Have to reverse into parking lots.

[Eaglekott]

Hi

What is it with Thai people and a must to park your car with the front head "out" of the parking lots?

Usually it is much easier to drive forward into a parking lot than backing the car into the lot. When you wanna leave there is much more room to back out the car from the lot than you had space while revering into it.

Anyway, today I came with our car to our condo and they are doing some renovation work in the garage space, There were a lot of equipment, double parked cars, and cars pushed out from the lots into the drive way since they asked everyone to park the car in "neutral". The only space available unless I parked on the covered plastic was rather far in the garage, and it was so easy to just drive the car with the front first to park it.

Then the guard come spoke a lot to me in an none understandable language (Thai), and at first I thought he wanted me to move the car to the other side where they just took the plastic away. But what he did was directing me back and forth in that tiny space where the car barley could turn and so i reversed into the same spot again. I tried to ask why I needed to have the car that way, but he just pointed on the front on the car beside and made some chum chum noises and gesticulated with his arms.

Everywhere people is reversing into parking lots even if its easier to drive front first. Why?

In European countries only police and ambulance is revering in a lot so they can save a few seconds in an emergency, but why here?

Any ideas?

[cooked]

I won't be rude. If you haven't grasped the fact that it is less dangerous to move back out into the traffic stream facing forwards then maybe you should reflect on the difference between ' easy' and 'sensible'.

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sfokevin]

I've seen many adjectives used to describe Thai driving habits...

but this is the first time for "sensible"

[dabhand]

There was a thread on this subject just a few months back:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/757262-back-up-parking-why/

Think you will find that, generally, reverse parking is considered as the safe way to park. My UK company, as I mentioned in the thread, has set itself up as a 'Reverse Parking Only' site.

They gave the reasons as:

Six good reasons to reverse park.

1. Reverse parking is important. It is much safer for pedestrians.

2. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) states reversing into a space means cars are in a safer position for pulling away. At the same time, the manoeuvre could help in terms of vehicle security and fuel economy.

3. Reverse parking is advised in the Highway Code.

4. Reversing into somewhere you can see – a parking bay – rather than reversing out into somewhere you can’t see, is much safer.

5. It is also easier to control a car going forwards than backwards when first started. Attempting a potentially high risk manoeuvre such as reversing when you have just entered a car and are not concentrating fully, is more dangerous.

6. "Reversing out of a space when the car's engine is cold uses around 20 to 25 times more petrol in the first few seconds than it does when warm," explained an IAM spokesperson. If you do this 10 to 12 times a week that adds up to a cost of about £100 a year, not to mention the increased wear on the car's engine.

Obviously targeted for UK drivers but still relevant, in the main, for Thailand.

[rwdrwdrwd]

I always reverse in, for the simple reason that it is possible to see oncoming unparked cars more easily both when entering and exiting the space. I was also taught to do so when learning, in a European country as it happens, so it's second nature.

So long as you know how to use mirrors and can infer wheel alignment using the steering wheel position, it's really not that tricky to do.. only time I'll go in front first is when there's a double end to end space, so I'm still driving out front first.

[wayned]

The one's that do it on one way aisles with angled parking space are the ones that get me. They usually enter from the next aisle but when they exit they are going the wrong way and guess what, a giant traffic jam! Or the ones that park in front of you in the "movable lane" and lock their cars with the parking brake on!

[stevenl]

I think it days it all about the op when he mentions the non understandable language spoken here.

[IMHO]

@OP: If you ask the mods nicely, they might delete this thread for you..

Everyone has a brain fart from time to time

[sustento]

I think it days it all about the op when he mentions the non understandable language spoken here.

That and the 'chum chum noises'...

[curtklay]

Aren't you glad you asked?

[I Like Thai]

Should this topic not be in the Ladies forum ?

[black fox]

i was a proffessional driver for more than 40 years (hgv class1) and i always think its easier and better to reverse in , its always harder to reverse out especially in supermarket car parks.

[Eaglekott]

I won't be rude. If you haven't grasped the fact that it is less dangerous to move back out into the traffic stream facing forwards then maybe you should reflect on the difference between ' easy' and 'sensible'.

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Hi

Sorry I was not clear enough, I ment in Parking garages, like under a condo building where there is no drive through traffic. And in my case they were renovating walls, fasade and garage ceiling and cars was pushed out in the parking lot and there were almost no space to turn the car around, It was close to the concrete wall by the end of the garage. But still the guard wanted me to turn the car around, and to do that I had to go forward and reverse about 5-6 times, around cars in the drive way and equipment and plastic sheets used by the construction workers , the guard had to move a dubble parked car twice, first to let me drive in to where the free spot was, and then to make space for me to turn around. He also needed to push back a car moved out from the lot on the other side and take away a plastic sheet.

None of his extra work had been necessary if he just had let me leave the car in the spot front first.

The free parking log was one parking lot away from the concrete wall so there simply can not be a traffic stream.

Normally its no problem at all to reverse park and I do that all the time everywhere.

I repeat the question and rephrase it a bit.

Why they want to to reverse in to parking lots even IF IT IS EASIER TO DRIVE FORWARD? By this I don't mean in normal cases along a road or in a parking close to a super market. I mean in cases where its troublesome to turn the car around to reverse it in the parking lot.

[Eaglekott]

I think it days it all about the op when he mentions the non understandable language spoken here.

That and the 'chum chum noises'...

When I mentioned non understandable language... Irony that was.. and a way to tell I do not under stand Thai. I thought that was obvious.

Chum chum, was the closest I could come up with, he sounded something like in between Wroom and schocsh, when he gesticulated with his arms. I didn't speak anything. Just made that sound. Sorry I was not clear enough regarding that also.

[stevenl]

I think it days it all about the op when he mentions the non understandable language spoken here.

That and the 'chum chum noises'...

When I mentioned non understandable language... Irony that was.. and a way to tell I do not under stand Thai. I thought that was obvious.

Chum chum, was the closest I could come up with, he sounded something like in between Wroom and schocsh, when he gesticulated with his arms. I didn't speak anything. Just made that sound. Sorry I was not clear enough regarding that also.

No worries, I think you were clear, totally clear.

[GavinK]

Forward parking risks scratching your front spoiler on any super-high curbs or those concrete sleepers here. Reverse parking cameras don't help detect those when forward parking.

[siampolee]

Personally I have always reversed parked, as said much safer to poke ones nose out into oncoming traffic as opposed to ones derriere.

See and be seen solves the problems before they start.

[Robert24]

may I suggest you travel to some other countries in Asia and you see in some that they reverse into parking lots nearly at 100% of time. I think Thailand is about 50/50.

I'm not sure where you are from but maybe in your country everyone parks forward hence why you find it weird?

[bkkjames]

must admit back in the home country i never backed in. Here I do in enclosed parking lots but not when outside like at a Tesco.

Why, generally the malls are alot fuller when I leave the mall than when I arrive and it's easier to just pull out with my truck.

[Robroona]

Reversing into a space at a shopping centre makes it more difficult to load your shopping, I suppose.

However, I worked for a very large company in UK where reverse parking was mandatory for safety reasons, so I understand it

[steve187]

Give up on this one as you are wrong

[stevenl]

St shopping malls they often have angled spaces, making reversing non sensical.

[rwdrwdrwd]

St shopping malls they often have angled spaces, making reversing non sensical.

Good point I don't reverse into those ones.

I think my thought process goes a bit like this:

1 - Is the space angled and reflex to my direction of travel? - Drive in front first

2 - Is the space at a right angle? - Reverse in

3 - Is the space angled and acute to my direction of travel?

- A - Are all the other cars coming toward me? - Stop immediately, turn around and drive the right way round the car park.

- B - Curse the planners, reverse in

Scintillating, I know

[Eaglekott]

Forward parking risks scratching your front spoiler on any super-high curbs or those concrete sleepers here. Reverse parking cameras don't help detect those when forward parking.

And reversing in over that concrete block, then load your car with heavy stuff from the supermarket, and then drive away you might leave your rear spoiler at the parking lot. The sister of my friend did this not so long time ago. Ok. it was not left there but it came loose from the car and was destroyed. Many people seems to revere in to the lot until they feel the back tires touching that block. Not everyone has a reverse parking camera. Those things does not need to be that high a few cm is enough.

[bkkjames]

Forward parking risks scratching your front spoiler on any super-high curbs or those concrete sleepers here. Reverse parking cameras don't help detect those when forward parking.

And reversing in over that concrete block, then load your car with heavy stuff from the supermarket, and then drive away you might leave your rear spoiler at the parking lot. The sister of my friend did this not so long time ago. Ok. it was not left there but it came loose from the car and was destroyed. Many people seems to revere in to the lot until they feel the back tires touching that block. Not everyone has a reverse parking camera. Those things does not need to be that high a few cm is enough.

yet another reason to drive a truck

[wprime]

I find it easier to reverse in because you can see directly down the sides of the car (via mirrors). Plus you can often move your car in a lot deeper if you reverse in as the front bumper is typically lower than the rear.