The only time backing in is bad is when people try to do it in those parking lots with the slanted spaces
Only time I generally avoid backing in is when I go to the grocery store so I can toss everything in my hatchback
Backing in as a concept isn't a problem, but in practice it's mostly the worst drivers who are doing it. I consistently see people backing in, then re-adjusting... again, and again, and again. The most egregious issue however, is divers backing in to a spot in a parking lot with other cars looking for spots, because they have no way to signal they are going to take a spot, so first they are passing the spot itself, so the driver behind them gets ready to take it, then they back in like an asshole
Once when I was in a busy parking lot during a nerd/pop culture convention, someone pulled weirdly far past the spot they wanted to back into and hesitated too long. I ended up taking the spot, not realizing I was swiping it from them ‘til I was mid process. Committed to being an accidental asshole, and then had to wait a minute or so to get out ‘cause they initially backed up behind me to… idk, probably cuss me out or whatever. Thankfully they got bored and left.
Actually a pretty timely discussion because this just happened to me last night. I had to find street parking in a residential neighborhood near a venue. It was about an hour after doors so parking was slim pickings. Here I found myself at a four way stop Magenta = parked cars Blue = other car Green = me Yellow = open space Blue car turns left, starts driving down the street. I see the spot over there so I turn right and plan to flip a hard U into it. The street is a little small but there is a driveway to the rear of the spot that makes it easy to do a three point turn, where by point three I can just pull straight into the spot. As I’m backing into point two of the three point turn, blue car comes barreling back in reverse from across the intersection, begins parallel parking which blocks me from making any more moves, and steals the spot I’m about to pull straight into. I’ve never road raged but I came very close
Kind of obnoxious in any case, but I trust people less not to hit my car when it's stationary right next to them when they back in than when they back out because they weren't paying attention.
but if they do hit your car while its stationary next to them no one gets hurt, meanwhile on main street in my town you are backing out onto a street people go 40 on. its not fun to have a collision at 40mph
safe to assume we are not talking about normal circumstances when the question is the safer way to park. parking is generally extremely safe
This conversation IS about normal circumstances and regular ol' parking. We're discussing why backing in is annoying and of no benefit. Only a few posts ago did you write out a very singular specific scenario, but that doesn't apply to the conversation being had. Backing in is dumb and if you can't back out of a parking spot safely you shouldn't be driving
well someone said backing in is safer, someone else asked why, i said because sometimes you're pulling out into traffic and its safer when you can see the traffic. this doesn't apply to the conversation?
I am weirdly terrible at backing into a spot when there are no cars beside me and rely heavily on my backup cam for that, but I never have to correct my parking if I'm backing in between two cars. Harder to see the lines on the ground than it is to see other vehicles