Why do people do this?

System

If I am just buying a few items I don't mind parking boot inwards as just put the sole bag in passenger seat footwell

hollydays

Some people find it easier to reverse into a space because it avoids having to dodge the people who constantly walk behind you when you are trying to get out again I guess.
I apologise for my thoughtless post , I didn't fully read the op as stated.

paddyrg

peachyprice wrote: »

But it's a car park, no such rules exist for exiting a parking space within a carpark.

Indeed, I refer you back to my first sentence ;-)

Wacky103

ScarletMarble wrote: »

I did ask this question to the lady that parked next to me. She said, she didn't want to leave her car lonely. Cars don't have personalities!!

This made me laugh !

I have to agree with what most of you have said though. Whenever I go to any car park I always try to find an end space and put the car in so that my drivers side ends up next to the bit where there's no other space. I try to then park as far over in the space as possible (even if it means scrambling over a small bush on the drivers side) so that if someone parks next to me on the other side, they *should* have plenty of space to get out and not scratch my car ....

But tbh this seems to fail 99% of the time as they then seem to park as close to the white line as possible, and scratch my car anyway. You can't win!

helcat26

I completely agree with you OP.
However I went on an Advanced Driving course, and at one point was told to pull into a supermarket car park and reverse park.


I said why would you want to do that when you need access to the boot for your shopping.


He looked a bit stumped by this and mumbled something about personal safety you can get away quicker. I think possibly this ex-policeman was used to someone doing his grocery shopping for him?
But it is the advice from the institute of advanced motorists believe it or not
http://iam.org.uk/media-and-research/media-centre/driving-and-riding-tips/967-top-parking-tips


I personally do not think it helps your personal safety, as when you reverse out of your parking space you get to see if a psycho has hidden in your back seat!:)

chewmylegoff

It annoys the carp out of me - we have 1 year old twins and the parent+child parking is always full up of people who have bought their 15 year old son to the supermarket with them which obviously necessitates parking in a wider space; I therefore park 4 miles from the supermarket entrance in the most remote space possible and when we get back to the car someone has always parked so close we can't get one (or both) of the twins back in the car without backing the car out of the space first. So boring. I would just straddle two spaces but then no doubt some supernazi private parking attendant would give me a legally unenforceable parking ticket.

Bollotom

paddyrg wrote: »

Strictly speaking, it's consistent with the Highway Code, even though it doesn't apply directly. If you compare it with reversing around a corner, you MUST reverse from the major road onto the minor, not the other way round (unlike the !!!!wit I watched cause an accident the other day in Bath)

What? Someone was driving a bath?

CathA

wazza99 wrote: »

I'd love to hear from some one who does choose to park next to the lonely car in the carpark !!

Absolutely astonishes me, when i park alone out of the way with spaces either side, almost 100% when we return someone is right next to us, WHY ????

Why would you purposely choose to park at the side of another car ?
To line up ?
Just to annoy ?

Come on someone who does it must be one here ! own up why ?

We went on a boating holiday in the Norfolk broads a few years ago. We parked the boat on a deserted mooring area, although it was a proper concrete jetty. Some people came along later, at least 10 mooring positions available, guess where they moored up? And they had a bloody dog that barked all evening. And they knocked our dinghy when they reversed in. Surely that should have given them the idea that they were too close?

baza52

People need to apply urinal etiquette when parking.
Every man knows you don't stand next to someone at the urinal unless you have no choice.

Must admit I went to Tesco this afternoon and found myself looking for cars that had reversed into a bay.
There were only a few that I could see with the vast majority driving into the bay.

paddyrg

baza52 wrote: »

People need to apply urinal etiquette when parking.

You're right, and not once have I reversed into position at a urinal.