Why Do They Back Into Parking Spaces Here?

[junglechef]

Dear Changrider,

OP here, as I've been feeling a little under the weather lately and have spent home a bit more time at home in front of the comp and on TV for a bit of camaraderie you've might have noticed more posts recently from me. I go on TV for my daily dose of friendly banter and to check in on my TVF's (Thai Vis Friends) latest posts. As at least I think I bring up some valid points on relevant topics, if not of major importance, as I also try to impart some humor. As my last word, "discuss' from my previous post on this thread is from a SNL skit and was meant to be both funny and instructional. I use TV for entertainment as well as information, for the same reason I read the Bangkok Post daily.

Not that I feel a need to defend myself but wanted to make the point that in my years of wandering around the globe I have found that as in life, traveling is situational and everyone comes away with different experiences. I would consider traveling thru different cities of Asia alone at my own initiative at the age of 6 (this was in the 60's, something I probably would not find as safe now) to flying to Europe from home in the USA at 12 with nobody at the other end to meet me or expecting me and make my own way around, a good beginning to being a seasoned traveler.

Not sure how I'm suppose act appropriately when looking at how someone else parks but I'll try to glance more diplomatically in the future, thanks for the constructive criticism.

And also thanks for the comparison to Monty Python, as I also try to be witty while making a point and we both, me and Monty, are only appreciated by some.

[craigt3365]

A few off topic posts have been removed. Please abide by forum rules. :jap:

[LindsayBKK]

Because a lot of car parks have a little guy with a whistle helping you back in ,for tips of course, like anything in this country money has it's part.

[udonguy]

As the OP I'd like to bring up another point. Tonight, which was not the first time, I parked parallel to the curb on a side street and some lady comes and tells me I can't park in front of her house. I was not in front of her driveway, shop, door or motorcy ramp, just where there was a curb and then a dirt sidewalk and finally her property which had another meter before her house which was about 30 meters long. Do they own the street too? Discuss.

they think they do yes - they block off outside shops with cones and chairs - but I wouldn't get into a useless argument with them if I were you TIT

[junglechef]

Agree not worth arguing about (or worse), as I didn't and just moved my car up the street a bit, just as I happily potter down the street and let the faster drivers pass me, kind of like back on the East Coast of America where ppl. put a chair in the parking spot they just shoveled in the road out in front of their home, they don't own it but have some sort of unspoken right to use it. Also they do that any time of year in the North End of Boston, the Italian section, another situation where you would be lucky to get way with just an argument. Don't agree that the parking attendants are looking for tips unless your at nice restaurant or such, as one would tip a valet parker back home, I've never seen ppl. tip them in Airport Central or Rimping for example, but I do tip the guys at Makro if they help push my other cart if I have two and they even load the groceries in my car.

[funcat]

It does make me nervous when the guy with a whistle tries to help me back up into the spot and he will stand right behind the car...and/or between the car and the wall ...

[KRS1]

In Thailand cars are backed in because the space sizes are smaller, it is easier to back in than to pull in straight.

Another reason is the curbstone, the front end of a car is usually too low and will clip it. When that happens the ass end of the car sticks out and cars cannot parallel park in the drive lane when spots are full.

There's a reason for everything, and in this case is superior to western thinking.

[7by7]

We are not talking about parallel parking here which is totally different and yes, the best to do that is reverse into the parking space ,,, we are talking about parking in parking lots such as the ones in Big "C", Makro etc.........

Baffled, I was always taught in driving school to reverse into parking slots.

I used to be a driving instructor in England, and the recommended way of parallel parking in the UK is to drive in forwards if the space is big enough (at least twice the length of your vehicle), reverse in if smaller (less than twice the length of your vehicle). If in doubt, reverse in. Driving in is obviously quicker and so more convenient for other road users, but as mentioned by another poster, if the wheels doing the steering are pushing the vehicle (i.e. you're reversing) you can do far tighter turns and so get into smaller spaces than if they are pulling (i.e. driving forwards).

If parking at a right angle, e.g. in a car park, then the safest way is to reverse in and drive out. If reversing out, your visibility is obscured by the vehicles parked either side of you. it is also, usually, quicker to reverse in than to reverse out. Always drive slowly through or round a car park; many times, in the UK, I have been forced to stop suddenly as cars back out of a space without looking!

Both parallel parking and right angle parking are included in the UK driving test. If asked to do either the examiner would specify that you are to reverse in and if you couldn't or drove in forwards you would fail.

[craigt3365]

We are not talking about parallel parking here which is totally different and yes, the best to do that is reverse into the parking space ,,, we are talking about parking in parking lots such as the ones in Big "C", Makro etc.........

Baffled, I was always taught in driving school to reverse into parking slots.

I used to be a driving instructor in England, and the recommended way of parallel parking in the UK is to drive in forwards if the space is big enough (at least twice the length of your vehicle), reverse in if smaller (less than twice the length of your vehicle). If in doubt, reverse in. Driving in is obviously quicker and so more convenient for other road users, but as mentioned by another poster, if the wheels doing the steering are pushing the vehicle (i.e. you're reversing) you can do far tighter turns and so get into smaller spaces than if they are pulling (i.e. driving forwards).

If parking at a right angle, e.g. in a car park, then the safest way is to reverse in and drive out. If reversing out, your visibility is obscured by the vehicles parked either side of you. it is also, usually, quicker to reverse in than to reverse out. Always drive slowly through or round a car park; many times, in the UK, I have been forced to stop suddenly as cars back out of a space without looking!

Both parallel parking and right angle parking are included in the UK driving test. If asked to do either the examiner would specify that you are to reverse in and if you couldn't or drove in forwards you would fail.

Excellent point about backing in to a spot. My good friend in the US got hit by a car backing out and broke his leg in 3 places. Probably would not have happened if the driver had backed in instead??? Hardly anybody in the US backs in...

[richard_smith237]

The answer is so simple...

Because everyone else does !!!!

Really, its that simply. There is no logic to it, at first someone probably did it because its easier to get into the small gap... But mostly, everyone simply copies everyone else.

How is it that in Thailand everyone reverse into a parking spot, but are incapable of reversing to give way when blocking someone at a junction ? !!!

[funcat]

We are not talking about parallel parking here which is totally different and yes, the best to do that is reverse into the parking space ,,, we are talking about parking in parking lots such as the ones in Big "C", Makro etc.........

Baffled, I was always taught in driving school to reverse into parking slots.

I used to be a driving instructor in England, and the recommended way of parallel parking in the UK is to drive in forwards if the space is big enough (at least twice the length of your vehicle), reverse in if smaller (less than twice the length of your vehicle). If in doubt, reverse in. Driving in is obviously quicker and so more convenient for other road users, but as mentioned by another poster, if the wheels doing the steering are pushing the vehicle (i.e. you're reversing) you can do far tighter turns and so get into smaller spaces than if they are pulling (i.e. driving forwards).

If parking at a right angle, e.g. in a car park, then the safest way is to reverse in and drive out. If reversing out, your visibility is obscured by the vehicles parked either side of you. it is also, usually, quicker to reverse in than to reverse out. Always drive slowly through or round a car park; many times, in the UK, I have been forced to stop suddenly as cars back out of a space without looking!

Both parallel parking and right angle parking are included in the UK driving test. If asked to do either the examiner would specify that you are to reverse in and if you couldn't or drove in forwards you would fail.

Excellent point about backing in to a spot. My good friend in the US got hit by a car backing out and broke his leg in 3 places. Probably would not have happened if the driver had backed in instead??? Hardly anybody in the US backs in...

In US it is actually illegal to back in in front of stores,businesses etc.,that's because of the fumes going inside...you not going to back in to you garage as well,do you?...and the big parking lots have the slots usually angled,so it is easy to park front in,and easy to go back too...

[changraider]

If 'they all' did back into parking spaces the reason would be clear - to give bored, and boring, low grade foreigners something to occupy their meaningless lives.

But of course it's not true that 'they all' back into parking spaces. At my local Tesco Lotus for example parking is always front forward because that's the way the space is designed.

In the UK we used to have people who did train-spotting as a hobby; this often attracted the attention of comedians. But really parking lot voyeurs, wow.

[bitewhentested]

i always back into a parking space driving a big 4 wheel drive the turning curricle is rubbish a lot easer to go ass first and easer to get out as well as you can see what's trying to crash into you lol

[limegreenpatato]

ummmm...what shit driving school did you go to? You're supposed to back in to parking spaces. When i learned how to drive you failed the test if you didn't back into the spot at the end.

[hellodolly]

ummmm...what shit driving school did you go to? You're supposed to back in to parking spaces. When i learned how to drive you failed the test if you didn't back into the spot at the end.

In 69 years all over North America and parts of Asia I have never heard you only back in when you are at the spot on the end.

As for the poster talking about the States

well

The states are a little short on thinking here.

It is easier to back in when the space is large and a heck of a lot easier and safer to pull straight out than to back out.

I personally don't understand the topic. It is obviously better and safer to back in and pull out going forward.

The problem for most people is they do not do change very good no matter how much better and safer it is.

I guess that is one of the joys of getting old.

[TantraMantra]

Personally I nearly always back in to a parking space.Plenty of vision going in and even better on exiting.

That said, I rarely see a Thai manage to back in to a parking space in one go more like 3 or 4 in's and outs,one of the main causes of back ups in the likes of Airport Plaza.

Yes, it's much easier to get into a small space that way.

We learn reverse parking in the UK maybe they don't teach it in the USA and of course in Thailand they drive on the correct side of the road like in Britain.

[funcat]

Personally I nearly always back in to a parking space.Plenty of vision going in and even better on exiting.

That said, I rarely see a Thai manage to back in to a parking space in one go more like 3 or 4 in's and outs,one of the main causes of back ups in the likes of Airport Plaza.

Yes, it's much easier to get into a small space that way.

We learn reverse parking in the UK maybe they don't teach it in the USA and of course in Thailand they drive on the correct side of the road like in Britain.

The first part you got right...the second,well,if you never been to US of A,you may think this way...but that's probably the easiest country to drive...wide streets and big parking spaces...and driving on the right "right" side of the street is easier...unless one is a "left hand-er",I guess...