Do you back your car in to a parking spot?

[JulesMaximus]

I never used to but now that I have a coupe (I've had this car for a year now) I find myself backing it in when I park at work. I do this simply because I've almost ripped the front bumper cover off a couple times because of those stupid concrete parking stops. My car is not lowered but these things have iron rods that sometimes stick out a bit and they just like to grab my bumper cover so I back in whenever parking it at work.

 

[dullard]

People on ATOT hate me for stating this in other threads on the topic, but every single dent in my car has been caused by someone next to me who parks backwards. Thus, at least where I live, those are the careless bad drivers.

 

[JulesMaximus]

People on ATOT hate me for stating this in other threads on the topic, but every single dent in my car has been caused by someone next to me who parks backwards. Thus, at least where I live, those are the careless bad drivers.

I'm not sure how you could correlate backing into a parking spot and door dings. The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

 

[Thebobo]

Back in parkers are of the same breed of the same folks who shot video horizontally, despicable degenerates.

 

[dullard]

I'm not sure how you could correlate backing into a parking spot and door dings. The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Quite simple:

1) Walk to the car.
2) See a door ding.
3) Look at who dinged it.
4) It is a car that backed in.
5) Repeat for a dozen times over the years that I've been driving.
6) See a pattern.
7) Complain about the pattern on ATOT.
8) Everyone hates me.

I haven't noticed any new door dings with cars parked properly. I've been side-swiped with a car going the right direction, but that is for another thread.

 

[Rifter]

I usually do, i find it easier to back in than to back out, i drive a largish 4x4.

 

[NoCreativity]

Pull through > Back in > pull in

Prefer to be facing out when I leave so I either back in or pull through*.

*Unless parking lot is crowded and small and backing in disrupts other drivers.

 

[Anubis]

Back in parkers are of the same breed of the same folks who shot video horizontally, despicable degenerates.

this

 

[Scarpozzi]

It depends. Where I work, the parking enforcement tickets for it...

I only back in when it makes sense to or when it won't cost me $10. Out of our 3 vehicles, only 1 of them has a backup camera....it really takes the skill out of it. My 4 Runner has the sonar thing and my pickup truck has neither... I mainly worry about the trailer hitch hitting something solid since it juts out that extra 10".

 

[lxskllr]

Sometimes. It depends on the spot. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't.

 

[rh71]

I can do it easily, but it's still a bother to do so. I have zero reason to do it 99% of the time.

I bet you wouldn't bother with it at a shopping area parking lot. Work lot is different, usually nobody is waiting for you to clear out of their way as you back in.

 

[IAteYourMother]

I'm not sure how you could correlate backing into a parking spot and door dings. The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

You can definitely correlate it. You probably can't causate it.

 

[aigomorla]

it really depends i would say.

If it says head only parking i will not back into it.
If its a tight spot, then i will back into it, so i can share my exit with the car next to me, and basically force the person on the other side to pull his car out instead of the passenger giving me a nice door ding trying to jimmy in.

If its a difficult spot to back out of, then again, i will back up into it.

 

[dullard]

You can definitely correlate it. You probably can't causate it.

I don't have statistical data to show causation. But one could speculate:
(1) Those who can't back out and thus must back in may be worse drivers, and thus more likely to ding;

(2) Those who strongly prioritize their own driving ease may be less likely to care about the other drivers;

and/or

(3) When you back in, you probably aren't going to be as precise as when pulling in so then you have less room to open your door.

It is certainly possible that none of those may be true, but I see no reason any of them could not be true either. And clearly you can be a great driver, back in, and care about other cars. Backing in doesn't force the ding. It just in my life is strongly related to dings.

 

[rh71]

^ yup I'm going with #3. Head-in is a lot easier to control equal spacing for Joe Schmoe. People who back in may also be rushed to do so by a waiting car.

 

[foghorn67]

I think Im going to back mine in. The camera aligns it pretty well in the stall the few times I have done so already. Its easier to see cars that are moving when exiting the stall. Backing it out of stalls isn't so wise around here. Way too much going on and not enough people paying attention.

 

[rumpleforeskin]

I remember a thread about this very topic being posted previously and was totally baffled that time.
And now there is this thread, so unless "backing your car in" is a euphemism I'm not privy too I'm still none the wiser to the issue being discussed

Maybe something about the relative size of cars to parking spaces in the States? You definitely have a great selection of larger cars and SUVs available than would ever be practical for a European road. Though you also have far larger parking spaces to accommodate them.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I've said this in a previous thread, but people that drive pick-ups that back in to spots are the absolute worst fucking people at it. If it takes you 3 tries to get yourself into the spot just fucking stop. You suck at it, and you're just going to hit shit. Is being able to pull out of a spot going forward really that worth it? It's not at all difficult to back-out, just stick your ass out and look for vehicles - jeebus.

 

[BoomerD]

Sometimes. It depends on the spot. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't.

This.

 

[preCRT]

The only time I used to routinely back into a parking space was when I was using an expired parking decal on my car rear window for several semesters in Cambridge.

Campus cops never left their vehicle to check the dates, saved me hundreds in parking fees/fines every semester.

 

[WelshBloke]

It depends. Where I work, the parking enforcement tickets for it...

Eh? Really? That's odd.

I'll park either way around, depends if I need to get to the boot or not.

 

[Ns1]

yes

 

[nakedfrog]

Very rarely. The vast majority of the time I'll go for somewhere I can pull through.

 

[Aikouka]

It depends on my orientation to the space. If the space is on the left side of the row, then I will pull in. If it's on the right side, then I will back in. Why back in at all instead of just pulling in? Because I have a back-up camera with distance sensors, and it's actually easier to back in using the camera then to assume I'm 100% accurate at knowing where the front of my car is. To be clear, I've never accidentally tapped another vehicle, but I've sometimes left a little too much room in front of my car.

 

[clamum]

I back it into my apartment parking space every time. That's about it; very infrequently will I back it in for a parking space at the grocery store or something. Oh, but I will back it in maybe 40%-50% of the time when I go into Ann Arbor and have to park in a parking garage.