Parking spaces - pull in or back in?

[3catwoman3]

I have never backed into a parking space. Too difficult to aim, at least for me. It seems like it is more trouble than it’s worth. Just a couple of days ago, I watched a guy backing into a space and it took him 4 tries.

I was parked and walking into the store while he was still maneuvering.

[GemDigger]

1. Lol I had this conversation with my mother once.

She always backed in and I always pull in. For me, it is easier to back out than back in.

[Polly Hennessey]

2. Maybe he has lots of time on his hands.

Pull in. Guess I am lazy. 😉

[unblock]

3. if you mean parallel parking, backing in is a snap once you know how.

even easier with these newfangled rear cameras!

if you mean normal parking spaces, i try to avoid parking next to other cars entirely. i'd rather walk the length of the lot than risk some jerk denting my car and driving off.

if i don't have a choice but to park between other cars, i usually just pull in, hopefully through to a spot where i can pull straight out without backing up.

finally, if i have to back up either when arriving or when leaving, i usually pull in on arrival and back out on departure.

[dewsgirl]

4. Pull in, I'm lazy I guess.

[2naSalit]

5. If you

work for a government agency or public service like police, etc., backing in is mandatory, at least all those I work for.

I used to teach backing of 18 wheelers and I was good at it but sometimes I had a hard time backing my car out of the driveway, though.

[3catwoman3]

15. Why is it mandatory?

I spent plenty of time on Air Force bases, and was never told how to park.

[2naSalit]

19. Well, maybe not in the military

though many military have told me they do it. It has to do withe getting on your way in emergencies, for the most part but also in order to not have to back out in a busy parking lot... may have to do with prior stats on accidents involving backing up.

In the Forest Service we had to have our bear spray in safety containers because so many vehicles had to be totaled by bear spray cans exploding from being left in a hot vehicle. So I suppose it has to do with past history of backing accidents. But it's required in USDAFS and NPS at least in my region.

[Auggie]

6. Depends on the lot

If it’s usually busy, but not when I enter, I’ll back in. Makes it much easier when I want leave later with a rush of traffic. Make sense?

[Lefta Dissenter]

7. I almost always back in

I know the conditions (traffic, lighting, snow, whatever) when I’m parking. It makes it easy to just pull out of the spot when I’m leaving, even if I need to worm my way into traffic.

[Cirque du So-What]

8. I pull in & back out

Never understood the supposed benefit in doing it the other way around. So you get to leave a few seconds faster. BFD.

[llmart]

24. My explanation...

If you have to back out of a parking space, you have to look to see if anyone parked in the row behind you is trying to back out at the same time, and if anyone going into or out of the store is going to be walking behind your car if you're backing out.

I drive a small, compact car yet two-thirds of the cars in the parking lots are bigger than the first house I owned. When backing out, I have to back out very slowly because I can't see what's happening on either side of me. Also, I live in a mostly senior community and I've seen these people back out of a space without ever turning their heads since sometimes they can't. So, they back their vehicle out and expect you to make sure you're not backing out at the same time. I can't tell you the number of fender benders I've seen in my neighborhood Kroger parking lot that involved two people backing out at the same time.

So, I always try to pull in if I can so that the only thing I have to do is pull forward to leave. I don't have to worry about if someone's walking behind my car. Even then, because I have a small car, I still pull out very slowly if I'm between two behemoths.

[Ohiogal]

31. You described my scenario exactly

I don't live in a mostly senior community, but, most seniors go to the store during the day like me, so that's the majority of drivers in the parking lots when I'm out.

Ever come out to your car and find yourself in between two late model pickup trucks? Yeeesh it's a challenge!

[llmart]

34. LOL

The seniors in my community also have the big-ass cars that they can't maneuver. Some of them who retired comfortably "treated" themselves to a Cadillac, sedan or SUV, and the farthest they've ever driven with them is to the corner where all the stores are. One woman said to me she liked it because her vehicle could handle snow and ice, but then she's never gone farther than 10 miles or faster than 45 mph, so that rationalization didn't make sense to me.

[Ohiogal]

36. LOL too

My husband talks to guys his age at the gym and almost all of them say they MUST have a BIG vehicle because they're safer! I guess that's a subjective opinion.....

[brush]

35. They may pull out faster but it takes much longer to back in so what are they gaining?

Just recently I was sitting in my car in a parking lot listening to a song on the radio, pulled in of course, and watched a woman it row in front of me pull up past her spot to back in. She put it in reverse and backed in but was way out of line.

It took her four attempts to get the car straight between the slanted lines. She almost could've been in the store and back by the time she finally finished.

All I could think of is why, to avoid backing out? Yet she backed in four times.

[trof]

9. I look for two back-to-back spaces.

Pull through the 'in' to the 'out' space.
No reversing.
Saves on gas/pollution too.
Think about it.

[SonofDonald]

10. Same here

Even if I have to walk a bit further

One thing though, I won't park next to a tall vehicle or a truck with a canopy as they all seem to have dark smoked tint Windows

A parking lot say at a W-mart is almost always full and busy, it's near impossible to back out next to something you can't see through without a few scary moments

I mostly shop when a store isn't full and busy

[ret5hd]

11. Well that's just stupid!!!

You pass up that spot that's 1 row closer to the front door?
And then you have to waddle 2 1/2 more steps to get to that front door (probably the front door of Dairy McCheese Hut)?
And then you're all out of breath 'cause you haven't exercised in 6 months?

No thank you! I'll take that extra 15 minutes backing my big honking' SUV into that tiny little space meant for a KIA, even if it means backing traffic up!

[cwydro]

32. I do the same, and I usually park a long way from other cars.

I don’t mind walking to the store, and I love the ease of just driving straight forward to get out. Safer that way too.

[dameatball]

37. Same here. I also look for some shade when possible.

[Freddie]

38. Me too - a "pull-through" space

I will circle the parking lot at Giant til I find one. Way safer.

[Bantamfancier]

39. Yep, double points for a "pull-thru"

Triple points if it's a pull-thru next to the cart corral!

[Demovictory9]

46. lol

[BBG]

12. Back in is logical

After driving one is already in vehicle mode and more attuned to the vehicle handling and performance and so better able to maneuver in reverse. Then when leaving having not been driving it is easier to pull ahead than to navigate in reverse. It just seems more logical to back in if there is to be backing at all.

[Bayard]

13. I get into a spot any way I can

My farm truck is a one-ton dually extended cab. Crowded, tiny parking lots make me crazy (I'm talking to you, Walgreens!) I will park as far out as I have to to avoid hassle.

[moose65]

14. Pull in, definitely

People who back in make me crazy! Usually cause most of the time it’s some huge truck that won’t fit in the parking space anyway! 😝

[quickesst]

16. I usually pull in .....

...unless I get into a parking lot where the spaces are one in front of the other. I then pull in straight but pull up far enough that I am in the front space pointing out. That way I can pull in and pull straight out without ever having to back up. If that opportunity is not available, then yeah, pull straight in.
Think about it logically. If one backs in they have to navigate a narrow space between two cars, one car and a line, or two lines. Pulling in straight requires minimum navigation to park straight. When backing out you are in the wide open driving lane with no lines, and no cars to impede your progress. It's common sense to me.

[Fla Dem]

17. Always pull in.

Just the way I always do it. Scratch my head when I go to church and almost everyone backs in. I think it’s because everyone leaves at the same time at the end of services and it can get a bit chaotic, so if you’re facing the traffic it’s easier getting out. I still pull in.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

21. Yeah, pretty much my logic.

I back into my spot at work when I arrive in the morning and traffic is light. Makes pulling out much easier when it's quitting time and everyone is leaving at once. And, that way no one has to stop and wait while I back out.

[LeftInTX]

44. In situations like that, I wait until most people have left

[doc03]

18. Since my latest car has a rear camera I started

backing in. With these new cars I can't judge the distance it front.

[customerserviceguy]

23. Those rear view cameras

really are revolutionary. I'd love to outfit my 2012 Sonata Hybrid with one, if it could be done cheaply.

[doc03]

40. I have seen cameras in stores that mount

on your license plate braket. I don't know how well they
work but they are rather inexpensive.

[customerserviceguy]

22. I hate backing up

and when I do so, I try to make sure that it's from a small place into a larger place, not the other way around.

That said, if you're parking for a mass event (like a concert, for instance) backing in might be the best thing to do when everybody's leaving at pretty much the same time.

[FakeNoose]

25. My car is smaller than average

... so I can fit into narrower spots that other people pass up. I have no problem with parallel parking, backing in or pulling forward, it usually depends on the ambient traffic. Those of you with urban assault vehicles and SUVs, I feel sorry for you. My little Chevrolet Aveo is so easy to park, and I get great gas mileage besides.

[randr]

26. I drive a large pickup truck

No problem backing in and parallel parking. Once you learn how it is as easy as putting on your pants.

[Midnightwalk]

27. Pull through

Whenever possible. Avoid backing up entirely.

[sweetloukillbot]

28. Backing in bugs me for some reason

But I also see the large pickups at my office that are virtually impossible to pull into a space in our garage, yet back in like a charm. Different strokes.

[House of Roberts]

29. The day I can't back into a parking space is the day I hang up the keys.

Backing in the space is empty. Backing out there's a chance you might hit another car moving up behind you, or a person on foot, especially a small child.

[woodsprite]

30. Back in. When we changed parking registration at work

we ordered a second plate to put on the front of our vehicle. The new requirement was that you had to park with your plate facing out so the scanner could match your vehicle with your parking pass.

I'd much rather back in because it's easier to get out. When I got my license, before I was allowed out to drive on my own, my father made me learn to back up using only mirrors into our driveway from the driveway across the street that didn't line up. I can even thread our 4dr dually between the lines with an inch or so on either side to spare.

Parallel parking? BLECH!!! I can do it, but would rather not.

[Major Nikon]

33. I almost always back in

I even back into my garage. I have a backup camera, but the only thing I use it for is to judge the stopping point.

[Trailrider1951]

41. Well, at a store parking lot, I always pull in, so I can load

my purchases by using the rear door. If I were to pull through or back in, there is always some yahoo that pulls in too close to my back end, so I cannot use that door. When I back out, I look in all directions and go SLOWLY. Works for me.

What I really hate are those guys that drive monster pick-up trucks that are not only as long as a city bus, but also have those large extension hitches attached. These guys usually pull through just enough to put the front end of their truck even with the compact car beside them, leaving only enough room in the space behind them to park a smart car or motorcycle. I guess they feel entitled to take up their space and half of mine as well!

[kairos12]

42. I generally pull in.

Sometimes I forget where I park, though, and the tow truck gets it out.

[LeftInTX]

43. People who live on busy streets will often back in to their driveways

I probably would too.


But other than that, I just pull in.

[Demovictory9]

45. head in

[NurseJackie]

47. The only time I park backward in a space is when I choose to pull-forward...

The only time I park backward in a space is when I choose to pull-forward into the empty parking space that's directly in front of me. Typically, I do that if I need to straighten or align between the lines better... OR, when I see that one of my would-be parking-lot neighbors is parked crooked or a little too-close for comfort.