  My wife, when I met her, would only park frontwards where she could also drive out forwards.  I soon taught her how to reverse.  She also always turned the front wheels towards the oncoming traffic, when waiting to turn right, but she soon changed that after realising the likely result of being shoved into the oncoming traffic, if rear-ended by some inattentive driver.

As always, 50% of car drivers are below average.  Think about it – are you one of those?

 

As always, 50% of car drivers are below average.  Think about it – are you one of those?

 

Pedant alert – you are assuming a symmetric distribution!  50% are certainly below the median.

Hi, if you must drive into a parking place, and then have to reverse out into a possible traffic flow, you should have someone to give you direction when it’s safe to do so. I normally look for a drive through place, then I can automatically see to drive forwards when leaving, but if non are available, I will always reverse into a parking place, it was something I had to learn during my driving lessons, and it’s not really that hard to do, even with a big van.

Regards Nick.

I see all the advantages of backing into a parking bay, but having done so how do you open the tailgate and manoeuvre your shopping trolley into place for offloading.

…is this what the day room in the care home will be like…?

I think supermarket parking is a special case.

Obviously unwise to reverse out of a blind driveway on to a busy main road, but car parks are slow moving, and we hope drivers in them are alert to the possibility that others are manoeuvring.

Reversing into a space makes it difficult to get to the tailgate for loading, and the only reason I’m there is to load my car with heavy shopping!

Reversing also takes time, causing delay and maybe confusing other drivers.

Leaving a bay open whilst preparing to reverse into it risks some smart-alec nipping into it.

I don’t apply a fixed rule in car-parks, instead doing whatever is quick, safe and appropriate to need.   Mostly I go straight in and reverse out, but for light shopping I’m also fond of Robert’s double-row trick.   On the open road, when visibility and speed are both tricky, it’s usually better to reverse in.

Dave