AARoads Forum

Most days, I park at an off-street lot adjacent to a commuter rail station with 'straight' parking spaces.  I've noticed that at least two-thirds of the other drivers pull into the space instead of backing in.  I, and about one-third of the other drivers who use the lot, back into the space instead (a habit I developed after nearly being broadsided by a car going way to fast for my street many years ago).

So, the question is simple - When parking in 'straight' parking spaces or in your driveway, do you pull in or back in?

Not so simple.  What about "pull-through" pairs of parking lot spaces, where you pull in to your space through another space, and drive out going forward?

I usually pull forward into a space, whether or not I'll need to back out when I leave, but if possible I'll walk a little longer to avoid having to use reverse at all. 

Maybe it's particular to California drivers, but often when I see someone who wants to back into a space, they pull past the space, don't put on their signal, then try to back up, so the car(s) behind them (who didn't know the lead car's intention) all have to back up as well.

I've also seen two fender-benders and several close calls from cars driving forward too fast and/or not checking both directions coming out of a parking spot. I can't say for certain, but appeared that the drivers were less cautious because they weren't in reverse.

Of course, I may notice those situations more because back-in parking is less common.

Quote from: oscar on April 11, 2014, 07:46:50 PM
Not so simple.  What about "pull-through" pairs of parking lot spaces, where you pull in to your space through another space, and drive out going forward?

I usually pull forward into a space, whether or not I'll need to back out when I leave, but if possible I'll walk a little longer to avoid having to use reverse at all. 

Good point.  Have added that situation to the "exceptions" stated in the poll question.

I prefer backing in whenever possible,  in parking lots where a lot of traffic leaves at the same time it can get  me out quicker.

I normally pull in, though I make an exception if a wall or pillar will make it too difficult to open the door, and I've sometimes backed my RX-7 into our garage at home (one-car garage) when we've gone out of town for two weeks because having it parked backwards makes it easier if I need to jumpstart it.

The people I find annoying are (a) the ones who abruptly stop in the car park aisle with no signal and then throw it in reverse and expect people behind them to move out of the way (use your damn signal!) and (b) the ones who park backwards but are afraid of the wall/pillar/adjacent car and so park at all sorts of cockeyed angles or sticking out into the aisle.

A lot of the back-in crowd are really slow about it.

BTW, I agree with Oscar that I like to pull through if possible, except at the grocery store (not pulling through facilitates trunk access with the cart) or any other time I have something bulky or multiple items to put into the trunk. 

pull in.  I'm lazy.

Quote from: oscar on April 11, 2014, 07:46:50 PM
Not so simple.  What about "pull-through" pairs of parking lot spaces, where you pull in to your space through another space, and drive out going forward?

never, never, never, not once, not even gonna think about it in jest.

I once attempted to pull-through on exit, as the spot opposite me had been vacated, and elegantly ground my oil pan against a very poorly placed curb (hint: block the wheels, not the pan.) that I had forgotten about after an interval of purchasing goods.  so since then I have elected to never attempt pull-throughs.

also we have enough one-way, diagonal, and/or otherwise overengineered parking spaces in California that backing in or pulling through just gets you badly disoriented.

Back-in when possible. 

I drive a big pickup truck, easier to make sure nobody is behind when backing to a space - and when it's time to depart, just look ahead to make sure there are no vehicles or pedestrians in front.

I only ever pull in now.  In my old delivery job, I used to have to back in at certain locations, but I always hated having to go in reverse using only the drivers side mirrors.  As soon as I left that job, that was the end of me parking in reverse.

Depends.  Sometimes I pull in, usually my garage.  Sometimes I back in, usually at work.  Sometimes I pull through, a lot of parking lots with 90 degree parking.

The only time I back in is at home; I have to park in back where I live, off an alley.  Very bad blind spot there, so I'd rather leave the spot forward and see something than the usual and have a nasty surprise.

Otherwise, I don't usually back into spaces.

I typically back in if it's a tight parking space in a garage or something- when I worked as a valet it was standard practice to back in (so we could get cars out faster), and so I'm pretty comfortable backing into spaces now. If it's a spacious space, I pull in.

If it's a sporting event or other deal where everybody is leaving at once, I always back in too- makes it easier to jockey for position

I typically back in, unless something large and/or heavy is going to make use of the trunk.

Airport parking spaces aren't best for backing in: even though I have a subcompact, and leave enough room for luggage movement...someone else manages to pull all the way up to my bumper.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 11, 2014, 11:10:24 PM
pull in.  I'm lazy.

This. If there is room available, I'll pull in ahead to the next spot, but otherwise, I'll strictly pull in.

I always back into spots, or pull through in wide open parking lots.  I don't like backing out of parking spaces.  I find it to be more dangerous.  Also, if I happen to have a dead battery or other easily fixed car problem, it's much easier with the hood out in front, as opposed to being nosed up to another parked vehicle.

I pull through if I can, but I pull in regardless.  Backing out is SO much easier than backing in... in fact, if people were ever required to back into parking spaces, I'd probably have to stop driving (I'm terrible at parallel parking as well).

I will never back into a space in the middle of an aisle. I may occasionally do it if it's facing straight at a way out and thus can be accomplished by first turning to the proper direction and then backing straight in. Otherwise, it's easier to back out of a space than into one, so why bother.

I will pull-through whenever there is a convenient opportunity to do so.

I don't have a driveway, but my parents' driveway has ample space to turn around at the top of it - so I usually drive straight in, and then when leaving make a broken U-turn and drive straight out.

Near home? It's all parallel parking on the street.

Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2014, 01:27:10 PM
I pull through if I can, but I pull in regardless.  Backing out is SO much easier than backing in... in fact, if people were ever required to back into parking spaces, I'd probably have to stop driving (I'm terrible at parallel parking as well).

There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket. I also know of one street (27 Street NW near the Watergate) with diagonal parking where the signs require you to pull in and back out.

Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2014, 01:27:10 PM
(I'm terrible at parallel parking as well).

So am I. I often wonder how I passed that section of my road test... oh yeah, the car I took it in (Safety First Driving School's Toyota Prius) is small so I had a little bit of room for trial/error.

I mostly pull-in, though I'll also pull-through if the opportunity presents itself.

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2014, 09:12:41 PM

Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2014, 01:27:10 PM
I pull through if I can, but I pull in regardless.  Backing out is SO much easier than backing in... in fact, if people were ever required to back into parking spaces, I'd probably have to stop driving (I'm terrible at parallel parking as well).

There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket. I also know of one street (27 Street NW near the Watergate) with diagonal parking where the signs require you to pull in and back out.

Following up on this comment:

Street View of 27 Street NW (signs in question are on the bottom): https://www.google.com/maps/@38.901205,-77.056097,3a,37.5y,113.71h,89.4t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sbSRe0pEeEnxFfRWWJteLpg!2e0

Street View of G Street NW, where "back-in pull-out angle parking" is allowed on Sundays only from 8 AM to 2 PM to accommodate church-goers (people who remain parked that way after 2 PM are routinely ticketed, especially if there's an event at Verizon Center): https://www.google.com/maps/@38.898452,-77.022259,3a,37.5y,158.55h,88.54t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s2QAgoa00tb-WVVvBlP4sGA!2e0

Similar in Georgetown except the back-in angle parking is allowed at all times: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.902721,-77.06364,3a,37.5y,200.69h,84.8t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s6evoiN2gdQEm7GA9BOThOA!2e0

In my parking garage at work, I always back in (or pull thru, if the spots are available).  And yes, I use my turn signal, unlike everyone else that doesn't. But even then, people still don't get the hint, and will pull up too close to me.  They get the hint when I put the car into reverse and start backing up, because I know I've done exactly what I'm supposed to do.

I will also even pull into my driveway at home quite often, which is much more unusual.  I don't know why I started that - we live on a side street that doesn't present any trouble trying to back out.

At a mall, shopping center, etc, I will generally pull in (or pull thru).

At a ball game, it depends.  I used to exclusively back in (or pull thru), but it depends if I'm tailgating and such.  And since I go to enough games and park in the same area, I'm used to expected traffic flow.  If I know traffic will be jammed in the aisle after the game, I'll have the car positioned so I can just pull out.

Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 15, 2014, 09:29:14 AM
In my parking garage at work, I always back in (or pull thru, if the spots are available).  And yes, I use my turn signal, unlike everyone else that doesn't. But even then, people still don't get the hint, and will pull up too close to me.  They get the hint when I put the car into reverse and start backing up, because I know I've done exactly what I'm supposed to do.

....

Just curious: Why there? Something to do with the particular layout of that parking garage? Or perhaps a safety measure due to the number of people who fail to use headlights in enclosed garages? The reason I ask is that back when I worked in downtown DC, a lot of the other people at my office insisted on backing in even though most of them never did it anywhere else. I always wondered why they made such an effort to do it at the office (most of them did it quite poorly, too) if they never did it anywhere else, and now your post prompts the same query.

Regarding headlights, the garage where we park for Capitals games has multiple signs on the ramps asking people to turn on their headlights, but a lot of them still refuse.

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 15, 2014, 09:31:53 AM

Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 15, 2014, 09:29:14 AM
In my parking garage at work, I always back in (or pull thru, if the spots are available).  And yes, I use my turn signal, unlike everyone else that doesn't. But even then, people still don't get the hint, and will pull up too close to me.  They get the hint when I put the car into reverse and start backing up, because I know I've done exactly what I'm supposed to do.

....

Just curious: Why there? Something to do with the particular layout of that parking garage? Or perhaps a safety measure due to the number of people who fail to use headlights in enclosed garages? The reason I ask is that back when I worked in downtown DC, a lot of the other people at my office insisted on backing in even though most of them never did it anywhere else. I always wondered why they made such an effort to do it at the office (most of them did it quite poorly, too) if they never did it anywhere else, and now your post prompts the same query.

Regarding headlights, the garage where we park for Capitals games has multiple signs on the ramps asking people to turn on their headlights, but a lot of them still refuse.

It's a two-way garage, so the spots are perpendicular, not angled.  It does make it easier getting out.  The spots are a bit tighter than normal (damn door dings) and the aisleway is a bit narrower than a normal surface lot, so the room to turn while backing out is a bit limited.  It's also easier to back in while seeing my surroundings, compared to backing out and trying to see my surroundings.  Especially when dealing with other vehicles, sight distance isn't the best).

There's some people that always pull in, and they have their arguments for doing so as well...although "Oh well, they just have to wait for me while I back out" isn't a very convincing argument.

And there's some people that can't back in to save their life.  Unfortunately, there's people that can't pull in to save their live either.  I wonder how they can function on a daily basis if they can't pull into a parking spot without backing up and pulling in again to adjust!

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2014, 09:12:41 PM
There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket.

So what do one do if they couldn't back a car into a parking space even if your life depended on it and there wasn't other parking available?

Quote from: vdeane on April 15, 2014, 04:38:27 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2014, 09:12:41 PM
There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket.

So what do one do if they couldn't back a car into a parking space even if your life depended on it and there wasn't other parking available?

Either get a ticket for pulling in or give up on parking!

Quote from: vdeane on April 15, 2014, 04:38:27 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2014, 09:12:41 PM
There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket.

So what do one do if they couldn't back a car into a parking space even if your life depended on it and there wasn't other parking available?

learn to drive.

Quote from: vdeane on April 15, 2014, 04:38:27 PM
So what do one do if they couldn't back a car into a parking space even if your life depended on it and there wasn't other parking available?

Move to Florida?

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.formulanone.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F06%2FRendezvousWithParkingStones.jpg&hash=a87efc90700110c135fed77f3eb481c2dcbe6165)

Seems like a Ralph Wiggum parking attempt.

QuoteSo what do one do if they couldn't back a car into a parking space even if your life depended on it and there wasn't other parking available?

You got three choices:

- Risk a ticket (not to mention raise the ire of passing motorists as they're forced to stop as you have to mostly turn around to park and depart)
- Find another street to park on (which may involve a walk of several blocks)
- Give up and go elsewhere

Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 15, 2014, 05:05:57 PM

Quote from: vdeane on April 15, 2014, 04:38:27 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2014, 09:12:41 PM
There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket.

So what do one do if they couldn't back a car into a parking space even if your life depended on it and there wasn't other parking available?

learn to drive.

^^^ This.

Far too many people seem to refuse to learn to drive properly, and that includes parking.  Can't tell you how many times I've seen people who just cannot park in any parking space to save their lives.  The number of people parking over the lines is ridiculous, as well as Mr. Door Ding who parks too close to me instead of in the middle of his space.

Then there's parallel parking, an art form which seems to escape some people.

Just because one can't back into a parking space doesn't mean they would park over lines etc. when pulling in.

I was able to parallel park behind one car at the time of my driver's test but since I almost never need to parallel park, I can't any more.  Parallel parking between two cars always eluded me, but then it wasn't emphasized in driver's ed either.

Quote from: vdeane on April 16, 2014, 06:42:37 PM
Just because one can't back into a parking space doesn't mean they would park over lines etc. when pulling in.

I was able to parallel park behind one car at the time of my driver's test but since I almost never need to parallel park, I can't any more.  Parallel parking between two cars always eluded me, but then it wasn't emphasized in driver's ed either.

Just curious vdeane (and this is a serious question here).  Assuming the spaces on both sides of you are occupied, why do you consider backing out of a space (which is obviously what you do when you leave) to be easy, but that backing into the same space as nearly impossible?  You have the same clearances to contend with, and the consequences of mis-judging your blind sports are potentially more serious.

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2014, 09:12:41 PM

Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2014, 01:27:10 PM
I pull through if I can, but I pull in regardless.  Backing out is SO much easier than backing in... in fact, if people were ever required to back into parking spaces, I'd probably have to stop driving (I'm terrible at parallel parking as well).

There are some streets in DC with diagonal parking where the signs say "Back-in pull-out only." If you don't back in, you get a ticket. I also know of one street (27 Street NW near the Watergate) with diagonal parking where the signs require you to pull in and back out.

I parked in back-in on-street diagonal parking in several parts of Australia but I haven't seen it here in the states. It worked really well and I liked it. Center parking (between the two lanes) is another great parking setup that seemed common in a Australia but I haven't seen here.

To answer the original question, I usually pull in forward unless it's a sporting event or a concert where we'll all be leaving at once. Also, if the spot is particularly tight, I'll always back in since my car's backup camera gives me much better visibility than I have pulling in forward, especially of the cars corners.

Quote from: roadman on April 16, 2014, 06:49:25 PM

Quote from: vdeane on April 16, 2014, 06:42:37 PM
Just because one can't back into a parking space doesn't mean they would park over lines etc. when pulling in.

I was able to parallel park behind one car at the time of my driver's test but since I almost never need to parallel park, I can't any more.  Parallel parking between two cars always eluded me, but then it wasn't emphasized in driver's ed either.

Just curious vdeane (and this is a serious question here).  Assuming the spaces on both sides of you are occupied, why do you consider backing out of a space (which is obviously what you do when you leave) to be easy, but that backing into the same space as nearly impossible?  You have the same clearances to contend with, and the consequences of mis-judging your blind sports are potentially more serious.

I tend to think it must be psychological- backing in is daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot easier because you're trying to put your car in a clear space between two things on the side of you, instead of backing out into something potentially not-clear straight behind you. This is especially important if you're driving a 15 passenger van or a suburban or a U-haul or something that either doesn't have a rearview mirror, or is too long for the rearview mirror to be of much use.

I drove the drunk van (15 passenger) on Saturdays around Seattle/Tacoma for a couple years when I was an undergrad- the only legitimate way to park it was to back it into spaces, because backing out was fucking dangerous.

Beyond even that, pulling in nose first if you don't have a wide berth is really hard in a vehicle of that size, because the rear of the vehicle wouldn't have time to straighten out by the time the nose made it to the front. Backing in, moving the steering wheels to the "rear" of the situation, made it so that the last part of the vehicle that needed to be straightened was at the part of the car that had wheels, making it actually possible to park in a straight line without maneuvering.

QuoteI parked in back-in on-street diagonal parking in several parts of Australia but I haven't seen it here in the states. It worked really well and I liked it. Center parking (between the two lanes) is another great parking setup that seemed common in a Australia but I haven't seen here.

Even my hometown of McCall, Idaho has adopted back-in diagonal. It works well where there are a lot of pedestrians.  http://goo.gl/maps/KHmx6

Fort Collins, Colorado comes to the top of my head as having centered parking.  http://goo.gl/maps/q1jOk

I became accustomed to backing into parking spaces from my years of driving a panel work van with no rear side windows nor no back windows. It was much easier to sight the space I planned on backing into then back in.  Attempting to back out of a parking space was very dangerous.  While it was a bit daunting the first few times, it got easier with practice.  Before you knew it, it was second nature to back right into a spot.  To this day, even though I have a small car, I always back into spots with ease.

Galaxy S3

Well, I've only ever driven sedans (aside from a Versa Note rental and my Dad's pickup truck, the latter of which is out of my comfort range), so I'm used to being able to see through the rearview mirror.  I guess backing in would have more peace of mind if you're afraid someone would T-bone you backing out, but I find it to be harder since I'm constantly afraid I'll hit the other cars or not be between the lines... backing out into the relatively wide open spaces of the aisle feels much easier  The last time I tried backing up into a spot, I was six inches closer to the left than I wanted to be, and 2-3 feet further forward.

QuoteI was six inches closer to the left than I wanted to be, and 2-3 feet further forward.

Lining up is just something that takes practice, especially if you aren't used to using your side view mirrors (you'd need to get used to using those). As far as distance, that's the tricky part, especially in unfamiliar vehicles. If I'm backing in a large, unfamiliar vehicle in a parking garage or outside at certain times of day, you can usually look at the shadows in your side view mirror to see how close you are to either the wall or the thing behind you. Otherwise you just kind of have to be familiar with how long your vehicle is- I try to gauge where I think the front of the car should end up before I back into the space, and then put it there. If there's a car next to you, that makes life easier.

If it's angled, you shouldn't back in, since the parking lot is designed for a single direction (unless it's on a street; a sign would indicate back-in parking only). 

I do both depending on what's easier and makes more sense.  Don't really put much conscious thought into it.

Quote from: roadman on April 16, 2014, 06:49:25 PM
Just curious vdeane (and this is a serious question here).  Assuming the spaces on both sides of you are occupied, why do you consider backing out of a space (which is obviously what you do when you leave) to be easy, but that backing into the same space as nearly impossible?  You have the same clearances to contend with, and the consequences of mis-judging your blind sports are potentially more serious.

You said a magic word here: blind spots. This is a major issue trying to back a large vehicle out of a space. A sedan, not really. In my car I definitely find backing out of a space to be easier than backing into one. Were I driving an SUV or something of that sort instead, I would be more inclined to try backing in, since the benefit is greater.

Of course, those larger blind spots are one reason why I hate driving SUVs/vans in general. It makes things as simple as changing lanes that much more challenging.

I usually pull in, and pull through when I can, but I can handle pretty much any type of parking (back up, parallel, etc.)

I pull in for the most part. The exception is one of my cousins who has a driveway just off a T-intersection. I back in there because it is easier to then pull out and turn when leaving.