Reversing Into Car Park Spaces

[Madgeorge]

I know this has probably been asked before?

why do drivers reverse into parking spaces in supermarket car parks so the boot space is inwards, usually right next to another car?

this means you cannot often get a full trolley next to the boot and have to carry everything along the side of the car risking scratches and other damage.

Surely it is easier to drive in, load up and reverse out?

humans baffle me sometimes.

[Ellipsis]

I agree. I'll reverse in if I only have one bag that I can throw into the passenger stairwell, or if there's a pavement behind the car, rather than more parking spaces. Other than that, it makes no sense.

[Khandro]

Yes, park forward in with the boot accessible and reverse out.

Also try to park as close as you can to the trolley shelter not the Market entrance as many do.

And also 2, why do they always make the bay strips at 90° to the lanes?

In the US they more sensibly use a herringbone system which easier for in and out.

[barry1010]

It is safer to drive out. 

[Bazile]

It's easier to reverse into a car parking space , when there are cars parked on either side of the space .

Equally it's easier to parallel park by reversing into a space when there are cars in front and behind the space 

[Khandro]

Bazile, Are you not forgetting the purpose of your visit?

You are there to load the back of your car with your trolley load. 

[Bazile]

Khandro

I don't have any difficulty getting a trolley to the back of my car 

[bookbinder]

It is safer to reverse in to a parking space, because when you start to drive out, you can easily see any car that's coming towards you. Unloading a trolley into the boot is quite easy if you park a little bit forward of the car that's behind yours.

[Madgeorge]

Had to brake sudenly loads of times when cars drove out in front of me.

Certainly easier to drive into a space rather than reverse.

[davebro3]

I put my shopping in the back seat not in the boot...

[FoxLee2]

With cars so enormous nowadays, the gap  between lines of parked cars is very narrow, certainly too narrow to push a trolley through.  I always drive into a space and then often have to walk quite a way to return the trolley to the parking place till there's a gap to go through.

[Quenched]

Believe it or not the company I work for has a policy where we have to reverse park, so that your not reversing out in the path of pedestrians or other vehicles. 

 

And actually its illegal to reverse out a driveway, but I witness it a lot. 

 

So basically people reversing into a car park space is the correct thing to do. 

[DDIL]

Sorry Quenched you are wrong!

It is generally not illegal to reverse out of a driveway, but it's strongly advised against, especially onto busy roads. The Highway Code advises reversing in and driving out if possible, and specifically states, "Do not reverse from a side road into a main road". Reversing out onto a main road can be risky, as it can be difficult to judge gaps in traffic, and the blind spots when reversing can pose a danger to other road users. 

[Quenched]

DDIL, 

Sorry if I am wrong, but I was always told it was illegal. 

 

Near to where I live a motorcyclist was killed because a woman reversed out of her drive way and didn't see the motorbike coming at all. 

The bike just clipped the back of the car, and instantly killed the biker. 

[Bazile]

The OP asks 

//...why do drivers reverse into parking spaces in supermarket car parks so the boot space is inwards...// 

My answer suggests why they do .

Whether or not they should is a different matter, for opinions 

[Atheist]

My experience is that nearly everyone drives forward into a space and reverses out. It's really the best way to be able to load your car. You simply get your wife to stand behind you when you are leaving, to make sure you are safe.

[Old_Geezer]

One should always reverse from the more busy to the less busy area so as to reduce the risk of backing out blind into the path of another driver.  To do otherwise is unwise and inconsiderate, not to mention potentially costly.  It is sad that one sees so many who drive yet seemingly lack the competence to reverse into a space.

 

Any half decent or better supermarket will ensure plenty of space available to load at the correct end of the allocated space.

[david small]

I reverse out of my drive. My wife reverses onto our drive. Whatever you find more convenient.

[ToraToraTora]

18:20 gawd know what planet you inhabit me old china but that's chaval cack.

[Neveracrossword]

Quenched, at 18.20 and 18.26, you are most definitely wrong. It is NOT illegal to reverse out of a driveway.  That's maybe why you 'see it a lot'.

[vulcan42]

 The problem isn't where you leave the car when reversing in, it's the person who parks behind you who also reverses in and leaves about three inches between his car and yours.