Ask Lemmy

Because it's safer and easier to reverse into a space and drive straight out than it is to drive in and reverse out, potentially into oncoming traffic or pedestrians.

Unless you specifically need access to your boot (trunk) always reverse in.

There's a reason a number of large companies that self-insure mandate backing in for all their vehicles (Schlumberger, Cargill); it's demonstrably safer practice that results in less accidents when leaving the parking space. You can see everything when you back in that was there when you pulled up, and when you pull out, you're right up front looking forward into the lane as you pull out. You quickly learn how to back in, even without a backup camera, if you learn how to use your mirrors.

It is by far the statistically less accident prone method.

Sometimes backing in seems easier than backing out

Because then I don't have to reverse out, which is far more difficult

Safer when pulling out of parking stall. Less blind spots.

Although I don’t back in. I drive through from one spot to the next in front of me. So I can drive out.

Much easier to park AND drive away. I see very few disadvantages really

Reversing in is actually easier. As your car can turn tigther reversing than going front in.

Guess it's a non issue if you have massive parking spaces, but when space is tight every little bit helps.

I worked at a job site prone to flooding so it was mandated to speed evacuations. I liked it and kept the habit.

Then some misogynist asshat told me it's a masculine thing to do and I should be careful to come across more ladylike. So added on a layer of spite and anti-bigot defenses to why I keep doing it.

Not only makes it easier to leave when you need to, as you can see everything that you might hit or might hit you.

But going backwards means you can more easily line up in the space as you have more control over your angle.

Like parallel parking is essier when reversing as you dont need to correct once in the space. Just 45 degree to the kerb and straighten up and you are in. Going forward parallel parking takes loads of correction or needs a really big gap to fit in to.

Because you have more control and visibility both when you get in and get out.

It takes advantage of right-of-way to avoid collision while backing.

I'm following you. When you decide to back in to your parking space, you have the right-of-way over the lane until you have completely left it. I have to yield to you, even if you come to a complete stop in the lane of traffic. While your vision and attention is compromised due to backing, I am responsible for avoiding you.

When you are attempting to back out of the parking spot and into my lane, you do not have right-of-way until you are fully established in the lane. Despite your vision and attention being compromised due to backing, you are also responsible for avoiding me. I don't have to yield to you until you are completely within the lane.

I have way more maneuverability backing into a space.

Think of it in terms of circles (well, arcs, really) . If you front park in a space perpendicular to the road, your front wheels make a large circle and your back wheels a smaller one. The parking space needs to be big enough to accommodate the larger circle. If you back into the same space, the larger circle happens on the road.

Rear visibility in my car is kind of trash so it's safer if I back into the spot so that I can better see what's going on when I'm leaving

In my experience I've learned it seems safer to back in because then I can see better when exiting, which is a time of limited visibility, in many cases, already, and that problem is exacerbated when attempting it in reverse.

so i can exit my conveyance with style and grace and upon returning i can haul ass out of that place

Is backing into parking spots not the norm in the US? Here in Germany we back into parking spots most of the time, mostly because the spots are too narrow or short to enter forward. We also learn this in driving school and it's pretty much an essential skill that's expected from drivers in Germany.

Unless I am going to be putting stuff into the trunk, backing in is better, it's more dangerous to back the car out of the space than into it.

Backing in is the correct way to parallel park too.

I have a cargo van. It's impossible to see any traffic coming from the passenger's side when backing up, and there's a big blind spot even on the driver's side. It's a larger vehicle, and it's much easier to maneuver into tight spaces in reverse. (It's why we learn to parallel park in reverse. Try it in forward once, and see.) Also, backing into a parking spot can be accomplished with just a steady gaze at one of the wing mirrors. (Driver's or passenger's side depends on which way you're turning.)

That last point will also be important someday when I'm older and don't have as much flexibility to turn and look backwards. (I was appalled once at a city transportation committee discussion about back-in parking stalls when a city alderperson said that he doesn't look behind his car when backing out, because he can't twist his body. If you can't drive safely, you shouldn't be driving!)

Much easier to pull out after, and I can leave quicker despite taking slightly longer to pull in.

Because, unless you're driving a forklift, the point of a vehicle's rotation is in line with the rear wheels, meaning you can take turns at a much more acute angle when reversing than going forwards. Which makes backing into spaces much easier.

Notice that most of the half-assed parking jobs you see are generally people who have driven forward and left the car parked at a diagonal half out of the space, because getting the vehicle lined up in that situation is more difficult.

Obviously so everyone knows I'm better than them

You can fit in more easily. Having the steering axle in the back relative to the direction of movement allows you to drive tighter curves (like a forklift).

Backing into a parking bay where the amount of traffic in the bay is close to zero and visibility is great allows you to drive out into the street facing forward where you can see what traffic is coming.

If you drive forward into a bay then you have to back out of it into the street where you cannot see anything except what's directly behind you and you have little to no visibility sideways, unless the bays next to you are empty, so essentially you're backing out with your fingers crossed, hoping that nothing will hit you.

Moreover, the traffic rules, at least where I live, specify that a reversing vehicle has to give way to everyone.

As a bonus, when you're loading things, you're not standing in the street with your back to traffic.

In other words, learn how to back into a bay.

1. People/oncoming cars/kids are more likely to be in the road than in the spot I’m parking
2. I have better visibility when I’m facing forward than when I’m in reverse

Therefore I would rather reverse into the spot where people/cars/kids are least likely to be and drive forward into the place people/cars/kids are most likely to be. I personally almost always back in to be safer towards pedestrians and avoid getting hit by other cars.

If there's a line of cars and you want to pull out backwards thats a LOT more difficult. If you want to pull out front first it's easier

I back into my driveway. Way I see it, I either back in or back out. So what's the difference

My mom does this every time she parks, even in our driveway. She's always said it's so if her car stalls, it's easier to get it jumped or towed out of the spot.

fwiw, I've parked trailers for a living for 10+years--I do it out of habit and a work ethic of 'put the work in on the front end so I can backslide on the tail end' Tho I can see a practicality/safer attempt to having a better view upon departing the parked position. Obviously if you'd like to get into the geometry of it, backing in gives you a much wider range of flexibility to work with in the positioning phases of the maneuver.

Not sure if it's true. but I was also told that changing gears on a transmission that's been running for a bit is easier on the mechanical parts/bits involved (as opposed to swapping gears on a cold startup)

tldr because there's tons of good reasons to do so, and very nearly 0 good reasons not to do so. Leave the rest to the mathematicians and statisticians

I only park backwards at work and it's because I sleep in my car on my breaks, I get more shade on the front side of my car from the tree I park under if I park backwards. Also it is nice saving the ~10 seconds backing out to leave when I really wanna start getting home even though that time saving in practice is miniscule.