Why do people not back into their driveways?

[Mrs.Toad]

Our driveway is really steep and the few times I've backed up it (for unloading things), I couldn't see a thing behind me. Since dh and I always park in the garage, it'd be much more dangerous for us to back in than to back out, especially since our kids are more likely to use the garage-to-laundry-room door than the front door when they've heard the garage door open.

At my dd's old day care center, I'd always back in, though. It was a small parking lot with just one row of parking spots that jutted up against a wall, so once you drove by it to back in, you knew no one was in it and it was unlikely someone would walk through it. Backing out was worse because of all the kids.

Depending on the parking lot or driveway, either way might be safer. One tip I read once said to always tap your horn before backing up, so anyone nearby that you might not see will hear and be aware. I thought it was a good tip, although I haven't been doing it.

 

[ducklite]

I always pull into my driveway because I park my cars in the garage, and am not comfortable backing them into the stalls.

The one car I almost always drive out because the way the driveway is shaped it's easy to turn coming out of the stall to be able to pull out. The other car is larger and the area outside the bay it's in doesn't have as much room, so I usually back out of the driveway with that car.

If there's that big of an emergency that second will make a difference between life and death, I'm calling the ambulance, not driving anyhow.

As far as someone being behind me, doubtful. I live on a quiet cul de sac with two other houses.

Anne

Anne

 

[azgal81]

I have never heard of backing into the driveway. All the cars on this street have the cars pulled into them and those with garages I always see backing out of the garage in the morning so they just pulled right in. I really think those who back into the driveway are in the minority.

 

[delilah]

I would probablly hit DHs car in the spot next to mine if I backed into my driveway.

I also HATE when people pull all the way through. I can't tell you how many times I've been about to turn INTO a spot when some idiot comes barreling through from the other side and then stops in the spot I was about to park in.

I hate it when I am about to pull through to park and some idiot comes barrelling into the spot I was going to park in. It works both ways, you see.

 

[John VN]

We have a 2 car garage. DW pulls in on right side so she can exit car and I back in on left side so I can get out. I have some tape on the wall marking an alignment spot for her and some tape on floor for my wheels to be touching.

In the morning, weather permitting, at about 6:15AM I clean her windows and pull car out and turn it around so she can drive out of driveway. She is off to work by 6:30 and I am off by 8:00.

 

[HOGFAN]

Afraid Ill hit DHs precious truck. God help me if I do.

 

[jrmasm]

I have never heard of doing this.

On a related note, all you people that backwards park in parking garages/parking lots, I pretty much want to blow up your cars.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

 

[jbmom]

I hardly ever back in. I'm backing up impaired. I would crash into the garage, dh car or just tear up the grass. I can back out just fine. I look for small children and animals before getting into the vehicle and while I'm backing out.

 

[mmcguire]

We have a basement garage, and our driveway is very steeply sloped toward it, making it near impossible to back into.

 

[GraysMom]

Side pet peeve, why do some people not pull all the way through when the parking spot in front of them is open? Why wouldn't you want to drive out instead of backing out.

Since DS2 uses a stroller most places we go (that don't have carts), if I pull through and someone parks too close behind me, I can't get in to the trunk to get the stroller out/put it away (his stroller is bulky and weighs about 25 pounds-not a good combo with my bad back). If we are somewhere with carts, that usually means I'm going to have quite a few bags to put in the trunk, so being able to pull the cart up to the trunk is necessary (or I risk aattempting to squeeze the cart in between cars which runs a high risk of scratching them).

As far as the driveway goes, I would love to back into my driveway, and have done it on a few occasions when we knew we'd be getting a bad ice storm, but our driveway is very steep and narrow (as is our garage-I have about 3 inches of clearance on either side). Plus, the end of our driveway sticks up so the front end of my car scrapes when driving out forwards (we've fixed it numerous times and every winter it buckles up again and we're stuck with the same problem).

 

[mylilnikita]

I live on a incline, so if I backed in, I would lose part of my front bumper.

 

[sweet angel]

I pull in unless I have stuff that needs to be unloaded through the garage.

Sometimes in a parking lot I will pull through -- depends on whether I need access to the tailgate or not when I come out.

Teva, I don't think pulling thru to park is illegal (how would they know if you pulled thru or just backed in?) -- I think driving through into the other aisle to exit is. Or maybe it's just a Jersey rumor.

 

[Hixski]

I don't have any reason to back into my driveway. We don't have kids we have to worry about. It is tight enough putting 2 cars in our garage without backing them in.

 

[Daxx]

I pull into our driveway b/c it's v. narrow and I know that if I pull in, I can just back up w/o touching the steering wheel and not hit my house or the neighbor's house. If I back in, chances are pretty good that I'm going to hit one of the houses. I'm not great at backing in and feel I need a wide berth in order to back into a space. Too nervous about hitting another car (in a parking lot), the neighbor's house, my house, etc.

At my old home, I couldn't back into the driveway b/c I wouldn't be able to get out of the car!!!! There was barely enough room to get out of the car when pulling it in!!!

If DS wants to play in the driveway, I pull the car out completely, park on the street and give him the whole driveway to play in. When he's done, then I pull the car in. If I even think he might be outside, I pull slowly into the driveway and park at the very bottom, near the street. Then, he has the remainder of the driveway to play in. Once I'm ready to pull the car in, he knows that he has to be standing on the grass.

 

[BillSears]

I pull into the driveway since I enter my driveway from the other side of the road and leave my driveway from the same side of the road. That sounds confusing but I make a left hand turn to get into my driveway cutting across traffic. When I leave my driveway I would be making a right hand turn if I was driving straight out. So for me if I attempted to back into my driveway I'd have to back into opposing traffic while holding up traffic behind me.Plus I could see me now, I'm in the right hand lane, turn on my left blinker, stop just past my driveway and then try to back up into the person behind me in traffic while waiting for the opposing traffic to clear. Nope it's not going to happen since my road is too busy for that.

 

[kbkids]

Side pet peeve, why do some people not pull all the way through when the parking spot in front of them is open? Why wouldn't you want to drive out instead of backing out.

Because if I pull all the way through and someone parks behind me, I can't get the back hatch opened on my van, nor can I get the buggy in between the two cars to unload it.

 

[Tybug]

I live on a busy road... so no backing in. I also turn around in the driveway before leaving. No backing either way...

 

[tevagirl]

Teva, I don't think pulling thru to park is illegal (how would they know if you pulled thru or just backed in?) -- I think driving through into the other aisle to exit is. Or maybe it's just a Jersey rumor.

Hmm, probably something my husband told me years ago. He makes up his own laws and then swears they're real ones.

 

[chelle3807]

When I use to live at my parents' house we always backed into the driveway. It made it easier to pull out of our driveway since we lived on a busy street, near a corner where people speed around. It's hard to see if you are backing out, so backing in was always what we did.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I drive in and out of our driveway. We have a long driveway and can turn around in it.