Drivers tell us why they do — or don't — back into parking spaces
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Quite a few vehicles were backed into parking spaces at The District at Howell Mill. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios
👋🏽 Kristal here.
We recently asked Axios Atlanta readers why drivers here insist on backing into parking spaces.
- And apparently, we touched a nerve because dozens responded — with strong feelings about it.
The latest: Most readers said they prefer to back in, but several echoed sentiments shared by Thomas: that the mere sight of a driver backing into a parking space triggers varying degrees of frustration.
What y'all told us: Phil S. said he backs in most of the time, but if he's grocery shopping, he pulls forward so he can load up the back.
- Jeanne R.: "I drive a small car and with all the huge SUVs parked by me, I feel much safer pulling out of parking spaces going forward."
- Ramon P., who lives in Greenville, South Carolina, backs into spaces because "leaving my grandson's high school events with monster pickup trucks on either side is near impossible without backing in."
The other side: Readers who were against backing in mostly said it's a time suck and inconsiderate of other drivers waiting to park.
- Carolyn S.: "I am the one who yells in her car when they do especially if they can't make it in on the first try."
- Justin S. doesn't usually back into parking spaces because it slows everyone down.
- "I've heard it's so you can leave quickly if things go south, but I don't think that should be an issue at the Trader Joe's in East Cobb," he said.
- Terri F.: "I abhor folks who hang up other drivers by backing [in]! And this is not a long standing practice. It seems to have started about a year ago and now everyone is doing it."
Yes, but: Drivers who prefer to back in can cite at least one study that shows backing out of a parking space is more dangerous than pulling forward.
- The study, published in 2020 in the Transportation Research journal, found that pulling into and backing out of a parking space comes with a higher crash risk.
The intrigue: AAA also recommends backing in when parking because drivers can see people and traffic more clearly when they are exiting, Montrae Waiters, a public and government affairs consultant with AAA, told Axios.
- Gary J. said he parked vehicles during a summer job in Minneapolis and "was taught by long time parking attendants that backing in to a spot is the proper way to park."
- Another reader, Doris, said she was taught to back in during a driver's education class in the 1970s and later by a Georgia state trooper during a training course for her job.
Kristal's thought bubble: I'm team back-in, but do understand how frustrating it is when a driver wants to reverse-park when the lot is really busy and everyone is fighting for a spot.