According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you should always reverse into a parking space rather than pull in forward.
Why?
First of all, it’s safer.
Let’s face it, regardless of one’s driving experience or lack thereof, pulling forward into a parking space is a guessing game.
How so?
Because, at a certain point in the process of pulling in forward, you can no longer see the line on either side of you or the line / curb in front of you… hence, you guess your way in.
And, if you opt for a “curb spot” i.e. a parking space adjacent to the curb, well…
“THIS” is the result of drivers guessing wrong… and doing so repeatedly!
You wouldn’t guess a lane change, would you? Then why guess your way in or out of a parking space?
The smarter, and far safer alternative is to back into the parking space wherein, through the use of both side mirrors, you are able to closely monitor the entire process from start to finish… thus eliminating any guesswork.
Now, add a back-up camera into the equation and it only gets better from there.
And, when it’s time to exit the parking space, you only have to pull forward slowly while glancing to the left & right and you’re good to go; clearly and unquestionably a smarter, safer and far more reliable alternative to the norm, which is, awkwardly looking over your shoulder while backing out blindly into potential traffic or, even worse, the path of pedestrians.
When you back out of a parking space, the cars parked beside you are directly in your blind spots. Backing into your parking space provides you more visibility of pedestrians and traffic flow than you’d have if you were backing out of the space.
Alternatively, when backing into your parking space, you avoid these blind spots and have the most visibility when leaving the space as well.
Driving forwards into a parking space is a false economy in terms of both overall maneuvering time and safety. You will spend just as long, if not longer, trying to safely reverse out of the space into traffic, so it makes sense that you do it safely into the empty space.
Note: When parking in a high-traffic lot, it’s a good idea to put on your turn signal as you approach the desired space, and by doing so, lay claim to said space by alerting others of your intent.
Some drivers, mostly the ones that don’t know how to back in themselves, might express frustration in high-traffic situations if you opt for “back-in” parking because they think they’ll have to wait longer to drive through. Rest assured, with a little practice, you’ll be able to accomplish the task every bit as quick, if not quicker, because you’ll nail it on the first attempt every time.
Reverse parking is also much more fuel efficient than pulling in forward. As a result of research conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, reversing out of a parking space with a cold engine uses 20 to 25 times more fuel in the first few seconds than a warm engine. Doing that several times a week adds up in terms of fuel costs, not to mention engine wear & tear.
Add to the fact, in an emergency, it’s much quicker to get into your vehicle and drive straight out than to back out. And, if anything should happen to your engine; such as: a dead battery etc., you will have easy access to the hood for jump starts etc. and, in the event that the vehicle has to be towed… well, enough said.
The numbers don’t lie:
Drivers backing out of their parking spaces in driveways and parking lots kill an estimated 300 people and injure another 5,000+ people every year; with a majority of those being children and seniors.
Sadly, these tragedies have become so common that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently made it a rule that by May 2019 any & all new vehicles under 10,000 lbs must come equipped with rear visibility technology (standard). While this technology might make backing out a bit safer, as of yet, based on the statistics, no measurable reduction in the percentage of accidents has resulted.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, in addition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, many of the other key organizations, both state and federal, that promote traffic safety; such as: the American Automobile Association, National Safety Council, Arizona Dept of Transportation, Arizona Dept of Public Safety, Arizona Traffic Safety Resource Division, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety... not to mention, every major automobile insurance provider… ALL endorse reverse parking over pulling in forward.
Learn it. – Practice it. – Apply it. – Share it.
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