PSA - Why you should BACK IN to your driveway

[Lumpy1106]

Another very sad story that is all too common;
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/reversing-car-kills-bay-area-toddler-18188209.php
You might think that the guy backing in to a parking space is just being a pompous show-off but that is not the case at all. It is far safer to back in as you have a full view of everything when you jump in your car to leave. You and the people around you are far more attentive when you arrive, much less so when you depart. In fact it is my company's policy that we are REQUIRED to back in when we are on official company business. Many of us have taken that to mean when we arrive at the parking lot in our personal cars too, and the majority of cars are parked back-in. Note that driveways in cul-de-sacs are ESPECIALLY dangerous, as traffic does not continue though those streets and kids are far more likely to use the street and driveways in a cul-de-sac as a place to play.

 

[tvguy]

You need to pay attention when backing. I always walk around the back of my car before backing to make sure nobody or nothing is there out of vision of my mirrors, back up camera, and back up assist sensors.
Not sure backing into your driveway makes any difference. Backing in has to be just as dangerous as backing out.

 

[RoseColored97]

I always back in to a spot if I can help it. It's easier to get perfectly straight most of the time and I like to be able to leave asap.

 

[Communicore1991]

I try to back into spots whenever possible for that very reason. It's a lot easier to pull out going forward rather than relying on my backup camera and hoping other people see me backing out. The likelihood of a person occupying the space I'm backing into is low. The likelihood of a person being around my car when I'm back out is much higher.

 

[_19disnA]

I think you need to be cautious whenever backing up. Whether you back in or not doesn't matter with regard to being aware of what is around you. You can run over someone backing into a space if you don't realize they are there. Joggers or small children can appear suddenly and the bigger issue is awareness of your surroundings and backing SLOWLY in whatever direction you are facing.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Always try to back in when out and about - safety feature for leaving quickly & safely - being a woman that matters
I always without fail back in at work & home - habit I started decades ago and just maintained - exception would be if there’s a lot of snow ( lots ) then clear driveway and then turn car around
Sadly I’ve never was able to get my DD to do the same - she would never practice backing into parking spots so she’s lacks confidence doing it so she doesn’t do it no matter how many times I’ve offered to help
It’s a running argument in my subdivision about kids playing in the streets - the Main Street of the subdivision is very busy and should never have kids playing on it or people walking as we gave sidewalks but that is not the situation - huge fights go on over this topic - I hope we never have a tragic accident because of this

 

[AnnaS]

I back in my driveway/at home and any other place where it's possible. Just so much easier to pull out going forward and depending on place/area/time of day - it can get busy with cars and people traffic.

When we take the grandchildren for walks many times they want to let go of your hand and walk/run ahead. I do no let them. I try to show them and explain over and over how the cars that are not backed in cannot see their short bodies when they back out of their parking spot. The driver might have looked but a child comes running down the sidewalk fast and he won't see them. They are young and I am sure it goes in one ear and out the other. I can't even think about the possible scenario.

 

[slo]

I back into my driveway because I like driving out.
I live at the end of a dead end street and our kids always played in the street - the youngest ones still do. We have cones that we put across the street so show that kids are playing for anyone that doesn’t realize the street is a dead end.

 

[Scotgirl]

We always reverse park when we can - it's how we're taught here when we're learning to drive. Makes it so much easier to get out of where ever you're parked.

 

[sam_gordon]

I've backed into parking spots for years. As mentioned, it's SO much easier to see when pulling out. DW & I started backing into our garage earlier this year. Again, makes it easier to see when pulling out, especially w/DD's car in the driveway that we need to maneuver around.

Many people complain (I'm sure they'll show up here) about people backing in. I think they simply don't like waiting for people to back in. And if you think about it, the people backing into a parking space currently have the right of way, so other drivers need to wait on them. However, the people LEAVING a parking space don't have the right of way, so they need to wait on other drivers.

Here's a thread I started little more than a year ago on this exact subject. https://www.disboards.com/threads/nose-in-or-nose-out.3893071/

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Another very sad story that is all too common;
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/reversing-car-kills-bay-area-toddler-18188209.php
You might think that the guy backing in to a parking space is just being a pompous show-off but that is not the case at all. It is far safer to back in as you have a full view of everything when you jump in your car to leave. You and the people around you are far more attentive when you arrive, much less so when you depart. In fact it is my company's policy that we are REQUIRED to back in when we are on official company business. Many of us have taken that to mean when we arrive at the parking lot in our personal cars too, and the majority of cars are parked back-in. Note that driveways in cul-de-sacs are ESPECIALLY dangerous, as traffic does not continue though those streets and kids are far more likely to use the street and driveways in a cul-de-sac as a place to play.

The toddler could have just as easily been killed backing in as backing out. If the toddler gets loose and gets behind the car in a blind spot, it really doesn't matter why someone is backing. Whether backing in, or backing out, the toddler is going to get hit. Furthermore, many accidents occur with the struck person or object right in front of the driver's nose in plain view with the driver going forward. The driver simply wasn't paying attention or had poor depth perception.

 

[sam_gordon]

Furthermore, many accidents occur with the struck person or object right in front of the driver's nose in plain view with the driver going forward. The driver simply wasn't paying attention or had poor depth perception.

Or the victim was "shielded" from the view of the driver.

 

[Meriweather]

I don't back into my driveway. I park in the garage and just back out. We're at the end of a dead end street and no kids live on the street anymore.
Shopping I pull through and then can just drive straight out when leaving

 

[jo-jo]

I don't back into my driveway. I park in the garage and just back out. We're at the end of a dead end street and no kids live on the street anymore.
Shopping I pull through and then can just drive straight out when leaving

I would need three or four tries to back up my drive way. I think being on a slope would add to my difficulty.

 

[Moliphino]

I have an L shaped driveway, so I don't need to back in to be able to drive out front first. I never back into parking spots, but I will pull through if it's possible.

Or the victim was "shielded" from the view of the driver.

I saw something on the news about this in the past few months. Lots of larger cars have huge blind spots directly in front - if a kid was within like 5 feet of the front of the car you couldn't see them.

https://www.news9.com/story/6361650...ts-growing-as-american-suvs-trucks-get-larger

 

[Praying Colonel]

Backing can be dangerous whenever you're doing it if you can't see objects (or animals, or people) around your vehicle.

 

[NannyBeBe]

When I am in a parking lot, I pull through whenever I can. I drive a large van and parking spaces are getting smaller and smaller so it can be difficult for me to back into a space efficiently.

 

[LuvOrlando]

When the kids were little I got into the habit of opening the car windows and tapping the brake as I back up to give people a chance to get out of the way and hear. Thankfully most cars have cameras now but not all.

When my kids were very little I was slowly backing out after dropping my kids off at a summer gymnastics class of some kind. Some $*&@ idiot of a mother couldn't be bothered with holding her toddlers hand in a parking lot and the kid got ahead of her and behind my car because toddlers run and don't understand cars. By the Grace of God I happened to catch a flash of something in the side mirror which made me stop, it was the babies hair. Mom had the nerve to look at me like I was in the wrong, in a parking lot moving a car what a shock. I hope the kid survived the idiot mother, it still annoys me that she wasn't doing her job. Little kids are helpless, it is important to remember that.

 

[sam_gordon]

Backing can be dangerous whenever you're doing it if you can't see objects (or animals, or people) around your vehicle.

True... but, by backing into a driveway or parking space, you've got to drive by it giving you a good look at what's around the area before starting to back in. If you're backing out of a spot, while you're walking up to the area, you get a view of what's going on, but when you're getting into the car, putting your seat belt on, starting the car, and putting it in gear, your back is turned to what's going on and the situation could easily change and you not know.

 

[sam_gordon]

When the kids were little I got into the habit of opening the car windows and tapping the brake as I back up to give people a chance to get out of the way and hear. Thankfully most cars have cameras now but not all.

When my kids were very little I was slowly backing out after dropping my kids off at a summer gymnastics class of some kind. Some $*&@ idiot of a mother couldn't be bothered with holding her toddlers hand in a parking lot and the kid got ahead of her and behind my car because toddlers run and don't understand cars. By the Grace of God I happened to catch a flash of something in the side mirror which made me stop, it was the babies hair. Mom had the nerve to look at me like I was in the wrong, in a parking lot moving a car what a shock. I hope the kid survived the idiot mother, it still annoys me that she wasn't doing her job. Little kids are helpless, it is important to remember that.

Well, technically, if you would have hit the child, you would have probably been in the wrong. And you don't know if the mother was letting the child run by themselves or if the child just got away from the mother.

But I think that's a prime example of why I like backing in (or pulling through) parking spots.