parking.....

[BernardandMissBianca]

In my defense, if I want to pull through I'll go park out in no-man's-land. (I still have my learner's permit and need to practice parking straight more )

You're good, parking in no mans land and pulling forward is ok.

Oh I remember parking during my driver training, I hated it!!! He would get out and measure.

 

[Carly_Roach]

It's not inconveniencing anyone if you are competent enough to do it quickly and easily.

You have a very narrow-minded view of humanity. I let people walk in front of me or turn before me because it's polite. It has nothing to do with me. And yes, I back into a parking spot because I want to control my parking situation. So?

Do you have data to support this claim?

Yes, you can wait the extra 7 seconds while I back in. There I said it.

These things put everyone at risk for accidents, not just people backing out of a parking spot.

Because you're narrow-minded, can't see anyone else's opinion besides your own and like to throw around 'facts' unsupported by evidence?

I have no idea why you're taking this so personally but there's no need for name-calling.

As for why DH and I have agreed to not discuss this, it's not because I'm "narrow-minded and can't see anyone else's opinion". It's because we're both adults, we can both see that neither one is going to agree with the other, and we'd prefer to not fight our way through our marriage. As I said before: when he drives, he does it his way and gets no argument from me as long as he's the one who has to negotiate the groceries between cars when he backs in and we can't get to the trunk because he backed in.

When I drive, I do it my way and get no argument from him.

We're adults and we each know that this is a hill we're not going to let our marriage die on. We're choosing happiness and peace instead of wasting time and health trying to get the other person to say, "You're right".

That's just our experience. YMMV.

But I will ask that you stop calling me names.

 

[tlbwriter]

I don't see how backing into a space could possibly be easier than backing out. Driving backward is more difficult than driving forward. Backing into a narrow space is more difficult than backing into a wide space. It just seems like common sense to me. I believe those of you who say it's easy for you, but for it to be easier on average? Makes no sense at all.

 

[disney_mommy]

I have no idea why you're taking this so personally but there's no need for name-calling.

As for why DH and I have agreed to not discuss this, it's not because I'm "narrow-minded and can't see anyone else's opinion". It's because we're both adults, we can both see that neither one is going to agree with the other, and we'd prefer to not fight our way through our marriage. As I said before: when he drives, he does it his way and gets no argument from me as long as he's the one who has to negotiate the groceries between cars when he backs in and we can't get to the trunk because he backed in.

When I drive, I do it my way and get no argument from him.

We're adults and we each know that this is a hill we're not going to let our marriage die on. We're choosing happiness and peace instead of wasting time and health trying to get the other person to say, "You're right".

That's just our experience. YMMV.

But I will ask that you stop calling me names.

I never called you any names. I described your personality as you've demonstrated it in this post.

 

[U2_rocks!]

I don't see how backing into a space could possibly be easier than backing out. Driving backward is more difficult than driving forward. Backing into a narrow space is more difficult than backing into a wide space. It just seems like common sense to me. I believe those of you who say it's easy for you, but for it to be easier on average? Makes no sense at all.

In the absence of other factors I would agree with you. But with heavy foot traffic, narrow parking lots, lack of visibility of cars entering the lot, and a host of other things, it can be easier and safer to back in. Notice I am not speaking in absolutes - it's usually situational. For example, I won't back in at the grocery store, because inevitably the person who ends up with their car up against my trunk has parked too close behind me, and I have a hatchback door. It's beyond annoying to have to get in the car and drive forward a bit just to open my trunk! But other times backing in is great - I feel much better coming out forwards than backwards, especially if there is any risk that cars will zoom up quickly from one direction while I'm looking in the other. Coming out forwards I have a much wider range of vision. Also, I think it is actually illegal to back out of a driveway onto a main road where I live (not that it stops people from doing it ), and there are many houses here that are right on a main street. I'm not talking about a residential road - I'm talking about a main street with lots of traffic. There's a reason why our driving test includes this valuable skill - it is so dangerous to back out of a minor road onto a major one.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I don't see how backing into a space could possibly be easier than backing out. Driving backward is more difficult than driving forward. Backing into a narrow space is more difficult than backing into a wide space. It just seems like common sense to me. I believe those of you who say it's easy for you, but for it to be easier on average? Makes no sense at all.

I think that's the whole point. Just like there are parents here who say their kid would NEVER (fill in the blank), we have to remember that the number of posters here are a small, infinitesimal subset of the public at large. And while their children would never (be a bully, steal, argue, etc), we aren't experiencing just these poster's children. Or their driving habits for that matter.

We're dealing with the public at large who, for the most part, aren't as squeakly clean, law-abiding or as nimble in their backing habits as DIS members purport to be.

 

[pixiewings71]

Safe for whom? Pedestrians? If you are walking through a parking lot, please note that there may be vehicle traffic pulling into and out of parking spaces.

If for vehicles, it is far easier to back straight out into the lane, turn the wheel and proceed to pull straight with the lane, put the car in forward gear, and drive away than to try to squeeze your car between two parked cars while turning in reverse.

I can see a car backing out of a space while I'm walking through the parking lot and can stop and wait. I can't hurry up and move my car out of harms way while the person's bumper is scraping along my car trying to back into a parking space.

Personally, when I'm walking thru a parking lot I'm watching all the cars tail lights. If I see red ones, or if I see car exhaust I know to watch for that car to start moving, when my girls are with me I tell them to "watch that red car" (or blue, green, whatever will help them ID it quickly). It's not just the driver's job to watch for people walking, it's also the responsibility of the person/people walking to watch for cars in the parking lot.

Backing in drives me a little nutty because most of the time (for me) it's people who can't do it right! Back and forth, back and forth. It's a 2 point system not a 15 point system.

Parallel parking, eh, I don't do it, was never really good at it. But if that's the kind of parking there is, then there really isn't a lot of choice.

However (donning my flame suit) I hate people who pull through!!!! I've been hit and almost hit multiple times by people who will go completely around to the other lane and then pull through. The other day this lady drove past the space and went around, I was a small ways behind her. I go to pull in the space and she came whipping around from the other lane and tried to pull through as I was pulling in.

when I pull thru I do it slowly, to make sure no one is coming from the other side. But I rarely pull thru as I'm normally shopping so need the access to the lift gate in back (again I drive a minivan). Unless I'm just grabbing milk, then I can just open the sliding doors on the side to put the milk in. that person was in the wrong, she should have yielded to you as soon as she saw you, what she was doing was not smart.....also note, that I do not pull thru like the person described in the above quote...I would have pulled into the spot in front of you and then thru to the other side, I would not have whipped around from the other lane to try to take the spot, especially if someone was behind me......

In the absence of other factors I would agree with you. But with heavy foot traffic, narrow parking lots, lack of visibility of cars entering the lot, and a host of other things, it can be easier and safer to back in. Notice I am not speaking in absolutes - it's usually situational. For example, I won't back in at the grocery store, because inevitably the person who ends up with their car up against my trunk has parked too close behind me, and I have a hatchback door. It's beyond annoying to have to get in the car and drive forward a bit just to open my trunk! But other times backing in is great - I feel much better coming out forwards than backwards, especially if there is any risk that cars will zoom up quickly from one direction while I'm looking in the other. Coming out forwards I have a much wider range of vision. Also, I think it is actually illegal to back out of a driveway onto a main road where I live (not that it stops people from doing it ), and there are many houses here that are right on a main street. I'm not talking about a residential road - I'm talking about a main street with lots of traffic. There's a reason why our driving test includes this valuable skill - it is so dangerous to back out of a minor road onto a major one.

It's not illegal to back out of driveways here, not at all. I lived on a main street, it was residential but very busy and I backed out all the time. Where I am now is a very small street (like 20 houses for the whole street), it's not usually an issue.
What do you mean backing from a minor road to a major one tho? that last line is confusing me a bit. I don't back down streets.....just from parking spots or out of my driveway generally.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I never called you any names. I described your personality as you've demonstrated it in this post.

Yes you did. You not only not only assigned a factor to my personality as you've decided interpret, it but you've decided to speak for my DH as well.

I said, "And now you can see why DH and I have agreed to not have this conversation again." Your response was because I'm "narrow-minded, can't see anyone else's opinion besides my own and like to throw around 'facts' unsupported by evidence."

All of which are not only not true, but were insults hurled at me for whatever reason I'll never know. I was merely speaking about how I feel about things I see in my daily life and all of a sudden, here you come picking apart my post and throwing epithets at me.

I'm sorry if you see yourself as the kind of person I was speaking of, but if you do that's not because I was addressing you personally. I was merely expressing my opinion of behaviors I find distasteful that I witness in my real life. I was not singling out any poster on this board nor should any "singling out" be inferred or interpretted.

 

[U2_rocks!]

Personally, when I'm walking thru a parking lot I'm watching all the cars tail lights. If I see red ones, or if I see car exhaust I know to watch for that car to start moving, when my girls are with me I tell them to "watch that red car" (or blue, green, whatever will help them ID it quickly). It's not just the driver's job to watch for people walking, it's also the responsibility of the person/people walking to watch for cars in the parking lot.



when I pull thru I do it slowly, to make sure no one is coming from the other side. But I rarely pull thru as I'm normally shopping so need the access to the lift gate in back (again I drive a minivan). Unless I'm just grabbing milk, then I can just open the sliding doors on the side to put the milk in. that person was in the wrong, she should have yielded to you as soon as she saw you, what she was doing was not smart.....also note, that I do not pull thru like the person described in the above quote...I would have pulled into the spot in front of you and then thru to the other side, I would not have whipped around from the other lane to try to take the spot, especially if someone was behind me......



It's not illegal to back out of driveways here, not at all. I lived on a main street, it was residential but very busy and I backed out all the time. Where I am now is a very small street (like 20 houses for the whole street), it's not usually an issue.
What do you mean backing from a minor road to a major one tho? that last line is confusing me a bit. I don't back down streets.....just from parking spots or out of my driveway generally.

Sorry to be confusing.

I know this isn't exactly the same as backing in and out of parking spaces, but for example when someone goes to turn around because they've just realized they are going the wrong way, they can either turn into a side (minor) road and then back out onto the main road facing the other way, or they can do the opposite - back into the minor road and drive forward onto the main road in the opposite direction (on a bigger road you can u-turn, but that's not reality around here). The point is that backing out onto a road that has so much happening on it at the same time is far more dangerous that backing into a quiet road. Same with parking spaces - there is usually nothing going on in the parking space itself, and lots going on in the wider parking lot.

I can't argue about the skill (or lack of) of reversing - around here it's not an issue, so I assumed everyone could do it well enough.

 

[Mermaid02]

Just found this opinion piece

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/910583-196/if-youre-parking-smart-youre-parking-backward.html

 

[NikitaZee]

I always back into a parking space, its easier for me, I was taught to do so by my driving instructor as its safer when you pull out as you have a clear view of your surroundings & I can do it in one go without all the shunting back & forth.

I have to back into spaces when i'm parking the ambulance at work as they are then easier to drive out when we get a shout.

I back into parking spaces frequently. It's of no consequence to me if other cars have to wait a few extra seconds (literally that's all it takes) while I do it. That's their problem, not mine! But, I don't do it to make others wait. Until reading these boards, I had no idea that this would be someone's pet peeve at all.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I back into parking spaces frequently. It's of no consequence to me if other cars have to wait a few extra seconds (literally that's all it takes) while I do it. That's their problem, not mine! But, I don't do it to make others wait. Until reading these boards, I had no idea that this would be someone's pet peeve at all.

Until I saw the last posting about it I had never heard of people having problems with drivers backing in. I get a warm fuzzy feeling everytime I do it now (and I only do it in one at most two moves)

 

[Bob NC]

Backing into a narrow space is more difficult than backing into a wide space. It just seems like common sense to me.

I back my car into the same size space anytime I back up. Whether there is more space AVAILABLE, really doesn't make any difference. Just like having LESS space available isn't going to make any difference.

It's not like its taking me longer because I'm trying to back my 8 foot wide car into a 7 foot wide space.

 

[tlbwriter]

I back my car into the same size space anytime I back up. Whether there is more space AVAILABLE, really doesn't make any difference. Just like having LESS space available isn't going to make any difference.

Well, when you're backing out of a parking space, you do not have to be so *exact* about your target area.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Just found this opinion piece

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/910583-196/if-youre-parking-smart-youre-parking-backward.html

There's a problem with the thinking on this opinion piece: it doesn't take into consideration real world life and the herd mentality of the everyday driver.

If you're backing out of a space in a busy downtown street, oncoming cars can easily see you're backing out and slow down. Someone pulling out of the space, however, has a tendency to go much faster than someone backing out and would more likely not be noticed until too late by the average oncoming driver.

There's also the flow of traffic to consider. Even the opinion piece said it: most people park nose in. Stopping a line of cars so you can reverse and back in would more likely cause an accident simply because it's just not done that often.

I suspect that flow mentality rings true of supermarket parking lots as well. Cars traveling behind you into the lot don't expect you to stop the flow of traffic so you can back into a parking space. However, if they see a car slowly backing it's way out of a spot, they generally slow down expecting that car to finish the maneuver (and then take the spot that was vacated).

Of course, all this is predicated on people being responsible drivers and paying attention. Just as there are more accidents on the road these days due to distracted driving (such as using a cell phone in a moving vehicle), there are likely more accidents in parking lots because of distracted driving. Probably more so because people may feel that since they're going so slowly it's safe to make "just one quick call" that can't seem to wait until after they've completed their journey.

It's my opinion that when it's your turn to be the target of the distracted driver, it won't matter whether you're backed in or nose out. They're gonna hit you. However, I'd much rather a distracted driver hit my rear and maybe take out a panel and/or bumper than screw up the front of my car where I happen to be sitting.

 

[Mermaid02]

Well, when you're backing out of a parking space, you do not have to be so *exact* about your target area.

You should be. You should know EXACTLY where the back of your car is going to end up.

 

[disney_mommy]

Yes you did. You not only not only assigned a factor to my personality as you've decided interpret, it but you've decided to speak for my DH as well.

I said, "And now you can see why DH and I have agreed to not have this conversation again." Your response was because I'm "narrow-minded, can't see anyone else's opinion besides my own and like to throw around 'facts' unsupported by evidence."

All of which are not only not true, but were insults hurled at me for whatever reason I'll never know. I was merely speaking about how I feel about things I see in my daily life and all of a sudden, here you come picking apart my post and throwing epithets at me.

I'm sorry if you see yourself as the kind of person I was speaking of, but if you do that's not because I was addressing you personally. I was merely expressing my opinion of behaviors I find distasteful that I witness in my real life. I was not singling out any poster on this board nor should any "singling out" be inferred or interpretted.

No I didn't. Again, I merely described your personality as you appear to be in these posts. Not sure why you can toss generic insults out there, but when I do the same, suddenly I'm name calling? And when you describe all backward parkers as being a certain way, and I'm a backward parker, then yes, I see you as speaking to me and I felt the need to dispute your post point by point.

 

[tlbwriter]

You should be. You should know EXACTLY where the back of your car is going to end up.

If I'm backing into a traffic lane, missing my target and going 6 inches over to one side isn't going to make a difference. If I'm backing into a parking space, it could make a huge difference. The sides, for me, are the issue, not the area behind you. (I have a rear-view camera, so I always know what's right behind me when I'm backing up).

 

[Mermaid02]

If you are uncomfortable backing into parking spaces, by all means DON'T DO IT.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

I back in because I have a small car and I feel safer if I can see past bigger cas next to me when I pull out. Sometimes it takes me longer than people would like, but if they'd stop grimacing at me as I'm doing it I'd be less nervous about it and just be able to do it without telling myself "hurry up hurry up". I try to tell myself 6o more seconds out of someone's life won't kill them.