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Despite recommendations from road safety experts, thousands of Australians refuse to reverse into a parking space, arguing that it is neither safer nor more convenient than driving nose-first, according to a survey conducted by Drive.
In a 23 March article, we asked whether it was better for drivers to reverse into a parking space or reverse out.
According to experts and road safety data, reversing into a parking space is the safer option and is favoured by fleet operators and commercial vehicles.
It seems the official advice is aligned with the court of public opinion, which voted overwhelmingly in favour of reversing into a parking space.
Of the 8894 people who responded to Drive's survey titled Is it better to reverse into a parking space?, a total of 4928, or 55 per cent, voted in favour of reversing into a parking space.
Of those, 2699 people said they reversed into parking spaces because "it's safer", while another 25 per cent said they did so because "it's easier".
Meanwhile, 3966 or 45 per cent of survey respondents voted against reversing into a parking space, with 3351 arguing there is "no safety or time-saving benefit", while 615 said it was simply "too hard".
Unsurprisingly, the comments section was similarly opinionated, with 150 comments split evenly between outrage and approval.
Those in favour of reversing into a parking space said it was more practical and offered improved safety when pulling out of a space, particularly when visibility is limited.
"It's safer driving forward to get out, especially when you're surrounded by stupid mega-utes and SUVs that block your vision to either side," reader Meng Fei commented.
Meanwhile, user Vevony argued: "Geometry. Your pivot point on the car is the front axles. Reversing in opens the angle both when you pull in, and when you have to pull out. Quicker. Easier. As long as you are a decent driver. Most people really aren’t if you spend much time on our roads".
Those against backing into a parking spot were passionate, with many arguing that reversing into a car space held up traffic and offered minimal benefit upon exiting.
"Parking at a supermarket is not an SAS operation!" user Sunstate argued. At the same time, commenter Geoff said reverse parking was "idiotic" because, "when the moronic driver decides to drive past the parking spot and reverse in, it takes time. The traffic behind must stop and wait".
One particularly compelling argument came from commenter Robert Smith, who wrote: "There are these things on cars called reversing lights. How can I see the intentions of a car leaving a car park when I cannot see the aforementioned lights?".
Plenty of drivers felt the answer depended on where you were parking and, perhaps most pertinently, what you were loading into your boot.
"I reverse into spots too, but not at the supermarket. Right up against a wall or another car so you can't get your groceries in? I'll simply never understand that," said one Drive reader. Another concurred: "As a rule, I reverse most of the time, simply because it then becomes easier to exit, particularly if traffic in the car park increases later on. The exception is loading (especially at, say, Bunnings) – tail out so I can load more easily."
Finally, a small handful of people were neutral and advocated for the most important driving approach of all: World peace.
"Just another issue to divide us. I know lots of folks are only happy when they're arguing," Miram Hotrodder said. Another wrote: "Who cares. Put the car in the gap. Done".
In summary, the official and popular opinions agree: Reversing into a parking space is the way to go... except in the Bunnings Warehouse carpark, where all bets are off.
Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously worked across titles like The New Daily, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, Susannah now relishes testing family cars with the help of her husband and three-year-old son.
