How do you usually park?

[STLantny]

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Ive never ever backed it in, I dont believe, I really dont see the point of it.

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I back into my space in my parking garage at my apartment complex. The reason is because the left hand side of my parking space is a wall. If I want to park head-in and far enough away from the wall so I can comfortably get in and out of my car then I end up parking too close to the car in the neighboring space. So I park rear-in to put the passenger side doors extremely close to the wall giving me ample room to get in and out of my car and load and unload my car on the driver's side.

This is an unusual circumstance, I would imagine.

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This is a decent reason, but in a parking lot, its just as easy to back in or go head first, I dont see why people go out of their way to back in???????????

[The Dude]

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I don't understand. It's easier to back out into a big open space than to back into a small tight space.


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And it's easier to pull forward into a big open sapce than a small tight space. What's your point?

[Duke]

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It depends. My standard play is to go in forward, but if it's tight, I might have to back it in.

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I don't understand. It's easier to back out into a big open space than to back into a small tight space.

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You have more "rear" mobility (rear being front) when you're backing up. The guy who mentioned forklifts is correct. That's why it's a little easier to position yourself going backward.

That said, I park forward about 99% of the time.

~D

[Razor]

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This is a decent reason, but in a parking lot, its just as easy to back in or go head first, I dont see why people go out of their way to back in???????????

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It's easier and safer leaving a parking spot when you've backed in.

Backing in should be your default move.

[The Dude]

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in a parking lot, its just as easy to back in or go head first, I dont see why people go out of their way to back in???????????

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For anybody who is remotely good at backing up a car, it is much easier to back in and pull out than to pull in and back out. This isn't an opinion, people. This is fact. You have more control over how your car fits into the space when you're backing it in than if you're pulling in. Also, when coming out of the spot, you don't need to pull out as far before you start turning.

Again, it's not an issue of opinion. Because only the front wheels turn, the car turns differently when you're backing up vs. pulling forward. It's just not possible to control your car as much going in and out of parking spots head first. Anybody who has ever driven a forklift is very familiar with this. On most forlklifts, the rear wheels turn, making it easier for the driver to get in and out of spots head-first.

Let me repeat it one more time, just so that there's no confusion. The following statement is not an opinion: For a driver reasonably skilled at backing up, it is generally easier to get in and out of parking spots backing in and pulling out.

[ThaSaltCracka]

this makes perfect sense, but why don't most people do it? FWIW, I rarely back in.

[astroglide]

i don't crash or have problems in parking lots, so i don't see any 'mobility' or 'positioning' advantage to backing in to a space. maybe if i drove a yukon i would, but i still kind of doubt that. the only factor i'm concerned with is time.

driving forward into a parking spot and driving forward out of a parking spot are about equal in terms of time, but i can back out of a spot a lot faster than it takes people to back into a spot.

[The Dude]

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this makes perfect sense, but why don't most people do it?

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Because most drivers suck at backing up is the primary reason, I would guess. Also most people don't think things like that through, really. They get into a habit, and never question it.

[JSchnett]

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I try to find the 2 empty spots at work so I can drive through to the back spot. So I guess head first.

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i also like to forget to put my parking pass up and get $40 worth of parking tickets in a week

[Duke]

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i don't crash or have problems in parking lots, so i don't see any 'mobility' or 'positioning' advantage to backing in to a space. maybe if i drove a yukon i would, but i still kind of doubt that. the only factor i'm concerned with is time.

driving forward into a parking spot and driving forward out of a parking spot are about equal in terms of time, but i can back out of a spot a lot faster than it takes people to back into a spot.

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This is why I generally just pull in forward. I'm in your boat. The only time I'd back in is if I didn't have enough space outside of the space to swing wide enough to pull in forward, in which case backing in would be the only option.

~D