Do you back into a spot? Or pull in, then back out when leaving

[leadcounsel]

Considering that it is demonstrably safer and faster to go forward than backwards, I prefer to pull thru to a open spot so I generally pick those, which means I'm usually farther from the store/business and will get less door dings and have more visibility as well. Then it's a simple job of exiting forward. No reverse needed.

If I cannot pull thru, I tend to choose to back into a space. As others mentioned, you have the ability to drive past the space, survey it for people, children, obstacles, etc. You might annoy others that get delayed but nobody is ramming you. Upon leaving, it's a pull-forward which is safer than trying to reverse out of a busy parking space area. And it's faster in the event of an emergency.

Backing out, especially in a high traffic or pedestrian area, is the most dangerous and slowest of these options.

 

[01rangerxl]

If it's a spot I can pull through to like at Lowe's or something I do that. I'm a back of the lot parker at stores like that so it's usually not a problem.

Smaller lots where I can't do that I just pull in forward and back out.

At work I have my whole own area and park however I feel like. It's marked as a no parking area, because it's my no parking area.

 

[SevenBizzos]

I too will pull through so I can leave forward. But since I drive two vehicles with back up cams now, backing in is way easier and is my choice. The only problem is when you have to fill the back with groceries or something. Then it's easier to pull in forward.

 

[ATex7239]

Mostly pull in. But will back in depending on situation.

Side note: I cannot stand when people clearly don’t know how to back in but still try to do it anyways. All traffic must stop and watch while they complete their 18-point back in procedure.

 

[supton]

As a rule, I pull through. Rarely do I go someplace where I can’t do that—I don’t mind a bit of extra walking, would rather park away from people.

Otherwise, I pull in. I know I should back in, it would be safer. But it’s easier to pull than back in, even though I know how to back up safely, it’s more work to aim going in, than compared to backing out into the road. Huge difference? no, and I know better, but just don’t. If I lived in/near a city, maybe I’d do differently, around here, the roads aren’t that busy.

 

[BAJA_05]

I only back in my driveway 90% of the time. Normally I just pull in and back out.

 

[paulo57509]

Typically, I park head in. Sometimes, it's easier to back in (like some cramped parking lots). KInd of depends on whether the spots are angled or perpendicular. Sports and other venues I always back in or pull thru. You do not want to be backing out here. Unless you want to sit there for a while waiting to leave.

 

[barryh]

People are creatures of habit on this, Not too far from me, a 60s/70/s pop star lives in in a surprisingly modest house with a short double width drive. I've been walking past that house for 30 years and I've only ever seen both his and his Mrs car reversed in. Pretty straight too considering he is 76 years old. If they are creatures of habit, it's not so much of a surprise that for all of those 30 years he has been loyal to Audi and for most of that time they were both the same modest A4 model, all 5 generations of them and it's predecessors.

 

[AuthorEditor]

I never understand backing in and almost never do so. When arriving in a parking lot it is much easier to drive into the spot so you can carefully observe what you are doing. Before backing out later it is easy to survey the scene around the vehicle to know what one is dealing with, giving me more situational awareness. If I was backing into a tight spot it would be very easy to miss a small child suddenly emerging, someone opening a door, a shopping cart in the way, etc. Always pull into our driveway going forward because of this. We live on a busy street and backing in would often mean holding up other traffic with the distinct possibility someone would cross behind us as we tried to back in. Backing out I can check up and down the block to make sure there is nobody likely to walk behind, and traffic isn't coming. Of course we also drive older cars with decent rearward visibility. Many of today's cars have blind spots so big they are a hazard, and no backup camera is as good as my eyeballs. Another factor is that both of our cars (wagon and small SUV) are much much easier to load from the rear via the hatch. If I parked backward there is a good chance someone will be too close to allow for easy loading, and in our driveway the rear of the cars is nearer the door to the house when we pull in facing forward.

 

[Bailes1992]

I know the spaces are bigger over the US than they are here. But I find it far easier to back in. You have way more manoeuvrability going backwards.