Drivers - Do you th...
 

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[Closed] Drivers - Do you think it should be law that.....

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....Everyone MUST reverse park in car parks?

Jeez, that was a bit hairy walking through Tesco car park yesterday! cars reversing randomy out all over the place!

Anyway, we manage it at work. It's company policy that you must reverse park, that's 300+ plants and all the offices. There's (guesstimate) 200 odd cars oustside here, all reverse parked, so it can be done......

I'll get the kettle on 🙂


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:40 am
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Some carparks have pillars that make it impossible to reverse park and get out.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:42 am
 DezB
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Not something I've ever thought about... Can you imagine all the random positioning from those who can't actually reverse park? It would halve the number of available spaces in most car parks!


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:42 am
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Just common sense really. In car parks I park so I can drive out 99% of the time - it is far easier than edging out whilst not able to see where you are going, particularly if parked by a larger car / van.

I guess the problem is people who are too rubbish at parking to reverse into a space, so prefer to reverse out so that they have the whole road to reverse into.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:44 am
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Surely that only makes sense if the driver forward of the centre of the car, otherwise going nose-in is better as the driver has better visibility.

I can think of plenty of cars where the driver is much closer to the back than the front...


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:45 am
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Can you imagine all the random positioning from those who can't actually reverse park?

No worse then it is now!

If you can't reverse park, then you really shouldn't be driving!

Drive forewards into a space here, and you'll get an email telling you to go turn it round! Seriously.....


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:47 am
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If you reverse in you can't get your shopping into the boot.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:49 am
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Yes. Or at the very least find a drive through space.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:50 am
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Yes, infact it's easier to get in and out of tight space by reversing in and driving out.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:51 am
 Drac
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Drive forewards into a space here, and you'll get an email telling you to go turn it round! Seriously...

And if you refuse to?


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:53 am
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If you reverse in you can't get your shopping into the boot.

That


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:54 am
 hels
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Aiming a bit high there mate - lets start with indicating on roundabouts - or hell, just indicating before changing lanes.

I always reverse into parking spaces esp at the supermarket, it's a hangover from van ownership where I figured out early on it was safer to reverse in where there was nothing to hit except other cars, rather than out where there might be small children.

I know people (carefully not specifying gender) who can't even forwards park. One that just mounts the pavement to get into a park...


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:55 am
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I usually reverse park well away from the supermarket, or shops in a shopping centre. Less chance of numpties/kids whacking your car with a trolley or their car door.

Amazing how 90% of people seem totally unable/unwilling to walk more than 100 yards and will drive round and round until a space comes free near the door.

It all becomes clear when you see the lazy fat gits waddling around the shop 8)


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:55 am
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Nobody ever does Drac.
I would imagine verbal/written warning though, as it's a breach of H&S policy and us quarring companies take that rather seriously.....

Type of vehicle has nothing to do with it either, cars, vans, trucks, loading shovels, dumpers, the lot. All reverse parked.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:57 am
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I can think of plenty of cars where the driver is much closer to the back than the front...

Yes, but they tend to be really small too, LR88/90, 7's etc. I cant think of many where the bonnet is so long as to be longer than the average cars read seats/boot, e-type?

I'd suppourt it, only probalem is as M_B says, it requires car parks to be designed for it.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:57 am
 Drac
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nothing to hit except other cars, rather than out where there might be small children.

OMG! He said it. OMG!


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:58 am
 Drac
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Nobody ever does Drac.
I would imagine verbal/written warning though, as it's a breach of H&S policy and us quarring companies take that rather seriously.....

Oh forgot where you worked so makes more sense, it has to be a blanket policy I suppose to enforce.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:59 am
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I never reverse park in a supermarket car park.
Therefore I have easy access to the rear of the car to pile all the shopping in.
Imagine the chaos if everyone reverse parked then tried to scrape trollys past the neighbouring cars to unload into the boot!!!!


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:59 am
 hels
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Well, I think that bumpers are expressly for finding out how close you are to the other car. It's like gymnasts, you know where the bar is with your arm fully extended.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:00 am
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At our workplace, it is compulsory, I believe lots of other companies in the sector have this too.

If supermarket car parks were designed with walkways between bays then it would be workable and car parks would be safer, my local waitrose is set out like this.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:01 am
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I always wonder why in the UK we don't have diagonal spaces. Ok you can't reverse into them but there's the access to boot issue anyway and it does mean everyone reverses out the same way. Do they take up more space?


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:01 am
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what chriswilk said.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:01 am
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hels - Member
Well, I think that bumpers are expressly for finding out how close you are to the other car. It's like gymnasts, you know where the bar is with your arm fully extended.

I've got a parking sensor. But they call it a tow bar...


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:03 am
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Reverse park in multi storeys and if picking up one or two things at the supermarket. Straight in if I'm doing a large shop I'm afraid. 🙂


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:04 am
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I always wonder why in the UK we don't have diagonal spaces

Less space-efficient, presumably. Doubly important to pay&display type car parks, where having all the bays six inches narrower than is actually practical means you get another dozen paying customers wedged in there.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:06 am
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it has to be a blanket policy I suppose to enforce.

Oh yeah, although it started in the units, then spread to the offices. H&S is pretty dracoinian in my line of work, you get used to it though.
I know of at least 3 people sacked for serious breaches and of one driver suspended for 1-2 weeks using a mobile phone whilst driving in the quarry after being told not to.
As well as the usual hat/boots/hi-vis we now have compulsory glasses and gloves on the operations units too.....


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:06 am
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....Everyone MUST reverse park in car parks?

Yes
If you can't reverse park, then you really shouldn't be driving!

hear! hear!

Bloke at work the other day took about 3 attempts to get his car in straight, and aligned nice and equally... IN A SMART CAR!
I was about to drive past, thinking he'd finished, only to find he was reversing out again to straighten up... err.. again! WTF?


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:08 am
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no... WGAS..?


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:10 am
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....Everyone MUST reverse park in car parks?

Depends on the shopping I intend to do. Supermarket, yes (it's not difficult to carry things round your car), garden centre/DIY probably not as the very bulky items make it much more difficult.

It's also generally compulsory in the industry I work in. No idea what would happen if you didn't do it as everyone does and it is a more sensible way of parking.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:15 am
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I used to teach my punters to be able to reverse park their car without having to look. You need to find the point on the car which you line up with the space you want to go into, start moving, straight to full lock, wait until the car is just about straight in the space, wheels back to middle reverse in and stop. Funniest demo ever. 😀


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:16 am
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If you can't reverse park, then you really shouldn't be driving!

Agreed, but equally, if you can't reverse out of a space without endangering the lives of pedestrians then you also shouldn't be driving.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:20 am
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I'm more inclined to point and shout loudly at the "Kid blinded Mom"
rather than another sodding Law, ferkristsakes..


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:20 am
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There's another issue with reversing into spaces too. ****wits behind you.

I was at ASDA a couple of weeks ago, found a spot, indicated (why does no-one else ever do this?) and stuck it in reverse, but couldn't get in because the halfwit behind had driven right up to my bumper. Gave up, went to another spot further down, indicate, reverse, and he's blocked me off a second time. WTF? Spot number three I just wanged it in nose first, otherwise I'd probably still be there now, forever doomed to roam the ASDA car park with my mouth-breathing nemesisisis shadowing my every move.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:26 am
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dont really see why it should matter in a supermarket carpark other than personal preference and how much shopping you're doing?

in my humble opinion:

drivers should be good drivers - dont reverse into children, people, other cars.

people should be considerate - dont scrape your trolly down the side of someone else's car to get to your boot cos you reversed in not thinking about your shopping and the fact the cars either side of you might change whilst your in the shop.

parents should watch their kids and not let them run randomly through a carpark behind reversing cars


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:30 am
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I was at ASDA a couple of weeks ago, found a spot, indicated (why does no-one else ever do this?) and stuck it in reverse, but couldn't get in because the halfwit behind had driven right up to my bumper

I'd have just sat there or edged backwards until they cottoned on...

Agreed, but equally, if you can't reverse out of a space without endangering the lives of pedestrians then you also shouldn't be driving.

It's a fair point!


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:38 am
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In Johannesburg there are always a large number of parking attendants to help people find spaces, park & exit. Perhaps the unemployed in this country could be used for a similar purpose. If a large number of lower ranking civil servants are to be made redundant this would be a great way to utilise them, everyone can be happy & safe 😀


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:41 am
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Some carparks have pillars that make it impossible to reverse park and get out.

Yep - my carpark has a pillar every two spaces - so you either have it on your drivers side or your passenger side. If I wasn't allowed to park forwards then I'd be forced to clamber out my passenger door more often than I do at the mo.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:43 am
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There's another issue with reversing into spaces too. ****wits behind you.

+1 - something I get when parallel parking, which works a lot better reversing in - I normally drive past the space indicating left, then shove it into reverse as quickly as possible (crunchily), yet some people still don't get the hint. Normally I'll just sit there with reversing lights and indicator on and wait for them to reverse back.

Having said that I get irritated with people reverse parking in supermarket car parks as they invariably take a lot longer than if forwards parking.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:52 am
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I see enough people struggling to get their car into a space driving it forwards, let alone backwards.

I'll normally go forwards into a space if I know I need to get loads of stuff/something bulky in the boot, otherwise I'll reverse in.

Depending on the space I find (if there's a pillar left/right) will also determine whether I reverse in or drive straight in.

A few weeks ago I got called a 'bleeping idiot' by a woman behind me, for indicating & swinging the car round to reverse it into a space. As I turned to get the back end of the car round to reverse it in, she tried to go round the back of my car, then realised what I was doing & stopped. As I reversed back she was flinging her arms up & huffing & puffing so I asked her what the problem was & she repeatedly shouted at me that I was a 'bleeping idiot' before screeching off.
The fact that my awesome skills allowed me to get into the space with about 1" between the passenger mirror & pillar, first time with no straightening nonsense seemed lost on her.
(I was quite tempted to pull out behind her as she went past, follow her to her preferred space & honk loudly at her the moment she attempted to park - but I realised that wasn't very mature).

Edit:

+1 - something I get when parallel parking, which works a lot better reversing in - I normally drive past the space indicating left, then shove it into reverse as quickly as possible (crunchily), yet some people still don't get the hint. Normally I'll just sit there with reversing lights and indicator on and wait for them to reverse back.

EXACTLY THIS!!


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:55 am
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(I was quite tempted to pull out behind her as she went past, follow her to her preferred space & honk loudly at her the moment she attempted to park - but I realised that wasn't very mature).

No, but bloody satisfying! Even better if you could nab her space!


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 11:57 am
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I tend to reverse-park into spaces, driving a cheap bulky smoking estate car helps (all I need to do to get rid of the idiot behind me is to rev the engine past 3k - the cloud ensures they are very quick to drive away 😉 ).


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:00 pm
 Keva
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what supermarkets need is a gangway walk in between every two rows of parked cars then people wouldn't have to wheel trolleys and walk all across the driving area.... and reverse park into the spaces so the boot is easily accessible.

Kev


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:05 pm
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Where my dad used to work they had a reverse parking policy. But, that was to do with people all arriving at slightly staggered times, then leaving en masse at 5pm. So, they had all the reversing going on when there were fewer cars maneuvering.

He had to get special permission to park his motorbike forward - there was a slope so it was much easier to roll backward out of the spaces.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:07 pm
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I generally reverse in to spaces unless I'm going to be returning with a lot of shopping and need esay access to the boot as I find it easier than reversing out.

A few *mumble about 15* years ago I was reversing in to a space at my local supermarket when a person (their sex is irrelevent for the purposes of this story 😉 ) decided that they would try to nip in to my space forwards.....I discovered on that day how much damage an agricultural tow hitch mounted on the back of a Land Rover Defender can do to the front corner of a Vauxhall Nova.

The other driver insisted it was my fault, the 2 policemen returning to their car with their lunch and saw everything took a different view.

Result was 1 (virtually) written off Nova, 1 very angry hairdresser and slight metallic blue smear on my tow hitch 😀


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:10 pm
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....Everyone MUST reverse park in car parks?

Yes. Their drives at home too. Common sense really, less visibility in reverse, so reverse into the smaller space. It's actually in the Highway Code too.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:12 pm
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In that there Canada its illegal to reverse into a spot. I know why it is but its still stupid


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:13 pm
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what supermarkets need is [s]a gangway walk in between every two rows of parked cars[/s] to fit the most cars they can into a given car park size as that saves them money

FTFY


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:18 pm
 hels
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I think it is illegal to reverse out of a driveway onto a road in this country is it not ? Or am I getting my road rules mixed up...

It's largely ignored anyway.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:32 pm
 Taff
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I'd rather people reverse out and I take care when I'm driving towards them than people trying to get trolleys between my car and theirs.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:37 pm
 Taff
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I think it is illegal to reverse out of a driveway onto a road in this country is it not ? Or am I getting my road rules mixed up...

It's largely ignored anyway.

Think that's right. Car park isn't a road thoug, it's not adopted and therefore is private grounds


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 12:39 pm
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I drive a ratty 60 year old land rover, this has two mirrors mounted on the wings and one on the drivers door and these are all the size of beer mats and still parallel park and reverse park if I have to, no power steering and more blind spots than a pirates convention.
The thing that pisses me of the most is if I have pulled in nose first to get the 8 ft of plaster board in is the amount of useless, thick witted, slow minded, brain dead, self centred numties that still try to drive around the back of me when I'm halve way out, the look of horror as 2 ton of steel suddenly picks speed towards their eurobox never cecess to give me great pleasure.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 7:47 pm
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More blind spots than a pirates convention

Superb! LOL! 😀

Let 'em bounce off the Landy. I would.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 8:00 pm
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Roverman, don't you mean 1 ton of steel and another ton of alloy ?

A nice set of sill bars are great for stopping door bangers in their tracks !

Sadly i have a eurobox, and every single dent in it was not caused by me. Oh i wish i had a landie.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 8:01 pm
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Saw 2 male motorists in Machester a few months ago, one reversed into the space, while the other drove forward from the space behind, rather large bang and much swearing.

£250 OFF YOUVE BEEN FRAMED, if i had my camera.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 8:16 pm
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That's why women will always need men


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 8:43 pm
 D0NK
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Driving to and from the supermarket for the weekly shop is the only regular driving I do so no ta, unless they do Keva's gangway idea.
But no shopping = reverse it in.
Edit

That's why women will always need men
oh and my mrs can reverse park a shedload better than half the guys who have to bounce their cars up onto the kerb to get into a not very tight spot at our local shops, some people can park some can't, got nowt to do with their sex.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 9:17 pm
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If only we hadn't let go of the colonies we'd have enough space for nice wide heeringbone car parks (reversing visibility is ok on the majority of vehicles if they're not trying to turn though 90 degress in a very limited space)

What I don't get is the number of peopl who look at you impatientlly when you drive past a space, stop and stick it in reverse. It's like they don't realise that it makes life easier and quicker when you come to leave* (unless you have epic amounts of bags. I suppose one solution would be to put the engines in the back 😉 )


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 9:25 pm
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I can't reverse park so should I be banned from driving? 🙄


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 9:51 pm
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I can't reverse park so should I be banned from driving?

you should learn to reverse park.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 9:52 pm
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I have different spatial skills. 😉


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:00 pm
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What I don't get is the number of peopl who look at you impatientlly when you drive past a space, stop and stick it in reverse. It's like they don't realise that it makes life easier and quicker when you come to leave

I don't care how quick it is for you when you come to leave - you won't be in my way then.


 
Posted : 20/06/2011 10:05 pm
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They should have premium spaces in car parks; I would quite happily pay a few quid extra to park in an extra wide space away from the plebs banging their doors into me. Does anyone else have this problem when they drive a decent car and park it in a public car park? I end up parking as far away as possible from the shop just to avoid people with no respect. No bad thing really I suppose, I could do with the exercise.


 
Posted : 21/06/2011 10:15 am
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Only trouble with reverse parking is: it makes it a pain in the ass to then unload all your shopping or whatever into the boot.

(this may have already been said but I can't be ar$ed reading through the entire thread)


 
Posted : 21/06/2011 10:44 am
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(this may have already been said but I can't be ar$ed reading through the entire thread)

Once or twice. STW thanks you for wasting our time rather than yours.


 
Posted : 21/06/2011 12:37 pm
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Found my odl mans car scraped on the bumper returning from shopping and asked car park security for the film of the dodgy driver.

I like the idea of reverse car parking.


 
Posted : 22/06/2011 4:29 pm

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