Do you park in reverse?
The same way driving habits of many people can cause other people headache, there is one form of parking that actually creates headache and amazing drama for others on the road. And that form of parking is the art of reverse parking. You are all familiar with reverse parking. It is the idea where you have to reverse your way into a parking spot. In real life, reverse parking is not as easy as it seems. Many people park in reverse in such a way that you would think they drive a certain special kind of truck that passes by your house every week. And that truck is the garbage truck.
Today we will realize how reverse parking can be annoying if not understood correctly. I call drivers who cannot park in reverse normally “Garbage Truck Drivers.1”
Reverse Parking Like a Garbage Truck Driver
Garbage truck drivers have a lot of skills. They have to drive a big truck on smaller roads in order to pick up your garbage. A garbage truck driver and any assistant he or she might have try to navigate small roads, avoid parked cars, and use a folk-lift type system to pick up your garbage. They usually do this without getting into any accident or without hitting any other cars. And for some reason I get very interested to see Garbage Trucks always parked in reverse in their stations or on the street between buildings.
People who try to act like garbage truck drivers by reverse parking usually do not have a lot of parking skills. They get nervous, they look in the front more than they look in the back, and they end up spending a lot of time getting distracted than they do thinking or acting.
Why People Park in Reverse
Many people with regular cars think that reverse parking is a phenomenon that will make their life better. Here are 5 reasons people like parking in reverse:
- It will save time when leaving, like driving off quickly away after a burglary. Parking in reverse at your home to take your pregnant wife to the hospital in an emergency or to leave the home in case of a zombie infection are two good reasons for such a form of parking.
- It is more convenient to simply pull out, since driving requires a lot of brain power.
- Because others are doing it. You would be surprised how many people park in reverse only because they see others doing it too.
- Because at night time, reversing from a parking spot requires more focus on the dark areas behind the car. Whereas if you parked in reverse already, you can simply turn on your car lights, spot the squirrel standing in front of your car, and avoid it when pulling out.
- Because one can park in reverse. This may probably be the only good reason on this list.
Why Many People Should Not Park In Reverse
With many good things come bad things that people love to follow. Here are a few reasons why parking in reverse creates drama for other people:
- People spend 2 minutes reverse parking in order to save 30 seconds when pulling out of the parking spot. I have seen people take up to 2 minutes and more than 7 attempts to park in reverse. If the lanes are small in the parking area where you are trying to reverse park, you will be holding up almost all the traffic in that lane. The only reason the record for reverse parking, or garbage truck parking, is 2 minutes and 7 attempts in my book is because I stopped keeping track and reversed myself in the lane I was in and parked in another lane normally.
- People tend to hit other cars or even people when not knowing how to reverse park while reverse parking. Reverse parking means you get to keep an eye out for incoming traffic, and also any traffic in any direction behind you. And reverse parking means you have to watch out for pedestrians more than the cars in front of you.
- People end up parking too close to other cars on one side, while leaving a lot of space on their own driving side. Majority of the reverse parked cars I see leave little room for any cars parked next to them, resulting in other car drivers or passengers unable to get in those other cars.
- Reverse parking requires more attention and stress. People try to reverse park everything, from small two door cars to big 7 door vans. And majority of them take a very long time to do it and end up parking normally in another parking lane.
- Reverse parking is worse than reverse leaving, which is the idea of pulling out when you originally parked without reversing into the parking spot. Parking normally, with the front of the car going in first, means when you reverse out, you simply leave the parking lot. In contrast, reverse parking means you not only try to reverse in slowly, you keep reversing in and out in order to park your car.
Do you pretend to be a Garbage Truck Driver?
If you like the idea of reverse parking, consider this: reverse parking is not the same as parallel parking. Parallel parking usually means you are taking use of some space and there is probably no other better way to park. Reverse parking usually means you dream of garbage trucks. You are the reason garbage truck drivers get a bad name.
Next time you want to park like that, check to see if you are parking a garbage truck. If you aren’t, then check to see if you would be blocking anyone else while you try out a form of parking that’s normal for people in normal conditions but you would like to make it into a stunt. If you are blocking people, then just park normally.
Please share your thoughts, comments and any parking tips or stories in the comments below. Thank you! 
I wonder how many Garbage Truck Drivers will read this post and tell me that they never park in reverse to begin with.
Footnotes
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- Maybe “Garbage Truck Driver Wannabe” would be a better term, hmmm. [↩]
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I love reading but have never commented before but I feel rather strongly about this. I pride myself on being a good driver and I am particularly skilled in parking. I don't quite get the Garbage Truck analogy though. Anyway, I reverse park everywhere I can… at the store, at home, at work etc. Not only is it quicker to pull out but more practical.
Working at a lawyers I see literally hundreds of road traffic accident claims where two vehicles reversing from opposite spaces to exit hit each other. If you reverse park you eliminate that risk as you can see what other vehicles are doing a lot better.
Thanks for the comment Samantha!
The Garbage Truck driver wannabe is that because Garbage Trucks, at the end of the day, have to reverse park into their parking spots at their stations. Also, if a garbage truck driver wants to take a break or part somewhere, he/she usually reverse parks in order to be get out easily when the break is over and it is time to leave quickly to get to work.
Your example of people filing claims for reverse parking accidents [both sides] is very interesting! Are they just claims, or are they also true?
See, you are then a good example of a great reverse driver and are thus exempt from the people mentioned in the post.
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I always have this kind of parking problem and i usually leave it to the gate keeper
Melissa, thanks for the reply. Awesome! Do you usually park at places where they have the parking attendants [gate keepers]?
I just ended a verbal rant here at work because everyone at my workplace as well as everyone in the state of Georgia reverse parks (this inspired me to google opinion about reverse parkers.) Next time I see a reverse parker whom hits the breaks in front of me after having passed a parking space, I'll be sure to be the a-hole to park in the spot they are attempting to reverse into. This idiotic insanity needs to end somewhere.
Wow Jose, thanks for sharing! Did someone reverse park or hit someone or something? What was the end result or the argument?
Many people do know how to reverse park, though it seems that majority of the people are the ones you described.
reverse parking is the way to park, its definitely easier!
Hey Sammy, thanks for the comment. What about the inconvenience that it may cause to other drivers if a person doesn't reverse park properly?
I am inconvenienced just as much by forward facing parkers who do not park properly.
I am from London and the reverse parking here is you must park the car within 2 car lengths and approximately within 6 inches of the lane.
Thanks for sharing! Did someone reverse park or hit someone or something. What was the end result or the argument. Do tell me about it in your next blog.
because reverse parking need a real concentration & confident.
I do park in reverse always, even if there's a sin that tells "park facing the wall". Its a practice.Of course you have to make sure you will not hit anything. So watch out.
The most dangerous part of reverse parking is that you will exit going forward. You say that I’m crazy? No.
Everybody worries about the pedestrian and uses their safety to justify the reverse parking. But as a pedestrian I need to manage my risk, I do that be observing the reversing lights on cars properly parked in the forward direction. By observing the reversing lights I know the status of the vehicle, what my risk is and I am in control.
If a car is facing forward then I have no idea if the car is in gear or not, it could bolt out of the space at any time without warning.
You say that the driver is better positioned now to see me but wait a second, its my life and I want that responsibility in my hands, not an unknown driver who could be distracted.
Please do not reverse park, it may save a pedestrians life.
This is dumb. I park reverse because I have a very long, 2 wheel truck that turns like a boat when forward parking. I have to swing into other lanes just to park straight and even then sometimes my truck can’t make it. Think about how wide semi trucks turn on the street because the pivot point is in the front of the vehicle. They just drag those other 16 wheels left and right. By reversing….the pivot point of the vehicle (the front wheels) effectively act as the back wheels, and gives me a sharper turning radius going into a tight space. I guess no one understand basic physics.
You’re point about not having skill is ridiculous. Backing up takes focus and a good knowledge of the dimensions of you car.
1. I dont park in reverse to save time. I could care less.
2. Much like parallel parking (where you have to reverse into your spot) I don’t need to watch the traffic in front of me. they can hit me if they’d like. It’s their fault.
3. I don’t hold up traffic whe I reverse park anyway. I wait or go to the next lane. When no one is behind me, then I reverse park. It takes 1 try and I do it faster than most people can park pulling in forward.
This article is idiotic
I reverse park. Critical advantage being wing mirrors. I drive many vehicles, including fire trucks.
Statistically reversing out or reversing in amounts to the same amount of “blind” travel / lane obstructions.
Unfortunately, the reality is that most drivers lack the precision to execute such manouvers – hence 2 mins, 7 attempts
But practise makes perfect?!?
My advice: (assuming you can drive) park in reverse when the odds of more traffic on your departure are higher than “now”. Otherwise park in forwards and leave the blind for later. If in doubt, reverse using all mirrors and common sense spatial checks (look beforehands, use shadows, reflections, etc).
If reversing fire trucks, use a spotter.
I really like reverse parking, but this post brought a lot of good points. A lot of these things I already knew, but then of course, some I didn’t. Reverse parking has never been a big problem for me, but I am certainly particular about my parking. Most people simply pull in/back in and are nonchalant about how crooked they parked, but I like to make sure my car is straight and right in between the lines. It’s a little harder to do with reverse parking though…
Usually, If a car isn’t behind me, I will reverse park, but I probably won’t as much now.
Tyler,
Thanks for replying too. Hmmmmm, that does make me think: if you’re good at reverse parking and do it normally so that it doesn’t cause any extra annoyance for others, it’s good and perfect too?
Why do you reverse park, btw? To drive out easily? Do you reverse park easily and fast? What kind of car do you drive?
I drive a Chevrolet Cobalt LS sedan,and I rarely reverse park now unlike before,thanks to this article. It brought out a lot of valid points that I agree with. Reverse parking was never my ‘primary way’ of parking. Driving in has always been my primary way of parking, not backing in, but it just varies on if someone’s with me or not,traffic, time,and location. Whenever I do happen to reverse park though, I only do it if no one’s behind me. If someone is behind me,I won’t even attempt to do it, I’ll just park normally. I hardly ever reverse park anymore.
Hey Tyler,
Thanks for the comment! By a Chevrolet Cobalt LS sedan, do you mean this Chevrolet Cobalt?
Reverse parking or even any other parking I don’t care about if there are no people around. However, as you mentioned, doing it with people around is so inconsiderate and selfish that it actually wastes other people’s time.
Yes, that’s it, except it’s a 4 door and it’s a blue metallic color.
I agree actually. A lot of reverse parkers are pretty inconsiderate in my opinion.
Some will block your entire view,and it always seems to be someone in a pick up truck. Sometimes they’ll have to go back and forth to align correctly. It’s true though… Reversing out of a parking spot really doesn’t take that long, but it’s just….easier to drive *out * of one, but I’ve always noticed when I reverse park, my parking always seems to end up crooked,and I can be very picky.
By the way, I like your garbage truck driver analogy.
I can teach you how to reverse park properly and safely. I am a professional driving instructor and would be happy to give you some driving lessons to sort out your reverse parking issues lol.
Rob
This was a funny article, even though it was meant to be serious. All the times that I have ended up parking in reverse was by accident. If you ever reach a point where you positioned yourself wrong to park properly or you are being rushed because people are trying to pass, thats when reverse parking saves me. Other wise, i would just park normally like all other humans lol.