a white car parked in a parking lot
Photograph ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
Brian Cohen·
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3 Reasons Why I Back Into Parking Spots

If you back your vehicle into a parking spot, congratulations — you are in the honor group of the day.

This article on the 3 reasons why I back into parking spots is written primarily pertaining to rental vehicles while traveling in countries around the world; but they also apply to my own vehicle at and near where I am based as well.

3 Reasons Why I Back Into Parking Spots

Driving a vehicle typically requires a place to park or store it, which is not always easy to do depending on the location and the conditions at the moment — and at times, doing so can also cost money.

Without further ado, the 3 reasons why I back into parking spots are because for me, doing so:

  1. Is safer overall. Unless people happen to be milling about around vehicles in immediately neighboring parking spots, backing into a parking spot is safer than backing out of a parking spot because when I return to the vehicle and am ready to drive again, I have a clear view of the current situation in front of me without having to turn around. During inclement weather, I have the advantage of activating windshield wipers when I pull the vehicle forward; and at night time, I have full sized headlights with high beams available to help illuminate the area and subsequently improve my sight. I can see pedestrians, other vehicles, and potential hazards all at once without having to turn around or rely on mirrors, as I would be required to do when backing up — I can see a small child passing in front of the vehicle much better than I can see a small child passing behind the vehicle while backing up, as one of numerous examples — which leads to…
  2. Saves time. I can pull out of the parking spot immediately because of my instantly broad and clear view of the situation in front of me with the aforementioned equipment for safety to aid me. When backing up out of the parking spot, I do not have as much of a view due to the pillars of the vehicle and other potential blind spots — so I must slowly inch the vehicle out carefully, knowing that significant changes could happen immediately.
  3. Helps to prevent burglaries of vehicles. I try to find a wall, a guard rail, a hedge, a tree, a hill, a drop off with a steep decline, or some other obstruction to which I can back the vehicle as closely as possible to prevent anyone from breaking into the hatch or the trunk. Doing so also helps hide any designation that the vehicle is a rental, which is usually affixed to the rear of the vehicle. While this is not a foolproof way to prevent burglaries of vehicles, it may be enough of an obstacle for a criminal to choose a different vehicle that is an easier target. If I need to access the hatch or trunk, I can always reposition the vehicle to have enough room to do so.

Backing into a parking spot is not always 100 percent effective. I remember one time years ago when I backed a vehicle into a parking spot in a parking lot in Rockville Centre on Long Island in New York and did not notice the small signs that instructed that cars should be parked “head in”. I returned to the car to find a ticket tucked under the windshield wiper on my window with a fine of five dollars.

That must have cost the municipality more money to execute the fine than to have just left it alone. To this day, I still do not know the exact reasons for the existence of that parking restriction.

Another minor disadvantage is that in jurisdictions where a license plate is required only on the rear of the vehicle, finding a rental car in a parking lot can be slightly more difficult when the vehicle is backed into a parking spot — but most rental vehicles are typically equipped with a key fob; so I can simply unlock the doors of the vehicle, whose lights will flash as a result.

See also

Final Boarding Call

Yes, backing a vehicle into a parking spot takes more time than pulling forward into it; so in a situation that requires being in a hurry, backing a vehicle in a parking spot may not be ideal — but I truly like pulling a vehicle out of a parking spot when I am ready to leave. The process has consistently worked for me over the years all over the world; so I will continue to do so as long as conditions warrant it…

Photograph ©2024 by Brian Cohen.

Related

12 Comments

  1. Ugh. The fact that you have to explain why you do this proves that it’s annoying and unpopular. You save zero time. You annoy other drivers. And backing in is just pure dubassery.

    Reply

    1. You are entitled to your opinion, John.

      I gave three legitimate reasons as to why I back a vehicle into a parking spot; but you have not explained how what I do annoys other drivers.

      I can think of far more annoying things — such as parking too close to another vehicle as one of many examples…

      Reply

    2. I agree with you John. With all due respect Brian, If you have to rely on your camera to park, you are just lazy. If you block people behind you (especially if you don’t have turn signal on to show your intentions) to get into a spot, you are just acting like a self-entitled jerk. Everyone knows that if someone is backing out of a parking space, you yield. That is not the case when people back into a spot. Your 3 reasons are all B.S., unless you have a scientific study to back up your 3 reasons. I can personnaly attest Reason Nos. 2 and 3 do not always work. In your response to @ Barry…if the next guy is also going to back into the spot, they do not park quicker.

      Reply

      1. I do not rely on a camera to park, D.A.…

        …and I always use my turn signals to indicate my intentions — whether parking or turning the motor vehicle that I am driving. I never understood drivers who do not use turn signals at all.

        My years of experience backs up my reasons — did anyone catch the pun there? — which I do not believe suggest that I am “a self-entitled jerk”.

        Reply

  2. When people back into parking spaces when others are behind and have to wait, it can be frustrating. I’ve seen people do this when I know they are already late for their appointment. I agree that it makes it much easier to get out, and I don’t have an issue with people doing it, as long as it doesn’t make others late.

    Reply

    1. Consider the converse, Barry Graham: a person arrives at his or her parked vehicle in a crowded parking lot. They slowly back out as another motorist waits patiently for that parking spot while others are behind and have to wait.

      I pull out of the parking spot quicker and that person gets the parking spot sooner…

      Reply

  3. not all states require license plates on the front of your car. if everyone parks head-in, law (or parking) enforcement can easily see everyone’s plates.

    Reply

    1. That is true, t.

      However, the incident in which I was fined that I described in the article occurred in the state of New York, where motor vehicles are required to display license plates in both the front and back of the car — and the car that I was driving had license plates from the state of New York; so a license plate was indeed affixed to the front of the car.

      Reply

      1. yes, but not all cars in a parking lot will be from the state you are currently located in. the head-in parking requirement is often used in lots with some sort of parking enforcement, whether it be a time limit, permit, etc.

        Reply

        1. I also suppose that parking head-in also allows law enforcement to check to see if a motor vehicle which is only equipped with a license plate on its rear is properly registered, t.

          Being originally from New York where all information is on the front of the vehicle, I had not thought of that aspect. My personal vehicles always complied with the law; but I suppose that is not always guaranteed with rental cars…

          Reply

  4. In Canada, backing in is popular. I do not do it because I do not have a rear camera and Canadian spaces are much tighter than American. My next car will have a rear camera. They were required in the 2014 model year. I bought my car a few months before the 2014 model year.

    If possible, I drive into a parking space through 2 spaces to end up as if I had backed in.

    Reply

    1. Although I had been to Canada multiple times, derek, I had not noticed that backing into parking spots was popular.

      Even when a motor vehicle is equipped with a camera, I rarely use it to back up into a parking space. Turning around while using mirrors is still my primary way of backing into a parking space.

      By the way, see the photograph featured at the top of this article? Driving into a parking space through two spaces to end up as if I had backed in is exactly what I did…

      Reply

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