As it is difficult to put the back ,instead of front, first it becomes a method testing a driver's skill when faced with a difficult situation.

Demonstrating sufficient skill at reversing round a corner is a part of the UK car driving test that is taken to earn a driving licence.

i agree with h

back in

y

when you arrive at the parking spot you are aware of all the hazards around your vehicle

so its safer to reverse in that situation

if you drive in you will have too many blind spots going backwards added to the steaming up/freezin up in poor weather.

Guest (message #2), and PWSlack (#1) have covered the biggest items [access to loading, if needed, and safety issues inherent in being able to see in before entering, and out when leaving] - but I haven't seen any mention of something that many northern-tier state residents should recognize: if your car is going to be there for several hours or for days, the end with the battery should be facing out so that jumper cables will reach. It's really frustrating to need to round up half-a-dozen guys to push a vehicle through snow into what is SUPPOSED to be a driving lane, just so that it can be hooked up and eventually started. I very rarely pull in front-first, and usually only where local codes require it for revenue reasons as cited elsewhere in this thread.

Re: I like to back-in because it looks tough, shows off the business end of my ride, and demonstrates a slightly higher level of finesse than the average unthinking nosed-in-because-it's-easier commuter.

I think issues like safety and respect for others should take precedence over the factors listed above (or those alluded to in the article--to be honest, I didn't bother to read the article).

I'd hate to be parked anywhere near my wife if she tried to back into a parking place. She can back out because there is more maneuvering room.

If someone delays others because they take extra time to back in, that's not a good thing, imho. If it's an uncrowded parking lot, do your thing.

In some instances it's easier to get in by backing into a spot in the same way a forklift is so manuverable in tight spaces. Then just get in and drive away when you leave.

Most of the time I am driving my four door Ford F-250 Super duty 4WD so I have to park out at the end of the rows where I can use as many spaces as I need since most parking spaces are too narrow and too short for me to fit into or be able to get out the door if I am parked right next to someone.

Well, at least you have the common sense and courtesy to do so. We have all seen a truck like yours parked in a compact spot , demonstrating a driver with neither.

For some strange reason, Ketchikan is basically Hobbiton when it comes to parking space sizes and stairway construction. Poor tcmtech wouldn't have a chance here!

Only rarely have I seen it, but back-in angle parking works very well, once you do it a couple times and get used to it. (The original REI in Seattle had a few northward blocks of back-in angle parking. Getting in took a few extra seconds, but pulling out was really easy, especially because of good visibility.)

Newbie architects and designers should be required to drive Ford F-250 Superduty 4WDs (or their equivalent, size-wise) on a daily basis for at least two years prior to their designing their first car parks, IMO. Such a policy would give them a much greater appreciation of the fact that not everyone drives a vehicle that can fit on a postage stamp, let alone navigate on one. It might also encourage the more widespread use of park-throughs - parking spaces designed to allow vehicles to exit naturally in a forward direction - eliminating the attendant hazards of backing-up altogether.

For my part, I prefer to back into a parking space rather than back out. When backing into a parking space I am far less likely to back into people, cars, shopping carts and what-have-you. Moreover, I don't need to worry about oncoming vehicles which I cannot see thanks to that splendid pair of Ford F-250 Superduty 4WDs blocking my view on both sides. I these situations I find myself secretly wishing these were Ford F-350s because then I could clearly see under them. :-)

As with everything there are standards for the size of parking spaces and the owners of the complex want as many as possible for their patrons. The designers then are charged with designing the parking lot with as many spots as the standards allow.

And what about those who pull in forward but only half way. Is it to have a better view when they do back out or do they suffer from full insertion anxiety?

When i was young, some automobile expert told me that it is better to back in at night into your parking area, so that you drive out face first in the morning. His logic was that all the moving systems should move forward rather than reverse when starting cold. Hogwash i suspect, but i have been doing it ever since i bought my first car.

Even when parking in public places...

I would not like to call this an automobile expert... an imbecile best describe the guy better. Pity you followed the advice!

Was taught during defensive driving courses, to pull into a stall so you were moving forward when departing, whenever possible. When you pull up to your stall, you are normally alert and can view the stall before entering. When leaving a stall, distractions ( Coffee mugs, cell phones, frosty windows etc) are compounded by backing up. Most parking lot and residential accidents happen while some one is backing up. The large company I just retired from developed a policy of all emplyees must back into their stalls as statistics indicated it was safer. Ironically, my father and I were walking thru a parking lot, discussing this issue, when I grabbed him by the arm to stop him, just as 2 vehicles were backing out of their stalls and hit each other. If one of them were driving forward, the accident probably wouldn't have happened.

Yes, but it is easier to back into the open row, than into a narrow parking space.

Locally, the county and colleges all require face in. Give tickets all the time for backing in.

Ahh hah! This must be the place many are taught to park nose/face in. What purpose could this requirement serve other than appearance? As stated previously, the people responsible for this requirement apparently can't handle backing their vehicle responsibly, therefore all people can't. Is there something wrong with this logic?

h

This so the Local Constablary can more easily check registration tags, parking permits, etc.

Re: What purpose could this requirement serve other than appearance? As stated previously, the people responsible for this requirement apparently can't handle backing their vehicle responsibly, therefore all people can't. Is there something wrong with this logic?

No more wrong than someone thinking that because they are good at backing into a parking space, everyone should be and everyone should be required to back in. (That's not what you said, I know.)

I disagree with policies like the above, but I have had lots of occasions to park in a student parking lot at a local community college, near the start of class time (like in the morning, just after lunch)--I understand why they might make such a policy--there is a lot of traffic moving then, much more than when class lets out (I guess the people leaving are more staggered based on whatever, talking to a teacher, or their friends, or needing to stop by the school store, or library, or lab before leaving for the day).

The reason for parking nose first, at least in college parking lots is so the campus police can read license plates. In some states, license plates are only put on the rear of the vehicle.

Not addressing this particularly to you, but how many accidents (including minor mirror and car door scrapes) occur (or would occur) if everyone tried to back into parking spaces.

I guess if they are all minor, it might be preferable to a smaller number of potentially more serious accidents backing out, but (uh oh, find some wood)--I've never had an accident backing out.

I probably should explain my "find some wood" comment for our friends (possibly in other countries who haven't heard the expression "knock on wood"--the knocking on wood being sort of a superstition designed to prevent what you just said never happened from occurring, usually because you just said it never happened).

In Saudi Arabia for issuing driving licence they ask the applicant to back-in by looking into the mirror without turning the head to look back. To load materials it is the best method.

In a loading dock - yes.

But in a supermarket lot?

Not withstanding all the pros & cons of bonnet or boot (hood or trunk) first, if you can't reverse into a parking bay do you have the skill to be driving at all?

Re: Not withstanding all the pros & cons of bonnet or boot (hood or trunk) first, if you can't reverse into a parking bay do you have the skill to be driving at all?

Yes, I believe so. That could be another long (possibly political) discussion, that I'll try not to start here. It takes lesser fine motor skills to back out of a parking place to back in. Backing out takes more "life skills" in terms of things like carefully looking before backing out.

You can be a very adequate (or better) driver with good life skills and lesser fine motor skills.

(Boy this topic must have hit my hot button--I've got to stop posting like this.)

I have an F350 crew cab. Turning radius is huge.

Back in is definitely easier in a tight spot, it is easier to position the back end.

If you do manage to drive in front first , you may find it very difficult to back out.

If you are pulling a trailer, always back in!

If you can't park the trailer by backing in, you definitely would not be able to back it out.

One other slant on why it's not a great idea to back out of a parking space. If you are backing your vehicle and there is an accident with a vehicle going forward you are almost automatically at fault. Doesn't matter even if you are stopped and the other driver is going 30mph. You're at fault in most jurisdictions. You may win in a civil suit in especially in small claims court if your evidence is convincing and the judge sympathetic. But it is an uphill slog.

Ed Weldon

Back-in parking gives the driver much much more control and is quicker and easier once you get familiar with the width of the car and depth of the back end of the vehicle that you drive. Backing in is even better if you have a reverse audio detector telling how close you are to the vehicle behind your car. (Toyota Yiaris has this and it fun to hear the beeping increase in frequency as your bumper (fender in US) gets closer to the automobile behind. Happy parking

Two situations where backing in can create problems.

when there is shrubbery that the hot exhaust can damage

whwn there are serious chances of tires spinning (teenagers, at heart, with a hot rod) or snowy or icy parking lots and slag, sand, or gravel, often put down for traction when it snows.If you are facing out, spinning tires can throw this into the car behind you. I received a cracked window in a parking lot from a hot rod many years ago. This one doesn"t have as much justification now since most cars have front wheel drive.

I normally find a spot I can drive through to have a front out. If there is not one and I have a large turn radius vehicle I normally back in. I can back into a narrower slot than i can drive forward into.

Funny psychology of back in parking - most guys I have observed with this condition are usually anal retentive obsessive compulsive neat nics...overly organized and like to control all situations - intelligent but like to show how intelligent - its an interesting topic I must say - tell us a little more about yourself...

The last time that I was in Arizona, the banks wouldn't let me back into a parking space against the bank wall, they said that if I was a bank robber, then I could make a very quick getaway if the front of the car was facing out towards the exit, but it would not be so quick if I had to back out first!

Xanasax.

I vary my parking as to which end of the car is most vulnerable to other "parkers", so I tend to place the rear of the car in the direction that my imagination thinks the greatest threat may come from, as all my cars have a substantial tow hitch there!!

It seems to work!!

For me, front or back in with my car mostly depends on my mood.

BUT, when it comes to my motorcycle, I always back in and then position the bike as close to the entry of the parking space as possible. This is to prevent some dumba$$ on a cell phone from accidentally presuming the space is empty on a quick, distracted glance.

The one exception to this is if the space has a slope. I will always park the bike so the front end is pointing uphill. Trying to wrestle 600 pounds backwards and uphill is not something I like to do on a regular basis.

Hooker

Always back in,the especially on a drive that is on a roadway,the times you see drivers backing out onto a road holding up the traffic & with the risk of hitting pedestrians, it doesn't take long to reverse in and it's a lot safer & easier to drive out.

Bazzer

One or the other will hold up traffic, take your pick!

Personally I will park according to the situation. In a lot with narrow spaces, I will park so driver side doors face each other. This allows me and the other vehicle to have the most room to swing the door. Don't you just hate it when someone parks so close to your side that you can't open your door. There are other situations where stopping to back into a spot, a car behind you will go nose first into the spot, or when you stop to back up, cars behind you close up the space so you can't back up. This happens mostly in big cities, like New York. Parallel parkers face the same problems, but it would appear that back-in parking would be the most logical way of parking as it uses the same procedures as parallel parking. In fact, backing is the only way to parallel park; it cannot be done nose-in.

In a parking lot like at a grocery story you better be pulling straight in. Especially if the parking slots are slanted and that lane is designed for traffic to move in one direction. I see people pointing their cars against traffic, it's stupid, it shows me a driver with no better sense. Same goes for people that drive against the arrows, what are they thinking and then expect you to get our of their way. It's that kind of thing that would give reason to promote eugenics. Nobody wants to wait for people to take the time to back into a space. It's quicker just to keep with the flow with the rest of the traffic. There's nothing like walking down the parking lot and seeing one car pointing in the wrong direction and saying "Oh look, stupid is parking here."

There's nothing like walking down the parking lot and seeing one car pointing in the wrong direction and saying "Oh look, stupid is parking here." True!

Tactical parking is back-in for quicker departure.

I do it in CONUS for the visibility reasons. When I back in, I have discretion to wait for conditions, but backing out blind in a compact car surrounded by SUV's you are at the mercy of the merciless parking lot sharks.

As ronseto mentioned, some states only put licence plates on the rear of vehicles. Some of those states actually have laws that make it mandatory to park nose first, so that cops can read your plate and see if it has expired (thereby increasing revenue with a ticket). So actually, you could get your first violation when the cop sees your front end outward, then a second violation when (s)he walks around back and sees an expired registration.

As a side note.... what about those that still continue to intentionally park at an angle and take up two parking spaces? Never does my willpower get so tested, as when I must walk by these pretentious angle parkers, willing myself not to accidentally allow my key to rub on their paint job... accidentally.

I hear your message.

We have a woman here where I work that is completely oblivious to getting herself fully into a parking spot. Usually we see her mini van with a rear wheel into the adjacent parking space. Just enough that nobody else can use it.

And parking is presently at a premium here.

Hooker

It is apparent that there are many considerations to be somewhat fully , if possible, understanding of all the possible various conditions,laws, requirements etc., when parking nose/tail in . I think this was a great topic to obtain many points of view and speaking for myself , I did learn something from all the comments, and for that I thank you all.

h

On land Drilling Rigs the crew ALWAYS backs their cars/trucks in so they can get away QUICK in case of a blow-out.

I have had similar requirements at some paper mills and chemical plants...reason given has always been it is faster to escape if there is an "incident".

(now, about those bank job get-a-ways! ;-) )

Same requirement as Emergency Services and the military - back in = fast deployment.

i like to back in. Because ther are usually not a lot of crazy people driving around in the parking space i am aiming for. If you back out of a spot, you have to check your mirrors, twist your head around and get all uncomfortable when you are ready to go. AND watch out for idiots walking around in your blind spots in the parking lot, oblivious to the fact that you are going backwards.Backing in you basically just determine if the spot is big enough, and stay close to the side you can see the best. Also,if you back out of a spot you have to hope no crazy driver slams into you while you are in this already contorted position, twisted around looking over your shoulder and around your blind spots.. Also, a vehicle going backwards NEVER has the right of way. Plus, it confuses reporters who have nothing better to ponder in their writings.

I couldn't resist...I drive a 40ft limousine...we use the curb...all of it!

Reading your first sentence I would say you are obviously you are conceited.

In saying that i like to nose in.

A factor I heard or read about: When you pull up you are physically in driving mode, and warmed up ready for turning and twisting. When you come out of two hours shopping or a lecture, you are more likely to pull a muscle, or injure yourself turning in the seat.

Jim

In space-constrained lots, I orient my car such that the passenger side of my car is facing the passenger side door of my neighbors (where possible). This way I can park closer to the adjacent car (leaving more room to exit) than the all-one-direction method.

I am an obese man, so if I can't open the door of my car all the way, I may not be able to get in the car. That happened to me once this winter, where the driver of the other car didn't consider my car at all. I had to put the car in neutral from the passenger side and coast it out. (and this case, obesity wasn't even an issue)

In my last job, there was underground parking, and I made it a point to park next to a support beam so I knew I could open and close my driver's door.

But all things being equal, I usually prefer to back-in.

You made me laugh with "In space-constrained lots, I orient my car such that the", did you notice why? (I guess is a Japanese/korean or Chinese car!)

Did you mean "orientate"?

We all need reasons to laught, many, many thanks. Keep them coming!!

For what it's worth, from thefreeonlinedictionary.com:

orientate [ˈɔːrɪɛnˌteɪt]

vb

a variant of orient

Personally, I hate wasting syllables so I use orient.

Hooker

Re: Did you mean "orientate"?

One of my rants. Orient is just as good a word as orientate, and, imho, even better because it is shorter and has fewer syllables to pronounce.

Read definitions 4, 5, and 6, here: orient.

Of course, you can distinguish between Orient and orient by the pronunciation.

I'm not marking this OT because it responds to another comment that is not marked OT.

Re: Of course, you can distinguish between Orient and orient by the pronunciation.

Oops, that should have said "you cannot distinguish".

Follow the very link you cited (Did you mean "orientate"?), you will see the links to orient as a verb and it is used quite correctly in my posting.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/orient

I agree we do need reasons to laugh! I guess we should be thanking you!

What's "laught" ?

There is, of course, the issue that has for the most part been ignored in this discussion... angled parking spaces. Unless you are in a parking structure, most parking spots, at least around here, don't really give you the option. With an angled space, you would need to make a 120° backwards turn, to back into a spot. Then you must either pull out with another 120° turn, or be defiant and drive against traffic within the parking lots drive lanes.

On the other hand, some cities are adopting back-in angled parking. But this only occurs on shopping district streets (i.e. High St, Main St, etc) as opposed to withing parking lots.

'Front in' angled parking is probably the most dangerous and visibility compromised 'exiting scenario' ever conceived. <rant>

Jus' saying

I don't understand your reasoning on that. I'll list several reasons:

1. You don't need to turn your head as far back around, in order to see oncoming vehicles.

2. Your car is already somewhat pointed in the direction that you need to go, thereby allowing you to "go" more quickly, if need be.

3. The rear end of your vehicle does not need to go as far out away from the curb (into the drive lane or road), before you are clear of the parking space, and able to go forward.

I've always preferred pulling out of an angled spot, vs. a spot where you must park at 90° to the curb. I'm flummoxed with your comment.

Sure 'front in' is dead easy to drive in.

On backing out, depending on what sort of what, I'm driving, I may have difficulty seeing diagonally through my payload. Or if say a van parks along side, I can't see the oncoming traffic till I'm 3/4 out.

Rear to curb, I risk a bonnet (hood) length before I can see oncoming, past that van, and I'm looking directly out my drivers window.

Also I'm pointed with their direction. Me getting it wrong makes more space for them to avoid in - not less. Like sitting watching me blindly reverse into their grill.

Hmmm.. how did you get a GA for that?

CLEARLY... if you are comparing "front in" angled parking (which is what you said), to "rear in" angled parking (which you just now specified)... then, rear in will be FAR easier to pull out. Rear in is far easier to pull out no matter what.

What you appeared to be saying, and what I was talking about and comparing, was pulling out of a front in angled parking spot vs. pulling out of a front-in straight or perpendicular parking spot.

Since we have two different variables here, which end in, and angle... it seems that what we each were talking about was 90° in meaning from each other.

I was comparing Tigers to Lions. You were comparing Ligers to Tigons.

Or something like that

Hmmmmm ... should I let you wriggle out of running off at the 'keyboard' without checking/reading/in context'?

Nup.

You said 52

I said 54

You said 55 and offered 'flummoxed'

So I said 56

All of which clearly relates directly to your #52 post on Angle Parking of both 'front end' and 'rear end' persuasions.

But it did amuse me greatly that you assumed my post somehow 'contradicted your#52' whereas it actually supports you.

But a petard is a petard and obfuscation on right-angles and felines, is deemed non-mitigating.

I see. Upon further review, I believe I can peer through this ubiquitous fog of obfuscation, and state that I will not be out-obfuscated... just yet. So I will gingerly pick up the petard that you've assigned to me, and graciously point out that it seems to belong to you.

There seems to be yet two more variables in the mix. And they are:

1. the matter that there exist two types of angled parking spaces (those where you are supposed to back in, and those where you're supposed to enter front first)

2. the issue that you can enter an angled space correctly, or enter it incorrectly. Unlike perpendicular parking spaces, which are generally ambiguous in their designed intent of front first or rear first (the original point of this thread, by the way), angled spaces actually have a preferred direction of entree, built into the design.

So... your 54 didn't actually support my 52. And I now see that it didn't contradict it either. It was referring to yet another combination of the variables (see directly above), which I did allude to (see 52), but yet which wasn't the point of my... ummm... point.

So I'll see your petard is a petard... and raise you one petard.

I hope I've sufficiently disambiguated matters.

Don't know - too busy laughing

On second thought... make that, one petard and one canard

Ok, how am I getting off topic scores here? I'm breaking down the interesting variables of parking spaces and how people use them.

Am I never gonna get to 2 GA's?

I really don't know - an I didn't do it - but U gotta admit, it's farking funny

Only if you actually provide some.

We have a short stretch of one way road with angle parking both sides. The street is a narrow single lane. You run the gauntlet every time you drive there! People back out indiscriminately, and obviously can't see. There is no option allowed to back in!

City planners thought it would make the shopping district quaint. :(

We should differentiate if we're talking about street parking spaces or parking lot spaces.

Parking lot spaces can either be angled or perpendicular; of which angled, in my opinion, is easier and safer to pull out of. Visibility is better, and normally, traffic is less than 5 MPH in the driving lanes.

Street parking, on the other hand, can either be angled or parallel. As was mentioned above, pulling out of that type of angled space is very dangerous, if you are parked nose first. Visibility is horrible, and traffic normally isn't any lower than 25 MPH.

Yet another variable. My comments were all referring to parking lot spaces.

Local Wal Mart, pull in with the sport car just so you can put the groceries in the back easier. If it is the work van, I try to find the spot where I can pull through cuz the side door can be opened and loaded easier. Go to the local auto parts store with the weekend racer, have to back in so the nose is out, lets you access the engine in case you need parts and for show and tell.

I back into spaces for multiple reasons:

1. I actually find it easier to reverse in and drive out (truth be told, I'm very bad at reversing out of spaces)

2. Having gone through a period of time of have a lot of family emergencies, I find it quickest to be able to drive straight out of the space I'm parked in, rather than fluffing about with reversing out of a bay

3. Usually when I park up there is plenty of space to maneuver the car, but when trying to leave (say when work is finished for the day and everyone is trying to get out of the car park) space is tight

Boring reasons really, but highly logical.

I drive in when spaces are big with wide drive areas.

I back in when spaces are tight with narrow drive areas, unless I am running late.

I prefer finding a drive through parking area so that I can be facing out and often park far out so that there will not be many cars around. (annoys my wife, unless I drop her off at the door) second choice is when there is no parking directly behind me I may pull in.