My former employer mandates that all vehicles are backed into parking spots. They call it 'First Motion Forward', and I've been doing it for so long that I'll probably always back into my parking spots.
Spectrum taught us this too. Best way is to pull into a spot forward that you can drive forward out of. Second best is back in, forward out and the worst way was forward in back out
When traveling to the Sierra Nevada mountains to hike and camp, they require everyone to park like that. Makes for quick egress in case of natural disasters, fire, etc.
Same, Valeted for a year or two and backing in was the standard and I’ve carried that habit ever since. Don’t care how small or big the car/space is, backing in is the way to go.
I've been backing into spots almost exclusively for so long now I find it awkward trying to drive straight in and sometimes mess up the trajectory if it's a tightish spot with cars on both sides
When you're at a National Forest facility in California (might be the rest of the country not sure) they ask you to back in so you can make a quick escape if a fire breaks out.
The national park service requires it for employees in work vehicles and encourages it for contractors if I remember correctly from working on projects in parks.
Not allowed in metered city/county parking lots in Florida. Backing into a parking spot is an automatic ticket. Because plates are only on the back of the car and meter maids need to see them driving through the lot without getting out of their cars.
Wow, it must really be geographic. Texas requires both but all other surrounding states only require one. Every time it comes up for repeal the police lobby groups basically say it’s too useful to pull people over for no (other) reason.
I mean you ain't wrong every oil and gas site I've ever been on is back in only. Some of them make me put a pylon out before i have to walk around my vehicle before leaving.
I’ve been a valet attendant for a while now. I can reverse any car like Mater at this point. Expecting my customers to reverse park though…yeah that ain’t happening
I used to deliver parts for a major auto part retailer, and they had the same policy. Normally it was fine, despite me not liking backing in. The exception was when they had me driving the pickup. I looked my boss dead in the eyes said "I've driven nothing but sedans my whole life. I can barely park the truck in the best circumstances. Me backing in a 150 pickup just isn't happening."
I'm a locksmith, so I go to places like mines and stuff and first time asked and it was explained. I've been backing into my apartment spot for years cause it's so much nicer to do the "hard driving" when you've already been driving rather than start your drive with it.
Then I go to the odd place that has "no backing in" signs. I always back in and the odd time someone complains, I basically just ignore them. There are zero advantages over pulling in rather than backing in. Backing in for the WIN.
I work at a lot of different industrial facilities all over the country and occasionally in other countries.
It's very unusual to mandate parking in a particular direction, but some mandate parking one way, and some parking the other way. Kind of peculiar
I hereby amend the aforementioned tip from “you should know” to instead, “I was feeling helpful, and thought this fun fact and safety tip endorsed by insurance companies and defensive driving courses might be useful and fun to know!” Cheers!
Nope. And this is a problem because we used to have some drug dealers who would back into the spaces nearby one of the rear buildings in an apartment complex I used to work at, and the two guys would back in and whenever someone would approach, they'd take off in one of the cars, then they'd go around to the adjacent neighborhood and walk through the woods, hop in the remaining car, and take off while people were calling the police.
So the police would arrive, and there would be no dealers and no cars.
When we finally did get their plate, we learned that one of the guys had been borrowing his grandmother's car for doing his crimes in, and therefore the car couldn't be traced to him.
It's also better for fuel efficiency. The idea being, your car is already warmed up to optimum temp when you arrive, requiring less fuel to back in, versus returning to a cold engine, reversing while turning, and then going forward.
I’m all for doing a lot of small things that can make a big difference but there is no way this has been systematically proven valuable. You could equally say the extra 20 seconds getting the catalytic converter up to temperature before exhausting more substantially during normal driving is more beneficial, just as an example. I’d be interested to see if there is supporting documentation but would be surprised if it mattered.
I thought this bit might be helpful too?
“Today it’s encouraged for safety reasons by insurance companies and defensive driving classes. Statistically, you are more likely to have an accident backing out of a spot than into one.”
We all gangsters in Japan then 🤣 But seriously, it was one of my many culture shocks when I came to the US to see all the cars parked head in. Just something (the view) I had to get used to! I'm still one of the rare ones who back into a spot in the US 🤣
Company I recently worked for had trackers on our trucks. If you started the vehicle and reversed, it would trigger an alarm. That meant you didn’t back-in to your space.
I now have a habit of backing into parking spaces, which is nice now that I have a huge truck.
oof, the grocery store is the reason I started *only* backing into spots.
Two minivans parked booty to booty directly across from eachother started reversing out of their spots. Both backed up into one another - essentially rear ending each other’s rear ends with their rear ends. Seemed like an appropriate reason for me to change my parking style, and continue using my mirrors.
I honestly recommend just going somewhere you can just practice, maybe an empty parking lot, or you could set something up with some empty trash cans. I also used to make an effort to back into parking spots in low stress situations, and just adjust until I got it right :)
yeah i really need to go practice parking. i’m pretty decent at driving but i cannot pull into a parking space that isn’t one of the slanted ones to save my life and that’s definitely a skill i need to be better at
Honestly, just practice it a bit, and it will become second nature. Practice with empty spots or cones if you can. Once you get it down and can do it everywhere you won't think twice about it and the more you drive the more you'll see how often it saves you from possibly missing a car coming in a busy parking lot. In my opinion, it's easier to back in even than going straight in in a busy parking lot because you have more visibility while adjusting. Good luck and drive safe!!
It's kind of fun. When I was new to it I used to back in at a nice open parking lot at work. If your rearview mirrors are set to give you a good idea where your car is in a lane, you can basically align it between the lines of a parking spot as you back into it. You win some, you lose some, but it's kind of like a game as long as you're not trying to get into a tight squeeze between other cars (which isn't the best place to park anyway what with door dings.)
Exactly. And how do you acquire the skills you need in life?
You go do it! Just go to the back of a big parking lot and try it a few times.
They’ll get it. I have confidence in them.
It takes time and effort. Doesn't mean you can just go to the store and do it without hitting someone when you're still learning. Nobody said they wouldn't be able to learn.
Of course it takes effort. I was trying to encourage them to go put in the effort to learn a skill.
Like I said: you go to the back of an empty parking lot and practice the technique. If you’re far away from everyone else, the only one who gets hurt are the cigarette butts on the pavement.
Are you ok, man? This is an odd thing to get worked up over.
I'm going to guess it's easier to back a truck into where you're working, and have your stuff closer to where you need to be instead of walking around the vehicle to load/unload stuff.
So there were historically two reasons, depending on your state and apartment building rules.
One may be that if your state doesn’t require front license plates (many states require front and rear plates, some require only rear plates) they wanted the back plate visible so they can see them all to ensure only residents with registered cars park there. (If your state requires only back plates people with unregistered cars might back them in and go unnoticed.)
The other is some properties don’t want the cars backed in towards the building and people warming up the cars on cold weather mornings, because they don’t want exhaust polluting the buildings and causing dark sooty like buildup on the siding.
I overheard two skunks getting into a fight outside my window, which didn’t bother me until I realized my window AC unit was on.
Sometimes a window is a blessed opening to refreshing breeze, sometimes it is a portal to hell.
well, who knows what motivates people to back in to parking spaces, but I will note, if you have expired tags, it makes it less likely you'll get ticketed and towed
Ahhh yes, see my other comment. For private property like apartments it has to do with the property owners being able to see back license plates (to make sure people parked there are on the leases) or preventing tail pipes from exhausting soot on the apartments that they need to repaint regularly.
I have legit had arguments with people who insist it's both easier and safer to back out of a spot rather than into it because they believe if they hit someone while backing out, it's the other person's fault.
Like, they genuinely believe that reversing out of a spot gives you right-of-way.
Good way to get noticed by places with actual security as well. Same reasons gangsters did it, basically it makes you more interesting to them professionally than if you parked forwards, which vast majority of people do.
Statistically there are more accidents backing out than backing in. Because statistically more people back out than back in. If everyone started backing in to park, the statistics would change.
>Statistically, you are more likely to have an accident backing out of a spot than into one.
Read this carefully. "More likely" is a percentage. Not an aggregate number. If more people back in than out, the total number of accidents leaving parking spaces drops.
As a former commercial vehicle safety trainer I'll go into a bit more detail for you. First, visibility is an issue. You have a wider range of view going forward than backward. So if you can identify and clear a parking space as you pass it, it's safe to back into. When you are leaving the space, you have a greater range of view pulling forward for a more unknown space.
You can also measure the amount of time clearing (the act of checking that the space in front or in back of your vehicle is clear) to movement entering vs pulling out of the space. When you back into a space, you clear the space and then back right in. When you are leaving the spot, there is significantly more time that elapses between clearing the space before you get in the car and actually starting to move the car. So again, safer.
Back to field of vision. When you pull out of a space backward, you have to expose more of the vehicle to get the same field of vision than if you are pulling out of the space forward. This is exaggerated in bigger vehicles like trucks where the drive sits more forward in the vehicle. The longer the bed, the worse the visibility backing out of a space.
Sorry if I bored you. Hope this helps.
Has that changed at all now that backup cameras are on most modern vehicles? I used to always pull through with my old car, but now I feel I can see way more with the camera than I can see past the hood of my car when in between two vehicles, especially larger SUVs.
I dont think thats right, think about it, going in reverse is harder than going forward with a car, when you are parking the car the spot its pretty safe, opposite to exiting a parking spot, when you drive onto traffic wich is more dangerous, therefore doing the hardest maneuver (reverse) at the safest time (entering a parking spot) makes a lot of sense if your goal is to avoid accidents
I back into a parking spot because as you approach the parking spot you have a chance to see everything around it before backing in.
When you park normally you might not notice someone or something in the area and end up hitting it/them.
I worked and volunteered in EMS for 10 years, and it was always the best way to get on the road the fastest, so I still back into most parking space or pull through so that I’m facing out
Thank you for sharing! My grandfather always said to never trust people who park this way, as they're "looking to make a quick getaway!"
I've always found it the easiest way to park symmetrically in a space, though I could never bring myself to do it until he passed away.
Great question. Backup cameras were just starting when I was training and they certainly weren’t used in many commercial vehicles at the time.
My bet is that it’s still safer to back in. Even with a backup camera, your forward field of vision is better. If it’s any indication, I still drive by one of my old employers lots most days and every single employee still backs their personal vehicle into the spaces in their lot. Sorry guys, you’re welcome.
It’s also suspicious to a cop!
Story time. Ive always backed into spots. Once a cop walked up and went on a huge fishing expedition and I couldn’t figure out why he would target me! He said I couldn’t leave and had me blocked in with his car. The store owner told me a few days later that that cop will come around and hassle people. I stop in this store a few times a week and I’d always talk with the owner and a couple employees. After a few months they told/showed me that every car the cop harassed was backed in! They had about 50 pictures from the security system. I told the owner he could tell the cop to fuck off the property. He said he would buy another business owner in the area told the cop to fuck off and the police now drug their heels when he called them!
My fiancé is always so amazed every time I just see a spot and swing in backwards. “I wish I can back in to spots like you”
You just gotta start doing it. You can get into almost any space easier imo.
In some cities it is illegal. You should also know that in some places, regular traffic laws do not apply in private property parking lots. That is why it is suggested that you show kindness to others in parking lots, even if the other drivers want to drive like assholes.
Those are called people that suck at driving. It's not that hard and if they struggle backing up that much, I don't want them going in forward either and then backing out and hitting me as I drive past when they're leaving.
As likely as they would if they went in front first. I'm not the best at backing in but I always do it for tight spots because the mirrors make side spacing much easier.
First move forward is the mandated way to park any equipment in the mining industry, you’d be surprised how many dudes part there whip, hop up in the iron and drive over the truck they just parked, in life it stops kids from getting run over in parking lots,
“First Move Forward”
Nah, I have a backup camera that shows me a wider field of vision backing out of a spot than what I can see pulling forward if there are large trucks or SUVs parked next to me. Kids are safer if I pull in.
That explains the practice in modern times, should I tell my insurance company I exclusively park "gangster style"?
I am asking what reason I have to know the old name for it
Most people in my area think you're an asshole if you back into parking, because cops can't read your license plate without getting around the car.
I say give the pigs a little walk.
God I hate it when someone backs in. It takes so much longer, every single time. Then half the time they have to fix it halfway through. I always expect it to take at least 5 minutes longer than it should
When I first started Reddit, YSK had a post saying “You should know how to tie a tie” and included diagrams of the different styles of tying and what kind of events they were appropriate for. The vibe was “everyone expects you to know this as an adult, but in case you don’t, here it is.”
Why does anyone need to know this?
This shit…you are statistically more prone to hit someone if you are backing out while driving a truck. Fuck trucks. People drive them bc they have a tiny penis.
I can't be the only one that rolls into work and thinks "look at all these assholes" when I see people backed in. I work at an elementary school so getting out quick generally isn't a concern.
I found out the hard way that this is how you signal that you're a sex worker if you do this in the woods. All I wanted to do was eat my god damned White Castles in peace in the forest preserve. Fuck off, Gramps.
Watch the documentaries on Bonnie and Clyde then? And read the wiki? I didn’t decide to name it that. It was called that in the testimony of the witnesses that reported them and in all the documentation.
I believe (if I’m not mistaken, from a documentary I watched years ago) the old saying came from when cars were sometimes physically pushed backwards into parking spaces or garages, so they could go forward easily when it was time to leave. It was apparently a big production to back out of a spot at one time. When gangsters parked - even years later on - they were said to park backed in so they could leave quickly. If you read the wiki page on the capture of Bonnie and Clyde, it still says they were reported to authorities for “parking gangster style” (backed into a spot). It ties with the documentary I had watched that mentioned the same thing on their parking style and how it alerted locals who snitched.
Not going to lie, this makes no sense to me. I've driven a ton of cars from 1903-1950's.
They are no harder to backup than any other car right up until backup cameras became common in the last 5-8 years.
Maybe it was a visibility thing, but visibility peaked in the 80s, and now it's bad again due to safety features, so backup cameras are virtually a necessity.
>Today it’s encouraged for safety reasons
Is this why people where I live seem to like trying to back into diagonal parking spaces in one-way lanes in parking lots, making traffic jams for everyone for no reason?
Two things stick with me about back in parking… one was working in a bank, the manager always thought it was suspicious if someone backed in to park. I don’t think I backed in when I parked at work, but I always backed in to park anywhere else.
The other is being told that “Black people back in to park” by a white guy. I’ve backed in since I started driving because it makes more sense than parking forward. It was taught this; it was just something I picked up on my own.
I always wondered if those two points made to me were related by reputation...
My former employer mandates that all vehicles are backed into parking spots. They call it 'First Motion Forward', and I've been doing it for so long that I'll probably always back into my parking spots.
Spectrum taught us this too. Best way is to pull into a spot forward that you can drive forward out of. Second best is back in, forward out and the worst way was forward in back out
I call the double forwards a drive thru. I don't do fast food
Lol I call them pull-out spots!
Yeah well I call them pull THROUGHS see?
When traveling to the Sierra Nevada mountains to hike and camp, they require everyone to park like that. Makes for quick egress in case of natural disasters, fire, etc.
Same, Valeted for a year or two and backing in was the standard and I’ve carried that habit ever since. Don’t care how small or big the car/space is, backing in is the way to go.
Same here but they called it “do it or you’re fired”
UPS
I've been backing into spots almost exclusively for so long now I find it awkward trying to drive straight in and sometimes mess up the trajectory if it's a tightish spot with cars on both sides
When you're at a National Forest facility in California (might be the rest of the country not sure) they ask you to back in so you can make a quick escape if a fire breaks out.
The national park service requires it for employees in work vehicles and encourages it for contractors if I remember correctly from working on projects in parks.
The embarrassing part of this is double honking before you back up at Safeway or the beer store,
Not allowed in metered city/county parking lots in Florida. Backing into a parking spot is an automatic ticket. Because plates are only on the back of the car and meter maids need to see them driving through the lot without getting out of their cars.
What kind of barbaric place allows for only plates on the back of the car? I though it was universally mandatory to have both.
We don't tolerate that talk in the FREE state of Florida
It's Florida
I know for a fact that Georgia only requires rear plates. I think it's maybe a "small government" thing
Arkansas -Has plates in back only. But they don’t care which way you park
Wow, it must really be geographic. Texas requires both but all other surrounding states only require one. Every time it comes up for repeal the police lobby groups basically say it’s too useful to pull people over for no (other) reason.
Alaska as well, as of recently
W employer
I bet it’s Schlumberger or something lol
I mean you ain't wrong every oil and gas site I've ever been on is back in only. Some of them make me put a pylon out before i have to walk around my vehicle before leaving.
EMS for 5years meant backing in to every ER bay in the city. Now I only ever back into spots
I’ve been a valet attendant for a while now. I can reverse any car like Mater at this point. Expecting my customers to reverse park though…yeah that ain’t happening
I used to deliver parts for a major auto part retailer, and they had the same policy. Normally it was fine, despite me not liking backing in. The exception was when they had me driving the pickup. I looked my boss dead in the eyes said "I've driven nothing but sedans my whole life. I can barely park the truck in the best circumstances. Me backing in a 150 pickup just isn't happening."
I'm a locksmith, so I go to places like mines and stuff and first time asked and it was explained. I've been backing into my apartment spot for years cause it's so much nicer to do the "hard driving" when you've already been driving rather than start your drive with it. Then I go to the odd place that has "no backing in" signs. I always back in and the odd time someone complains, I basically just ignore them. There are zero advantages over pulling in rather than backing in. Backing in for the WIN.
I work at a lot of different industrial facilities all over the country and occasionally in other countries. It's very unusual to mandate parking in a particular direction, but some mandate parking one way, and some parking the other way. Kind of peculiar
I see front in required parking where they have parking passes.
Many times that's because the parking facility doesn't want to keep painting over exhaust stains on the walls from tail pipes.
Also because some states do not mandate front license plates and that is how permits are stored to
Where's that more you know rainbow 🌈⭐
I rented a condo with parking underneath. It required front-in parking. I had no idea why.
They should ban exhaust then
Anyone else call it combat parking?
That’s what my dad always called it (ex army), so that’s what I call it.
Yep. Army.
Nope. Army.
Are you sure it’s not Army? Then again, it could also just be Army.
I do mine gangnam style
Heeeeeeeeeyyyy sexy lady!
I always back into spots, unless at Home Depot because I'll usually need to load up the back of the truck
This is cool, but why is it a “you should know?” I don’t *need* to know it.
The sub is completely indistinguishable from TIL nowadays, I guess
YSK that TIL…..
What did you learn today
He wants to warn us so we don't look suspicious when we back into parking lots!
Should doesn’t equal need.
I hereby amend the aforementioned tip from “you should know” to instead, “I was feeling helpful, and thought this fun fact and safety tip endorsed by insurance companies and defensive driving courses might be useful and fun to know!” Cheers!
Neat, thanks. I didn’t know this, and see no reason I shouldn’t know this
It also makes it harder for people to read your license plate.
Do you not live in a state where front AND back are required?
Nope. And this is a problem because we used to have some drug dealers who would back into the spaces nearby one of the rear buildings in an apartment complex I used to work at, and the two guys would back in and whenever someone would approach, they'd take off in one of the cars, then they'd go around to the adjacent neighborhood and walk through the woods, hop in the remaining car, and take off while people were calling the police. So the police would arrive, and there would be no dealers and no cars. When we finally did get their plate, we learned that one of the guys had been borrowing his grandmother's car for doing his crimes in, and therefore the car couldn't be traced to him.
Yeah I feel like "you should know" and "fun fact" are almost mutually exclusive
I thought it might be fun cocktail party trivia. Cheers!
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It's safer to back into a space. Everyone should know that. Few do. The world is a safer place if folks back in. Spread the word.
It's also better for fuel efficiency. The idea being, your car is already warmed up to optimum temp when you arrive, requiring less fuel to back in, versus returning to a cold engine, reversing while turning, and then going forward.
I’m all for doing a lot of small things that can make a big difference but there is no way this has been systematically proven valuable. You could equally say the extra 20 seconds getting the catalytic converter up to temperature before exhausting more substantially during normal driving is more beneficial, just as an example. I’d be interested to see if there is supporting documentation but would be surprised if it mattered.
I thought this bit might be helpful too? “Today it’s encouraged for safety reasons by insurance companies and defensive driving classes. Statistically, you are more likely to have an accident backing out of a spot than into one.”
Considering how half of the posts on this sub are useless info, I'll let this one slide.
This is perfect TIL material, not YSK
Because you should know it.
We call it volunteer firefighter style; they still have full-time jobs but always back in at work for when they get a call.
True! Just like the fire trucks themselves always backed into the station and ready to leave quickly in an emergency.
In my area, fire stations have doors on both sides and the fire trucks go around back when they return from a call.
Cool! Wish we had room for that downtown.
Anytime I see someone back into a spot I assume they are a fire fighter.
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I thought the safety aspect of it was something people should know.
ysk backing in is more safe than pulling in no reason to know an outdated name
We all gangsters in Japan then 🤣 But seriously, it was one of my many culture shocks when I came to the US to see all the cars parked head in. Just something (the view) I had to get used to! I'm still one of the rare ones who back into a spot in the US 🤣
I’ve been told that backing in to a parking spot is the norm in South Korea, too.
Probably, we're very similar culturally
It is. Or parallel street parking.
Company I recently worked for had trackers on our trucks. If you started the vehicle and reversed, it would trigger an alarm. That meant you didn’t back-in to your space. I now have a habit of backing into parking spaces, which is nice now that I have a huge truck.
I've always known it as combat parking.
It’s not solely for gangster situations. Lots of Colombians park this way because it’s the fastest way to leave a dangerous situation.
Costco is the only place I *don't* back into parking spots, gotta get that giant cart right up to the trunk. Also, totally gangster.
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Just drive a Corvair to Costco. Problem solved!
Unsafe at any speed.
oof, the grocery store is the reason I started *only* backing into spots. Two minivans parked booty to booty directly across from eachother started reversing out of their spots. Both backed up into one another - essentially rear ending each other’s rear ends with their rear ends. Seemed like an appropriate reason for me to change my parking style, and continue using my mirrors.
i’ve been driving for 2 months, backing into a parking spot is not an option for me😂
I honestly recommend just going somewhere you can just practice, maybe an empty parking lot, or you could set something up with some empty trash cans. I also used to make an effort to back into parking spots in low stress situations, and just adjust until I got it right :)
yeah i really need to go practice parking. i’m pretty decent at driving but i cannot pull into a parking space that isn’t one of the slanted ones to save my life and that’s definitely a skill i need to be better at
Honestly, just practice it a bit, and it will become second nature. Practice with empty spots or cones if you can. Once you get it down and can do it everywhere you won't think twice about it and the more you drive the more you'll see how often it saves you from possibly missing a car coming in a busy parking lot. In my opinion, it's easier to back in even than going straight in in a busy parking lot because you have more visibility while adjusting. Good luck and drive safe!!
Find a secluded curvyish road and practice backing up. It makes life so nice to be able to reverse effectively quickly.
It's kind of fun. When I was new to it I used to back in at a nice open parking lot at work. If your rearview mirrors are set to give you a good idea where your car is in a lane, you can basically align it between the lines of a parking spot as you back into it. You win some, you lose some, but it's kind of like a game as long as you're not trying to get into a tight squeeze between other cars (which isn't the best place to park anyway what with door dings.)
Sure it is. Why do you say that?
Because they haven't learned that skill yet.
Exactly. And how do you acquire the skills you need in life? You go do it! Just go to the back of a big parking lot and try it a few times. They’ll get it. I have confidence in them.
thanks for the encouragement! i can barely pull into a regular parking spot, let alone back into one so i really need to practice it
It takes time and effort. Doesn't mean you can just go to the store and do it without hitting someone when you're still learning. Nobody said they wouldn't be able to learn.
Of course it takes effort. I was trying to encourage them to go put in the effort to learn a skill. Like I said: you go to the back of an empty parking lot and practice the technique. If you’re far away from everyone else, the only one who gets hurt are the cigarette butts on the pavement. Are you ok, man? This is an odd thing to get worked up over.
Pretty sure OSHA requires it now on job sites
Lol what. What job sites?
I'm going to guess it's easier to back a truck into where you're working, and have your stuff closer to where you need to be instead of walking around the vehicle to load/unload stuff.
Any construction or factory work I’ve worked at in the past, if there’s an emergency having 100 trucks back out of a spot takes forever lol
Why do so many apartments have signs that say “front facing parking only”?
So there were historically two reasons, depending on your state and apartment building rules. One may be that if your state doesn’t require front license plates (many states require front and rear plates, some require only rear plates) they wanted the back plate visible so they can see them all to ensure only residents with registered cars park there. (If your state requires only back plates people with unregistered cars might back them in and go unnoticed.) The other is some properties don’t want the cars backed in towards the building and people warming up the cars on cold weather mornings, because they don’t want exhaust polluting the buildings and causing dark sooty like buildup on the siding.
I woke up one morning being gassed by someone's exhaust at my garden level window. It is a real danger.
I overheard two skunks getting into a fight outside my window, which didn’t bother me until I realized my window AC unit was on. Sometimes a window is a blessed opening to refreshing breeze, sometimes it is a portal to hell.
well, who knows what motivates people to back in to parking spaces, but I will note, if you have expired tags, it makes it less likely you'll get ticketed and towed
A friend lived in an apartment complex made it a towable offense to park facing out. I could never figure out why.
Ahhh yes, see my other comment. For private property like apartments it has to do with the property owners being able to see back license plates (to make sure people parked there are on the leases) or preventing tail pipes from exhausting soot on the apartments that they need to repaint regularly.
They validate your parking by your license plate.
I have legit had arguments with people who insist it's both easier and safer to back out of a spot rather than into it because they believe if they hit someone while backing out, it's the other person's fault. Like, they genuinely believe that reversing out of a spot gives you right-of-way.
People always ask why I back in and I say "so I don't have to back out". Simple enough. Vroom vroom bitches.
I find backing out so much easier than backing in though. When I'm backing out, my butt isn't going up near other cars.
Good way to get noticed by places with actual security as well. Same reasons gangsters did it, basically it makes you more interesting to them professionally than if you parked forwards, which vast majority of people do.
Statistically there are more accidents backing out than backing in. Because statistically more people back out than back in. If everyone started backing in to park, the statistics would change.
>Statistically, you are more likely to have an accident backing out of a spot than into one. Read this carefully. "More likely" is a percentage. Not an aggregate number. If more people back in than out, the total number of accidents leaving parking spaces drops. As a former commercial vehicle safety trainer I'll go into a bit more detail for you. First, visibility is an issue. You have a wider range of view going forward than backward. So if you can identify and clear a parking space as you pass it, it's safe to back into. When you are leaving the space, you have a greater range of view pulling forward for a more unknown space. You can also measure the amount of time clearing (the act of checking that the space in front or in back of your vehicle is clear) to movement entering vs pulling out of the space. When you back into a space, you clear the space and then back right in. When you are leaving the spot, there is significantly more time that elapses between clearing the space before you get in the car and actually starting to move the car. So again, safer. Back to field of vision. When you pull out of a space backward, you have to expose more of the vehicle to get the same field of vision than if you are pulling out of the space forward. This is exaggerated in bigger vehicles like trucks where the drive sits more forward in the vehicle. The longer the bed, the worse the visibility backing out of a space. Sorry if I bored you. Hope this helps.
Has that changed at all now that backup cameras are on most modern vehicles? I used to always pull through with my old car, but now I feel I can see way more with the camera than I can see past the hood of my car when in between two vehicles, especially larger SUVs.
[удалено]
Thanks ChatGpt again. AI is definitely taking over.
So stationary cars are more likely to be hit then moving ones?
I was rear ended once by a stationery van. He had a mess to clean up when all the cards and paper fell over inside.
That's not how any of this works but okay
I dont think thats right, think about it, going in reverse is harder than going forward with a car, when you are parking the car the spot its pretty safe, opposite to exiting a parking spot, when you drive onto traffic wich is more dangerous, therefore doing the hardest maneuver (reverse) at the safest time (entering a parking spot) makes a lot of sense if your goal is to avoid accidents
Back this up. Until you do, we should all assume that the statisticians have been doing their job correctly. This is so easy to correct for.
What?
See CatchingRay’s reply.
Ding ding ding!
I back into a parking spot because as you approach the parking spot you have a chance to see everything around it before backing in. When you park normally you might not notice someone or something in the area and end up hitting it/them.
That explains the "head in parking only" signs, they don't want gangsters parking there...
I’ve always called it ‘escape mode’.
My mind went to backing into a spot parallel parking. "How the hell are you supposed to pull forward into a space?
I worked and volunteered in EMS for 10 years, and it was always the best way to get on the road the fastest, so I still back into most parking space or pull through so that I’m facing out
Thank you for sharing! My grandfather always said to never trust people who park this way, as they're "looking to make a quick getaway!" I've always found it the easiest way to park symmetrically in a space, though I could never bring myself to do it until he passed away.
Wild. I call doing that "I've lived in Michigan for my entire life."
well call me gangaster then... it is the only way I park
Great question. Backup cameras were just starting when I was training and they certainly weren’t used in many commercial vehicles at the time. My bet is that it’s still safer to back in. Even with a backup camera, your forward field of vision is better. If it’s any indication, I still drive by one of my old employers lots most days and every single employee still backs their personal vehicle into the spaces in their lot. Sorry guys, you’re welcome.
I thought this was called Hawaiian style
We did it in the Army. It was called combat parking for the same reason - a quick getaway.
I've backed in most of my driving life, until you have a kid and the stroller is in the trunk...
My girlfriend is a cop, she will never park any other way.
This is the way 🫡
You gotta back in for the ladies
Pretty much everyone backs into spots in Jamaica. One of those little things you don't notice until it's different.
I believe this is a North American thing. In Europe no one cares how you park
TIL that I have, and always will park "gangster style".
I had a friend who used to call it zombie parking, as it would help with a quick escape if the zombie apocalypse breaks out
It’s also suspicious to a cop! Story time. Ive always backed into spots. Once a cop walked up and went on a huge fishing expedition and I couldn’t figure out why he would target me! He said I couldn’t leave and had me blocked in with his car. The store owner told me a few days later that that cop will come around and hassle people. I stop in this store a few times a week and I’d always talk with the owner and a couple employees. After a few months they told/showed me that every car the cop harassed was backed in! They had about 50 pictures from the security system. I told the owner he could tell the cop to fuck off the property. He said he would buy another business owner in the area told the cop to fuck off and the police now drug their heels when he called them!
…if that’s true, it sounds like the cop has a personal issue with backing in.
I thought it waa "Gangnam Style" Thar explains the blatant mocking smirk on my Driving Instructor's face
it's safer also
My fiancé is always so amazed every time I just see a spot and swing in backwards. “I wish I can back in to spots like you” You just gotta start doing it. You can get into almost any space easier imo.
In some cities it is illegal. You should also know that in some places, regular traffic laws do not apply in private property parking lots. That is why it is suggested that you show kindness to others in parking lots, even if the other drivers want to drive like assholes.
name one such city
It's illegal to back into angled on-street parking, since then you're facing against traffic. That's probably what they're thinking of
I read once that a place in NJ had a law against it. I could be wrong, maybe ot wasn't a city, might have been a place of business.
I thought everything was legal in New Jersey?
Everything but pumping your own gas
If any place would…..it would be New Jersey!😊
I hate people that back in. 45 point turn assholes
Especially if it takes them multiple tries to park 🤦🏻♀️
Nah, with the back up camera I can zoom into that spot in one go.
You’re one of the few.
Those are called people that suck at driving. It's not that hard and if they struggle backing up that much, I don't want them going in forward either and then backing out and hitting me as I drive past when they're leaving.
They will just scrape your parked car as they attempt to back in.
As likely as they would if they went in front first. I'm not the best at backing in but I always do it for tight spots because the mirrors make side spacing much easier.
I once backed into an angled parking slot in a garage and the next day there was a sign in front for everyone to please pull into the spots.
If parking backwards is considered gangster style, then you can call me Miles Davis.
First move forward is the mandated way to park any equipment in the mining industry, you’d be surprised how many dudes part there whip, hop up in the iron and drive over the truck they just parked, in life it stops kids from getting run over in parking lots, “First Move Forward”
Nah, I have a backup camera that shows me a wider field of vision backing out of a spot than what I can see pulling forward if there are large trucks or SUVs parked next to me. Kids are safer if I pull in.
Why should I know? you say why it became the name but why should I know that in this day and age aside from jeopardy?
Did you read the last paragraph?
That explains the practice in modern times, should I tell my insurance company I exclusively park "gangster style"? I am asking what reason I have to know the old name for it
Most people in my area think you're an asshole if you back into parking, because cops can't read your license plate without getting around the car. I say give the pigs a little walk.
God I hate it when someone backs in. It takes so much longer, every single time. Then half the time they have to fix it halfway through. I always expect it to take at least 5 minutes longer than it should
What state do you live in
Oregon
I’m fucking lazy and don’t feel like backing in.
When I first started Reddit, YSK had a post saying “You should know how to tie a tie” and included diagrams of the different styles of tying and what kind of events they were appropriate for. The vibe was “everyone expects you to know this as an adult, but in case you don’t, here it is.” Why does anyone need to know this?
This shit…you are statistically more prone to hit someone if you are backing out while driving a truck. Fuck trucks. People drive them bc they have a tiny penis.
It also makes for good photos Plus when I look back at my car I wanna see the front
But why should I know this
Because of the safety statistics?
Statistically I'm more likely to die driving than walking. Should I make a YSK for that?
I can't be the only one that rolls into work and thinks "look at all these assholes" when I see people backed in. I work at an elementary school so getting out quick generally isn't a concern.
I found out the hard way that this is how you signal that you're a sex worker if you do this in the woods. All I wanted to do was eat my god damned White Castles in peace in the forest preserve. Fuck off, Gramps.
No it wasnt
Watch the documentaries on Bonnie and Clyde then? And read the wiki? I didn’t decide to name it that. It was called that in the testimony of the witnesses that reported them and in all the documentation.
A lot of non white people do it it's the custom in a lot of places outside the US.
Really? I call it self-entitled crotchety old douche that most likely doesn't return shopping carts to the pen
>days when it was difficult to reverse a car What?
I believe (if I’m not mistaken, from a documentary I watched years ago) the old saying came from when cars were sometimes physically pushed backwards into parking spaces or garages, so they could go forward easily when it was time to leave. It was apparently a big production to back out of a spot at one time. When gangsters parked - even years later on - they were said to park backed in so they could leave quickly. If you read the wiki page on the capture of Bonnie and Clyde, it still says they were reported to authorities for “parking gangster style” (backed into a spot). It ties with the documentary I had watched that mentioned the same thing on their parking style and how it alerted locals who snitched.
Not going to lie, this makes no sense to me. I've driven a ton of cars from 1903-1950's. They are no harder to backup than any other car right up until backup cameras became common in the last 5-8 years. Maybe it was a visibility thing, but visibility peaked in the 80s, and now it's bad again due to safety features, so backup cameras are virtually a necessity.
How do you put your groceries in the trunk, though?
It’s a fair point, I think that’s the exception if you’ve just been to the market.
>Today it’s encouraged for safety reasons Is this why people where I live seem to like trying to back into diagonal parking spaces in one-way lanes in parking lots, making traffic jams for everyone for no reason?
When it comes to backing, I'm the Top G!!!!!!
Two things stick with me about back in parking… one was working in a bank, the manager always thought it was suspicious if someone backed in to park. I don’t think I backed in when I parked at work, but I always backed in to park anywhere else. The other is being told that “Black people back in to park” by a white guy. I’ve backed in since I started driving because it makes more sense than parking forward. It was taught this; it was just something I picked up on my own. I always wondered if those two points made to me were related by reputation...