I drive a truck and always try to park where I can pull all the way through. It can be hard to back out if people are parked on either side...and I hate to have to hold up traffic for a 3 point turn.
Not sure where you're at, but in Texas where I am, it is in fact a state law. We also recently passed one that trucks must have ridiculously unnecessary door mirrors that extend a minimum of 2 ft.
Honestly my favorites are the folks with big SUVs that back into parking spaces at Costco. You can tell it’s their first time and they’ve not thought things through.
I never laughed so hard in my life as the time I saw a guy walk up to his backed-in SUV with a big old cart overflowing with shit. You could see the life force leave his body as he just stood there. 😭😭😭
When Im driving through a parking lot, I have a full view of what’s going on to execute a back in. And because of this, I then have full view of of what’s going on when I pull out.
If I pull in, I then will only have a partial view of my surroundings when backing out making it a less safe park job.
nahhh this ain’t it. you are also wasting other peoples’ time with your 67 point turns. you are also exposing the most valuable part of your vehicle (the engine) to other knuckleheads whims. the extra time it takes you to back out is worth all the points of not being the person backing in! imo
A) I’m never in parking lots that are that busy where I can’t find a spot with no one in front of or behind me. (Kind of the whole point of the back in being safe)
B) If there is someone in front or behind me I will just keep driving and find a different spot.
just assuming it takes roughly the same amount of time to back in vs. back out (it should), why is this a thing that bothers people? I like backing in. I'm not expecting to pull tactical maneuvers in a Toyota SUV, I just like to do it so I do it. and obviously don't when it impedes someone else.
Backing in, in general, is safer for everyone, but particularly in trucks, where you don't have visibility on the way out of a parking spot until you're 75% of the way out already.
An SUV or truck with a rear camera will have better visibility backing out if there are any kids walking by, though, which is a lot of places. I can see the issue if it's an older vehicle without one.
i take my time and i pay attention and i follow the rules of driving and i simply back my truck out of a busy parking lot and it doesn’t take near as much time as backing into a spot does.
trucks included in my experiment:
-chevy colorado
-chevy 3500 dually one flatbed, several with regular truck beds
-ford f150
-ford f350
-ford ranger
-a lil toyota but points bc it’s a manual!
people will stop for you when you back out. i promise. you don’t need the view. plus why expose your engine (the most valuable part of your truck) to all the people zoomin in and out of parking spaces. you hit my truck bed? fine im sad but its fine. you hit my grill? radiator? engine? not fine.
It's safer for everyone else around you, notably pedestrians, but there isn't a lot of public data for the discussion. The insurance companies likely have mountains of data on it, but they won't share it.
Except for when the bed ends up covering the sidewalk in front of the building. Modern vehicles have backup cameras, eliminating the need for backing into a spot.
Can you buy me a modern vehicle since everyone else has one with a backup camera apparently? My 2008 Ford Escape doesn’t have one and I don’t have 20k to go blow on a vehicle
If you can't back a Ford Escape out of a parking spot, you shouldn't be driving. 🤦🏻♂️ My 2010 Honda Accord is bigger than the Escape and I have ZERO issues with parking it or backing out of a spot.
Tf does the size of your car have to do with not being able to see through cars parked next to you? If you can’t drive well enough to back into a parking spot, then just sit this one out. Otherwise go pull out in front of a car and get t-boned because you didn’t back in to see them coming
More likely to clip a car when you're parking. 🤷🏻♂️
If you're not paying attention and you pull out quickly, "in an emergency", you can hit someone. If you're not paying attention and you back out quickly "in an emergency", your backup camera will scream at you and your car probably stops itself.
Your eyes see that. The backup camera has radar that senses moving vehicles and pedestrians. And if you don't see them, the camera will and activate the brakes. You keep forgetting the part where human error exists and cameras and sensors on the car are there to cover for that.
Modern cars have made it safer to back out of a spot because they've also accounted for human error, then programmed the car to take control in case of human error to prevent accidents.
I backup into a spot every time as long as there isn't a car behind me, and I don't understand why everyone else doesn't do the same. The problem with pickups backing in is this, blocking sidewalk access for the disabled (although I guess this is more so a problem with truck size)
same with the dumb rv mirrors when you aren’t pulling anything, one time i saw one of those stupid mirrors hit an elderly man which made him fall off the curb into the road with oncoming traffic and split his head open.
Comments
I know that’s in there…
If I pull in, I then will only have a partial view of my surroundings when backing out making it a less safe park job.
A) I’m never in parking lots that are that busy where I can’t find a spot with no one in front of or behind me. (Kind of the whole point of the back in being safe)
B) If there is someone in front or behind me I will just keep driving and find a different spot.
I also make sure to never back into a parking spot where the rear would overhang a sidewalk & inconvenience pedestrians.
Practicing this technic in the front of a Subway is not the best choice however they must learn somewhere, no matter how painful it looks.
-chevy colorado
-chevy 3500 dually one flatbed, several with regular truck beds
-ford f150
-ford f350
-ford ranger
-a lil toyota but points bc it’s a manual!
never a dodge ram tho bc fuck that
Here's a study on the subject: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847819308812#:~:text=The%20pull%2Din%2Fback%2Dout%20parking%20maneuver%20has%20a,method%20for%2090%C2%B0%20parking.
Just say you can't drive.
If you can't back out of a spot without hitting something, ESPECIALLY IN AN FUCKING FORD ESCAPE 😆, it's time to give up the license.
Other reasons to back in:
Quicker to leave in an emergency
Less likely to clip the car next to you while pulling out than if you were backing out.
If you're not paying attention and you pull out quickly, "in an emergency", you can hit someone. If you're not paying attention and you back out quickly "in an emergency", your backup camera will scream at you and your car probably stops itself.