A combination of factors. Firstly, I was down to do this instalment but a staffer who came down with Covid necessitated a rapid shuffling of the deckchairs. That’s when Susannah confessed to large-car parking anxiety and we both agreed it would add an interesting subtext to the coverage.
I’m sorry your sexism needle immediately went into the redline at the thought of a female doing a carparking article, though I feel like that defensive reaction says more about you than it does about me, Susannah or Drive.
Personally, I believe that every person has a right to speak for themselves first and foremost, rather than have others ‘protect’ them without their knowledge (which is another insidious form of sexism: “She shouldn’t do that because she’s a woman and people will view it poorly”).
Susannah is intelligent, well-informed, and more than capable of telling me she doesn’t want to take on a particular assignment (which she has done in the past, for various reasons).
I hope you’ll agree the resulting article is richer for her involvement, and more engaging given the personal demon she confronted to do it.
You drive in and reverse out for the following reasons:
1. It’s far easier and quicker to place your car in a parking spot without endlessly shuffling back and forth to get it right.
2. It’s far more courteous to your fellow shoppers to drive straight in and get the hell out of everyone’s way quickly.
3. When you leave, you wait until the coast is clear to take your time and safely reverse out. Unlike holding everybody up to reverse in (if you can reverse in, you can reverse out!)
4. And finally, why in the name of everything that’s holy would you reverse in!!?? Presumably you’re there to buy stuff and load it into your car: the BACK of your car! Why would you back up against the wall?? Or another car?? Or try to manoeuvre your trolley between cars!!
If you are by yourself u have to put 2/3 of the vehicle out before u can see traffic / hazzard’s instead of the nose & u think barging out like this is safe & courteous to others ? I believe this will get you fined & license penalties in some countries ( 🇬🇧?)
Just wondering if you do this out on the street or just in car parks ?
I did notice for this vehicle the parking spot was the end by a drive way & not a few spaces in where a 13.6 turning radius would require much jostling to get straight.
Not sure what qualifies as a small car these days, but the “small car” parking spots in shopping centres near me are large enough to accommodate my LWB BMW 7 series with room to spare.
Guilty! I thought Zorro was a man’s name… oops!
I rarely do it, but for maneuverability reasons, reversing in is easier. The wheels that turn can do a wider swing in a tight space. Driving in forward and and getting your back wheels to centre requires a wider arc. It is the same reason you reverse into parallel parks.
Wait and see how bad it’ll be when there are a bunch of muppets in F-150 raptors for city driving too…