OT: Parking Spots

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
18,974
2,081
113
Normally just pull in. There are some places here though (parts of MidCity to be exact) where backing in is required. The parking spaces appear to go backward on the street.
 

Fritz!

All-Conference
Oct 16, 2014
998
2,449
93
Depends on the situation. Usually back in the driveway at home, sometimes at retail parking lots. Wife’s company encourages backing, all company vehicles must. That’s why they have cones. Angled spots, depends on which way I’m going in the isle.
 

She Mate Me

Heisman
Dec 7, 2008
12,471
10,460
113
If it's not a busy area where backing in causes a problem, I back in. Just makes leaving so much safer and easier. Watch UPS drivers. They are trained to do it right.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ckDOG

Bulldog Bruce

All-American
Nov 1, 2007
4,722
5,238
113
Prefer to back in if parking lot built to allow it. That means the lines are at 90 degrees or each path is designed for 2 way traffic. If the path is designed for one way, Meaning spaces on both sides point in the same direction, always head first. I hate people who want to travel in those lanes the wrong way. Those lanes are usually narrower.
 

PhredPhantom

All-Conference
Mar 3, 2008
1,235
1,773
113
Diagonal parking - I pull in nose first

90° parking (like at Walmart)- If I’m doing the parking, I usually pull in nose first. If my car (Tesla) is doing the parking, it likes to back in.

Parallel parking - I usually let the car do it. It’s easier and it does a good job.

Oddly, the Tesla won’t pull into a diagonal parking space but if you are parked in one already, using the autopilot or the Actually Smart Summon feature (***) it will back itself out and navigate itself to wherever you tell it to go.
 
Nov 16, 2005
27,526
20,500
113
If I’m in her Palisade I just pull in forward. The thing is so little you can easily back out. If I’m in my Duramax I might do either one. It’s probably still 75/25 that I pull in forward.
 

CochiseCowbell

Heisman
Oct 29, 2012
14,123
11,415
113
I back into my driveway, but that's only because I live in a small cul-de-sac and it's almost intuitive. Plus I have a downward sloping (towards the road) driveway and it makes it easier to get things out of the bed of my truck into the garage.

With my current truck, I back in much more than I have in any other vehicle, but I rarely do so in high traffic areas.
 

She Mate Me

Heisman
Dec 7, 2008
12,471
10,460
113
Why is it always the nose first parkers who take hardline stances against the backer iners?? It almost seems like weakness, but that can't be it.
 

dorndawg

All-American
Sep 10, 2012
8,758
9,414
113
My low-stakes theory is 90% of back-iners do it b/c they think it makes them look like a cop and/or criminal.

I really need the backin-in crowd to develop some kind of signal other than brake/backup lights to indicate what they want to do. If I'm behind you, it'd be nice not to have to read your mind. If you pull past a space in a busy parking lot with somebody behind you, that's a jump ball.

Costanza was wrong here:

1752584358581.jpeg
 
Last edited:

mstateglfr

All-American
Feb 24, 2008
15,981
5,825
113
98% of the time, I pull into a spot and park.
2% of the time, I pull thru. I then hang my head in shame for doing that.
0% of the time, I back in because I have a vehicle that can easily back out of parking spots.

If I had to back into parking spots because my vehicle was so absurdly large and cumbersome that backing out is a whole ordeal, I would just park far away in the open spots. I wouldnt park close and subject everyone else to my absurdly large vehicle that barely fits between the lines.
 

jethreauxdawg

Heisman
Dec 20, 2010
10,736
14,019
113
I really need the backin-in crowd to develop some kind of signal other than brake/backup lights to indicate what they want to do. If I'm behind you, it'd be nice not to have to read your mind. If you pull past a space in a busy parking lot with somebody behind you, that's a jump ball.

Costanza was wrong here:

View attachment 844981
People should realize the most efficient way to park is to back in, so you should recognize someone beginning the parking maneuver when they pull past a spot. I also throw my blinker on.
 

jethreauxdawg

Heisman
Dec 20, 2010
10,736
14,019
113
I back in if nobody is behind me. Makes leaving safer for everyone over limited visibility when backing out of a spot.

Not sure why the anti back-in hardliners feel that way. You are backing up at some point - not sure why the order irritates them.
They prefer to back up when there is less visibility.
 

She Mate Me

Heisman
Dec 7, 2008
12,471
10,460
113
I back in if nobody is behind me. Makes leaving safer for everyone over limited visibility when backing out of a spot.

Not sure why the anti back-in hardliners feel that way. You are backing up at some point - not sure why the order irritates them.

Yeah. I've spent much more time avoiding people backing out of spots who don't see me than I have waiting for people to back into a spot (because they generally know wtf they're doing).
 

horshack.sixpack

All-American
Oct 30, 2012
11,360
8,258
113
I back in if nobody is behind me. Makes leaving safer for everyone over limited visibility when backing out of a spot.

Not sure why the anti back-in hardliners feel that way. You are backing up at some point - not sure why the order irritates them.
Except for cereal. Milk last.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: ckDOG

FreeDawg

Senior
Oct 6, 2010
3,863
643
98
My house has a tundra and an expedition. I back in majority of time with my truck and 50/50 hers depending if I need to load something in the back. Ideal is 2 spots where I can pull through. Backing in to a spot with backup cameras is easy and makes getting out a breeze, especially a busy parking lot.
 

Darryl Steight

All-American
Sep 30, 2022
3,784
6,354
113
Do you back in or pull forward into the spot?
In the age of backup cameras, I can't imagine how insane (or female) you have to be to pull into a parking lot head first. Unless there is a shade factor of course.

Backing in is so easy, and much safer and quicker getting out. Hell it's actually easier with the camera to get snugly all the way into the spot than it is to guess how much space you have in front of you.
 

thedoubledeuce

Sophomore
Feb 18, 2025
126
127
43
In the age of backup cameras, I can't imagine how insane (or female) you have to be to pull into a parking lot head first. Unless there is a shade factor of course.

Backing in is so easy, and much safer and quicker getting out. Hell it's actually easier with the camera to get snugly all the way into the spot than it is to guess how much space you have in front of you.

In the age of 360' cameras, I can't imagine how insane (or female) you have to be to pull into a parking lot *** first. Unless there is a shade factor of course.
 
Nov 16, 2005
27,526
20,500
113
In the age of backup cameras, I can't imagine how insane (or female) you have to be to pull into a parking lot head first. Unless there is a shade factor of course.

Backing in is so easy, and much safer and quicker getting out. Hell it's actually easier with the camera to get snugly all the way into the spot than it is to guess how much space you have in front of you.
Backup camera tells me if a car is coming in both our vehicles. Backing in or parking forward is irrelevant.
 

ZombieKissinger

All-American
May 29, 2013
4,901
8,130
113
Appreciate the responses. The context is I’ve always just pulled in because it’s faster, and I think backing out is really easy unless you have a giant vehicle or are stupid. Would pull through if available, but didn’t go out of my way to do that. Was not aware of the safety studies, but that makes sense from an employer standpoint. Never really thought about it or cared much in the past. Moved to a new city, though, and the amount of parking lot traffic jams and near collisions from people trying to back into spots (and generally sucking at it) has been insane. Have not encountered this in other places I’ve lived, but it’s a thing here
 
  • Like
Reactions: patdog

She Mate Me

Heisman
Dec 7, 2008
12,471
10,460
113
I'm just not running into as many bad back in parkers as some of you obviously are. In my experience it's usually people who know how to do it who do it.

The fact that they're attempting something they're bad at in a busy area says a lot about the driver.
 

TheBannerM

All-Conference
Nov 30, 2024
1,080
1,556
113
I was taught that you have more maneuverability backing in than pulling forward. Also, more trucks have back-up cameras than front cameras, making it easier to see how close you are to other objects.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Darryl Steight