Why Do People Choose to Reverse Park into a Carpark?

tomb11 on 11/11/2022 - 16:22

I've never understood the reasons why people choose to reverse park. As the title suggests, I want to understand the reasons why people naturally reverse park as their go-to instead of forward parking.

Common argument I hear is that it's easier/faster to get out. But, doesn't it just make it slower/harder to park the car?

Another one is that it reduces the chances of reversing into someone when leaving (where I assume a lot of accidents occur), but again, isn't there still that risk when completing the initial park?

What am I missing?

Poll Options

  • 1427
    To make it easier/faster to leave
  • 59
    To reduce my chances of reversing into someone
  • 96
    Because I like to reverse park. Simple.
  • 40
    Other reason - comment
  • 146
    I always forward park
Automotive

Comments

    • GourmetFoodie on 13/11/2022 - 18:12

      One of the best things about the USA

  • diceman99 on 12/11/2022 - 22:52
    +2

    It's hard to reverse park in but it's harder to reverse out.
    Especially when the inevitable (profanity) comes along and parks beside you and decides to leave a few inches gap between cars.

    • bigbadboogieman on 13/11/2022 - 00:01

      That too forward parked with their car's big a$$ blocking the view on both sides.

  • KoalaTeaPuns on 12/11/2022 - 23:10
    +1

    Safety reasons (especially if there are Large SUVs parked on both sides of your sedan!) and ease of exiting. Also some people are glued to their phones and not aware if you are reversing.

  • bigbadboogieman on 13/11/2022 - 00:00

    Easier to leave especially with oncoming traffic because reversing in a empty parking space is less riskier compared to reversing in a lane where there may be traffic. Lower chances of inadvertently hitting anyone or anything. I personally find it easier to reverse park centered between the markings because you can see the markings easily in side view mirrors.

  • david6509 on 13/11/2022 - 00:17

    Easier to leave with more visibility. Also i dont want to scrap my front bar as my cars lowered, with the reverse camera i can see whats behind me.

  • cenakhoa on 13/11/2022 - 00:19
    +1

    If you practice well enough, reverse parking will be as fast as forward parking. After that, it’s more convenient to reverse parking. Additionally, reverse parking gave you the feeling of being supreme when you can do something that other felt difficult to do

  • quop on 13/11/2022 - 00:33

    Apart from the physics, when you reverse park it is easier to see the lines with your mirrors so you can judge both whether you’re straight as well as centred within the spot. Can’t/harder to do that when you go front it - have to base it on gut feel or if you have those blind spot mirrors installed that helps, though it’s a distorted wide angle view so still not as good. If you have a reversing camera that makes it even easier to see, plus you can better judge how far you are from the wall/kerb.

  • Easyteas85 on 13/11/2022 - 07:00
    +1

    So the car is ready to go in the escape position!

  • EBC on 13/11/2022 - 07:32
    -1

    I'm with you OP. Not getting much support but I am a front in parker almost exclusively. You are right, most things are a wash in terms of pros/cons. The way people are commenting you would think every front in park took 15 adjustments.. I would probably have 0 adjustments in 95% of the parks that I do and have had exactly 0 accidents as a result in the last 15 years of driving. The only time I have to adjust regularly is a reasonably tight spot in a work carpark and that is all of one adjustment.

    But generally I don't really care what others do. The only time I question it is at places where people are going to have to use the boot to load up the car. Because they end up having to weave a cart between cars to try to load up squished in the middle between a bunch of cars.

  • blorx on 13/11/2022 - 07:55

    Safety.

  • whizzfizz on 13/11/2022 - 08:07

    Just sucks when you get stuck waiting for those people that reverse in but need 2 mins and several corrections to do so. I guess it'd be a nightmare for them to reverse out though

  • dcash on 13/11/2022 - 08:46
    +5

    Honestly, the question makes me think OP either doesn't drive, or shouldn't be driving.

  • bryans on 13/11/2022 - 08:52
    +1

    Reverse parking is better as pivoting on the rear wheels allows greater articulation to park. Also zero chance of damage to your front bumper/splitter if you have low ground clearance.

  • Mr Random on 13/11/2022 - 09:11

    For me personally, I reverse park because I find it easier to reverse in. Better control when the car pivots from the rear into a spot.

    It also makes it easier to get out of the spot when you can see the cars fly down the isle without a care to potential blind spots of reversing cars.

    • angelkulit025 on 14/11/2022 - 15:19

      this as well,, im more confident reverse parking than forward facing parking.

  • gardna on 13/11/2022 - 09:35

    Well, for one, I was never taught to not reverse park. (Yes, i am from overseas). I was tested on reverse. I still do not know how to head-in park in one turn when there are cars on both sides but am able to do it pretty much 99% of the time when reversing. I guess its just down to what we are taught. shrugs

  • zorrt on 13/11/2022 - 09:41
    +1

    turn radius on my camry is small….takes just as long to forward park. Saying that I still forward park when doing weekly shopping as I need access to boot. People who reverse parks then push their trolleys between cars irks me, people who just leave their trolleys there afterwards are the worst.

    • ihfree on 13/11/2022 - 10:17
      +2

      The shopping trolley…

      The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of serf-governing.

      To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we alll recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. The return of the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore the shopping cart present itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you for not retunrning the shopping cart, no one will fine you or kill you for not returning the shopping cart, you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct.

      A person who is unable to do this is no better than an animal, an absolute savage who can only be made to do what is right by threatening them with a law and the force that stands behind it.

      The shopping cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society.

  • LoserScott on 13/11/2022 - 13:18

    If you reverse park and smash or graze the other car, it gives you time to drive away and try another spot. Because if you drive in and decide to reverse out and smash into someone their most likely getting off the train as you are, or driving by as you are.

    And we all know how antisocial humans can be behind the steering wheel.

  • Kamsi on 13/11/2022 - 15:40

    With the rear camera in cars it is lot easier to reverse park than front parking.

  • BeoWulf on 13/11/2022 - 17:53

    My reverse parking is grandmaster level so why not?

  • GourmetFoodie on 13/11/2022 - 18:10

    Because car parks are so small these days and people park terribly so sometimes the only way easily into a park (if both sides have shitty parkers in) is by reversing. Also if extra tight park it makes it much easier to get out.

  • Drakesy on 13/11/2022 - 18:24

    the car is more manouverable in tight spaces when reversing into a carpark as in many cases the back axle is closer to the extent of the car's body.

    Also fun fact, on minesites its mandated in case of emergency.

  • itsHughesy on 13/11/2022 - 18:31

    I read the book Terminal List and wanted to feel operator

  • dust on 13/11/2022 - 18:47

    You can get into way tighter spots by reverse parking.

  • billyb67 on 13/11/2022 - 19:08
    +9

    "I've never understood the reasons why people choose to reverse park."

    I only ever hear this from people who are unable to reverse park.
    Because if they were capable of doing it, they would know the answer.

    • R4 on 15/11/2022 - 10:29

      If you can't reverse park, you can't drive. Simple.

  • grasstown on 13/11/2022 - 19:34

    Reverser here - steering is better , can get in first go

  • GrimCheaper on 13/11/2022 - 20:25

    I have more control reversing in.

    If I try to park front first, I have to swing wide so the car sides don't bump against the car or column next to me.

    if I reverse in then it's similar to steering from the rear, like a forklift. So you have more control over the angle when you line up in the parking space.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3d91rv6JNw

    • thanatos350 on 15/11/2022 - 22:34
      +1

      There is no greater anxiety in my life than sitting in my car and watching someone forward park into the spot next to me.

  • P3njahat on 13/11/2022 - 22:00

    Another pros for reverse parking is that it is easier to fit into the parking spot, especially when parking space is small. For example, if you're in an asian country like Indonesia, parking space is extremely limited and smaller compared to Australia, and most people there would have done reverse parking because it is easier to straighten your parking by doing that (i.e imagine that your parking needs to be straight and parallel with the line at all cost). And also, if you have a very limited parking space, trying to get out after doing heads parking is very difficult in such country.

  • Haulien on 13/11/2022 - 23:19

    Going out is easier, of course. But I find it easier reverse parking also. I'll admit I've gotten a bit lazy with reverse parking since getting a car with a reverse cam.

    The only time I'll park in forward is for easy boot access.

  • codeblue229 on 14/11/2022 - 05:31

    Reverse parking allows you to park in narrower parking slot from narrower driveway, which is quite common in highly populated cities.

  • jerjergege on 14/11/2022 - 07:12

    So my dash cam has a higher chance to record who hits my car.
    Saved me twice! Got a free replacement numberplate out of it too.

  • foxpants on 14/11/2022 - 10:33

    It's far easier and safer to reverse into a single car bay that you know is empty, than reverse out of one into a carpark where you have much worse visibility of any hazards.

    I've also heard the notion that people don't like it because it takes time and holds them up, well either way I have to reverse and hold people up, you just pick if it's when you park or when you leave.

    Why don't people reverse park? skills? confidence? lack of patience?

  • Kurutta on 14/11/2022 - 10:33

    Not only is it easier, it is also safer as there's a lot of blind spots when reversing out of a car park. Many construction sites I've been to requires everyone to reverse park.

    • FirstWizard on 14/11/2022 - 10:50
      +1

      I think this too.

      When you're reverse parking, you're going from the road to the parking spot. Everyone that was on the road are already aware that you were on the road and would stop and let you go into the parking spot. When you're taking off, usually you have a full view of the road and can easily come out of the said spot and be confident that no one is on the road.

      If you do not reverse park, you have to reverse into the road when getting out. It could be very difficult for you to inspect the road with all the blind spots from your current position, and for anyone on the road, it could look like you're suddenly coming out of the parking space.

  • sean1987 on 14/11/2022 - 10:50
    +1

    If i have a full trolley of groceries I'm FWD parking every time, easier than walking the trolley up between two cars especially in some of the new westfields car parks where the spaces are really small

  • Numbfeeling on 14/11/2022 - 12:24

    For me, I am not a good driver. Got reverse parking camera. i trust those more than the front sensors.

  • topppbloke on 14/11/2022 - 12:38

    Hi,
    Good question and I believe reversing into a car park is the better option for the following reasons:
    1. Safety
    You have a much clearer advantage (pun intended) when you're driving forward, as opposed to reversing: looking forward and sideways, as opposed to using multiple mirrors/ camera.
    When you're reversing into a carp park, you're getting into a static environment where you'd only need to worry about lining up the car properly and not hitting other parked cars/ poles.
    When you reverse out of a car park, there are multiple moving hazards: people & cars from multiple directions.
    2. Physics
    Pivoting on the non-turning wheels (back wheels) will make your life easier when you park
    3. Speed
    It's actually been proven that it's quicker to reverse park into a car park & existing driving forward compared to the other way around.
    Ps, There are lots of companies out there, especially ones that are big on safety., that will require you to reverse park within their onsite car park.

  • FromAtoZ on 14/11/2022 - 13:26

    There is always some morons driving at 40kmh in a parking lot and reversed parking help me check the traffic much easier,

    Besides .. car has reverse camera … why not use it if already paid for it ;-))

  • halo9 on 14/11/2022 - 15:11

    Main reason is safety. Nearly all mine sites/work sites now require reverse parking. I am sure a lot of research went into this and looking at incidents and statistics. Wouldn't have come about as a brain fart idea.

    The other main reason, as many have pointed out, is you have way more control over manoeuvrability when reversing over driving forwards so can park better and in tighter spaces. Why do you think forklifts have the steering wheel at the back. Have you noticed how newer car parks are tighter between rows (not car park spots) than they used to be, easier to reverse in and leave forwards.

    Lastly, have you ever seen the comedy show of someone try to forward parallel park?

  • Elmer Fudd on 14/11/2022 - 17:57
    +1

    I reverse park most times because I find it an easy park to do, and as others have said, it is easier to adjust and therefore you can get into tighter spaces.

    I find in some undergound carparks you often have a concrete pillar encroaching on the driver's side space towards the front of the space, which makes the initial swing into the park tight and sometime not possible in one attempt if forward parking. With reverse parking this is easy.

  • JayM on 14/11/2022 - 19:42

    Reverse parking all the way. When I was a concierge, I always reverse parked as you need to get the car out quickly for customers in the morning as opposed to when you're parking them in the afternoon/evening. Plus, with all the different sized cars, it's easier to reverse in.

    My car is also very low at the front and I get gutter anxiety.

  • Wasabi Ninja on 14/11/2022 - 20:42

    Is this what we’ve come to? Taking questions from some dumb Facebook page…
    https://www.facebook.com/109216470882696/posts/pfbid0Y33s78q…

  • George2021 on 14/11/2022 - 21:45

    It’s easier to park and get out.

  • tako on 14/11/2022 - 22:40

    Same reason why forklifts have rear-wheel steering, better manoeuvrability in tight spaces.
    OP didn't even provide this as an option smh.

  • seefu on 15/11/2022 - 04:09
    +1

    I have a large car with a horrible turning circle. Turning circle seems much better in reverse, so I reverse in 80% of the time because space is more limited.

    I also work in emergency services and it is an absolute requirement to reverse in so the vehicles are in a state of ready to leave quickly, this has translated to me also reversing my wife's smaller hatchback 80% of the time when I park.

    Nowadays, it depends on whether or not I have to take the baby pram out as well and how much space will be behind me when I reverse in as well so if I have the baby with me, I only reverse in about 50% of the time.

  • CuteWittleCorgi on 15/11/2022 - 07:02

    Because I care enough about my future-self getting out of a parking spot a little easier, my present-self can make the sacrifice of getting in to a parking spot a little harder

  • Stevecro on 15/11/2022 - 08:34

    People see others do it and copy them, much like other areas of life.

  • hamroll on 15/11/2022 - 11:18

    The turning circle to reverse park is better than turning head in.

    Using mirrors to reverse into a carpark gives you the best accuracy, and even better if you have a larger car or have a tight space.

  • zeomega on 15/11/2022 - 14:07

    To park perfectly between the lines or to the edge of the corner lot.

  • Jonc on 15/11/2022 - 16:21

    Forward park…Your car has reflectors at the back (not the front), this makes it significantly easier for other cars to see your car (and hopefully avoid hitting it) especially at night or in low light situations… The back of your car is also higher making it easier to see compared to the front which is much lower and harder for larger vehicles to see especially when reversing….

    • quop on 15/11/2022 - 17:37

      reflectors at the back […] makes it significantly easier for other cars to see your car (and hopefully avoid hitting it) especially at night or in low light situations

      headlights > reflectors

      • Jonc on 15/11/2022 - 18:14

        Headlines on the front of your car don't reflect/glow like reflectors at the back of your car do… I car backed into the front of mine many years back and the police said at the time it's always better to have the back of your car facing traffic as cars can see you easier especially in low light conditions… take a flashlight outside tonight and give it a try.. the back of your car is defiantly more visible especially with low light sources such as reverse lights on a car backing up… chances are a car will hit the front of your car easier than the back of your car given the back if physically larger and easier to see but also the reflectors to make your care more visible

        • quop on 15/11/2022 - 22:50

          Right, it's taken me multiple readings to finally understand what you're saying…

          I previously thought you were talking about front parking so that other people can see you easier when you reverse out.

          But now I see you're actually saying to front park so that when other front parkers reverse out they can see the back of your parked car more easily cf to the front of your parked car. In essence your ideal is for everybody to always front park, correct?

          • Jonc on 16/11/2022 - 11:21

            @quop: apologies about that, should have spent a bit more time writing that … but yes you are correct, I often prefer forward parking to have the back of the car more visible to passing and reversing cars especially at night as my car does have a longer bonnet and lower so harder to see I guess especially by 4x4 and SUV's so best having the taller part of the car visible to most I feel although I do reverse park at times more than often I just drive in to a park forward straight away..

  • redvaldez on 15/11/2022 - 16:47

    I reverse in everywhere. It's habit for me. In addition to the main reasons raised:

    In my first car - which was lowered - the spoiler wouldn't clear the concrete carpark stops, however the back would. So reversing in means I can get right into the carpark.

    In my last car - which was a 4WD - it had a steel bullbar on the front, so at least if someone clipped my car while parking, the bullbar would likely bear the brunt of the damage.

  • Munki on 15/11/2022 - 17:08
    +4

    I do it to flex on all the noobs who don't know how to reverse park.

    • gentlekoala5906 on 16/11/2022 - 07:45

      haha reminds me of that Shrek meme from a few years ago you ever reverse park just to flex on them forward parking nibbas?

  • rennrich on 15/11/2022 - 17:11

    As part of my job, I had to a 'conflict course' as sometimes we are put in a position where we have to make a decision on fight or flight.

    We were taught to know the area we were in if we needed an escape route for a quick getaway, and most importantly, reverse park so we can drive straight out if we need to leave in a hurry.

    Now it is just habit that I do it everywhere, including the local shopping centre etc.

  • JafferMoney on 16/11/2022 - 09:13

    It's actually easier for me to reverse park now because I'm so used to it, than forward park. And yes to make it easier to leave and avoid idiots causing accidents…there are so many in carparks.

  • Steggy on 16/11/2022 - 10:52

    Because they are forward planning, preparing for the future, I will go through minor inconvenience now so that I can avoid it in the future

  • djak on 16/11/2022 - 10:58

    Its generally easier, by going in reverse you can align/pivot and put the rear tires into the correct position to be able to park the car. By going in head first, the rear wheels just follow the front and you have less maneuverability to adjust your entry.

    There are factors which do contribute:

    • Easier to leave
    • Safer to leave especially when you are reversing out.
    • You develop habits and preferences. eg. if you reverse park in a parallel spot quite often, then reversing may just be your preference
    • Some car spots are reverse only

    probably others as well

  • cwongtech on 16/11/2022 - 12:01

    Reverse parking is also known as Combat Park
    "A military term referring to parking a vehicle in such a fashion to make a quick getaway in the event of a firefight. Usually consisting of backing into a parking spot upon arrival. This ensures you don't have to do a three point turn to leave when you are getting shot at."

    • Euphemistic on 20/11/2022 - 21:54

      I heard it called “getaway parking” before, but like “combat parking”

  • rainynight65 on 16/11/2022 - 12:20

    In tight spaces it is actually easier to reverse-park than to nose-in.

  • BrownDad on 16/11/2022 - 12:56

    I feel its easier to reverse park than forward parking in a tight space.
    The downside, loading the shopping cart into the boot gets difficult.

  • Bernie inn on 16/11/2022 - 13:46
    +1

    I can reverse park quicker than a forward park, plus its easier to get out

  • bmxr on 22/02/2023 - 19:57
    +1

    Today's news from the ABC citing only one expert though

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-22/reversing-into-a-car-…

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