Why do people back into spaces in parking lots?
bub said:
The overarching safety rule to be observed regardless of the maneuver you are making, especially in the age of SUVs that you cannot see around, is to go slow and look all around as you proceed.
Only to the extent that it doesn’t make drummerboy’s life harder.
mikescott said:
I agree with Film Carp -- it depends on the situation and conditions.
I do notice since most cars now have the back up cameras more people are backing into spaces.
I almost always back into spaces at events with very large parking lots and everyone leaves at the same time.
^this.
Anyone ever try to back out of a space in the Prudential Center parking deck after an event? If you've had that experience even once, I promise you will back into the space on your next visit.
Whenever there is a large parking lot, -such as Trader Joe's (up the hill) or Home Depot I park as far the f_ck away from other people as possible and enjoy the walk while contemplating the vagaries of life.
Otherwise I'm going in head first, which frankly has been a pattern throughout my existence.
Meanwhile, I confess that I wish I could dial-back my annoyance of other's driving. I'm working on it.
tomcat said:
Dear Drummerboy,
Just because 95% of drivers do not know how to operate a motor vehicle correctly**, does not mean that those of us who do, should not follow the safest practices.
Now you're trying to tell me that NJ drivers are all of a sudden concerned about motor vehicle safety. April Fool's was a couple of days ago.
oh I hate this trend! Reality is most people I observe suck at backing into a parking spot. Multiple attempts. Takes much longer. Asinine
But it must somehow be thought of as cool....
Please help me understand the thinking of the people who back into angled spots in the Baker Street NJT lot.
You are much less likely to run into a pedestrian backing into a parking space. They are usually not walking in the parking spaces and probably more aware of a car which is in the travel lane and moving than a car in a parking space that's about to move.
Safety first, convenience after.
It's been my observation that only men back into parking spaces. Never seen a woman do it.
Discuss.
Backing into perpendicular parking spots is smart under most circumstances. Backing into angled parking spots like what we have in Maplewood village is the height of stupidity.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
It's been my observation that only men back into parking spaces. Never seen a woman do it.
Discuss.
You’re not very observant
spontaneous said:
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:You’re not very observant
It's been my observation that only men back into parking spaces. Never seen a woman do it.
Discuss.
I only see what I see.
I never back in but I always pull through, if I can. Pulling forward out of a parking spot is inherently safer than backing out. I might start backing in if I had a newer car with a rear camera. That pretty much eliminates any challenge that might have existed otherwise.
A parking deck at my work is for the area's emergency vehicles, from police cars to ambulances. As noted previously, they are all backed into their parking spaces for faster deployment. This makes the culture of the parking deck primarily 'back-in' especially as the personal vehicles of the emergency responders are also backed-in.
I adapted to this culture and have developed the ability to back-into parking spaces. However, I only do it only when there are at least 2 open spaces next to each other. This allows me to quickly back-in too close to the adjacent open space (allowing anyone driving behind me go by, while not risking hitting a parked car), then I do one more out-and-in adjustment to get centered in my spot.
I do both. I have an easier time backing in if the spots on either side are taken as it is easier to visually judge my placement in the parking spot. Backing in when spots on either side is actually trickier since I then need to adjust the mirrors down to get a better view of the lines
If I’m buying something big, or a lot of something like at Costco, then I pull in so it is easier to access the trunk
And if there are signs saying head in parking only then I will park head in. Though it is true that I may be a stubborn *** at times, I’m not that much of a stubborn *** to ignore clearly posted rules
mrincredible said:
You are much less likely to run into a pedestrian backing into a parking space. They are usually not walking in the parking spaces and probably more aware of a car which is in the travel lane and moving than a car in a parking space that's about to move.
Safety first, convenience after.
Not sure if this was meant as an answer to my question. If it was, it doesn't seem to consider the fact that reverse parkers must exit the Baker Street lot going the wrong way in a one-way single lane, in the dark, surrounded by a lot of foot traffic. I've observed the same behavior in the spaces on Maplewood Ave. (And how people do that without Parktronic is beyond my imagination.) It strikes me as unsafe and thoughtless.
j_r said:
mrincredible said:Not sure if this was meant as an answer to my question. If it was, it doesn't seem to consider the fact that reverse parkers must exit the Baker Street lot going the wrong way in a one-way single lane, in the dark, surrounded by a lot of foot traffic. I've observed the same behavior in the spaces on Maplewood Ave. (And how people do that without Parktronic is beyond my imagination.) It strikes me as unsafe and thoughtless.
You are much less likely to run into a pedestrian backing into a parking space. They are usually not walking in the parking spaces and probably more aware of a car which is in the travel lane and moving than a car in a parking space that's about to move.
Safety first, convenience after.
I believe Maplewood Ave has angled parking. That is head in only, and is different than regular perpendicular parking spots in a parking lot
I’m not familiar enough with the Baker St parking to comment on how parking head in vs backing in would have an effect on how one would leave the parking area
And I’d like to clarify that even if Maplewood Ave parking spots were perpendicular, they would still be head in and not back in since they are on an active road and not a parking lot
j_r said:
Come to Millburn and park on the sidewalks!
Seriously, I think they were smoking some very good **** when they came up with that idea
j_r said:
Come to Millburn and park on the sidewalks!
If I go there, can I back in?
tomcat said:
Dear Drummerboy,
Just because 95% of drivers do not know how to operate a motor vehicle correctly**, does not mean that those of us who do, should not follow the safest practices. I always back in, including into my own drive way. And, I know the length of my vehicle, I can stop within 4-8 inches of the car behind me without hitting it.
** For further evidence, consider the number of drivers, who:
- Stop 1-3 car lengths from the stop line at traffic lights.
- Are afraid to pass a left turning vehicle, despite ample space for theirs to pass.
- Fail to signal turns & lane changes.
- Can't place their vehicle correctly in marked parking spots (see 'How to Park like a Tool').
- Pull to the right, in order to make a left turn (and vice-versa).
- Fail to use highway ramps to accellerate to highway speed.
- Drive in center (or left) lane, without passing anyone.
If I could give this 50 likes I would, especially points 1 &2. To me these hold up far more traffic than someone backing into a spot. I think depth perception should be tested and people absolutely don't know how big or wide their cars are.
@drummerboy, you are conflating easier with safer. They are not the same. Sure, it's harder to back into a parking spot than to "front in" but the consequences of messing up when backing in are worse than the consequences of messing up when backing out. When backing in, you might hit a parked car, but that's about it. When backing out, you could hit a pedestrian, cyclist, or a moving car. The consequences of those things is worse.
Does that help?
And just because it's harder to back in does not make a good argument against it. If it's too hard for you, please practice and get better at it so that it's not too hard for you. If you can't learn to back into a spot without hitting a fixed object, you shouldn't be driving a car. Try an easier vehicle.
I backed into a parking spot at the parking lot in Millburn on Essex St, and I got a ticket for that. There are signs warning people not to do that. I paid the ticket, which I deserved to do, because I directly violated the rule. The rule is stupid, but I violated it, so I'm not complaining about the ticket.
another time when I had pulled forward into a space, when I came out, there was a large truck without back windows next to me. It was impossible to back out safely as I could not see around it at all. I had to sit and wait for it to move .
mrincredible said:
I think it's safe to say this thread has changed nobody's mind.
Not safe. I was doubtful, but the Yagoda piece swayed me.
I also have found my car's backup camera very helpful. Since reading Yagoda's piece, I've also been making a conscious effort to back in more often. I'm still inconsistent -- I don't always park this way -- but I do find the arguments in favor convincing. I've also found my parallel parking's a lot better with the camera as well. Also, now that I've had my car for a few years (a Camry), I find I have a much better sense of it's space which, along with the camera, has really boosted my confidence on the narrow roads and parking spots of NJ.
Though speaking of NJ, driving here hasn't exactly cured my of my suspicion that the mass consumer adoption of very fast, very heavy vehicles was possibly a mistake. The self-driving car revolution can't arrive soon enough.
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The overarching safety rule to be observed regardless of the maneuver you are making, especially in the age of SUVs that you cannot see around, is to go slow and look all around as you proceed.
It's harder to back in because you are often squeezing into a "box" between cars whereas when you pull out, you are leaving the box and going into empty space.