Nice to use reverse park assist but can anyone tell me why some drivers insist on reversing (usually very badly) into supermarket parking bays ?  They then struggle to transfer their shopping from trolley to the boot, having to leave the trolley at the front of their vehicle and then bashing the cars parked adjacent as they struggle down the gap to access their boot while lugging heavy bags of groceries. Also if it’s an SUV then you need to be a contortionist to get past the  huge wing mirrors to reach the car doors . I can understand if there is a walkway behind the parking bay so you can park the trolley next to the car’s boot and so load directly, but it mystifies me why anyone would make life difficult for themselves by reversing into parking bays otherwise.  My wife reckons it could be an early symptom of dementia!! 

Edited 12 November, 201510 yr by Expatman

My dementia precludes me from reversing OUT of a shopping bay.

I am deluded enough to think that seeing all around PRIOR to reversing is somehow safer.

I must seek out assistance with my problem.

My dementia precludes me from reversing OUT of a shopping bay.

I am deluded enough to think that seeing all around PRIOR to reversing is somehow safer.

I must seek out assistance with my problem.

But you are not reversing into a motorway! It's a parking area for heavens sake and I, for one, have never had a problem seeing to reverse out. However, I do hope the assistance you seek is successful so you can stop bashing my car while you stumble down the gap to access the boot of your car.

But you are not reversing into a motorway! It's a parking area for heavens sake and I, for one, have never had a problem seeing to reverse out. However, I do hope the assistance you seek is successful so you can stop bashing my car while you stumble down the gap to access the boot of your car.

Try reversing completely blind out from between two 'trucks' that infest our road AND supermarkets.

And the imagine a careless phone distracted driver passing through at a completely inappropriate speed.

Tech can't save you from EVERY muppet.

Why do you assume everyone is out to target your precious car and not mine?

Edited 12 November, 201510 yr by Ryeman

But you are not reversing into a motorway! It's a parking area for heavens sake and I, for one, have never had a problem seeing to reverse out. However, I do hope the assistance you seek is successful so you can stop bashing my car while you stumble down the gap to access the boot of your car.

 

He'd need an extremely large car door to manage that lol.

I agree with you about which way to park though - or better still park next to one of the walkway bays and you should have access to both front and rear. Good old Sainsburys.

The problem is not with you reversing out, it's whether you can see pedestrians and other cars approaching you. Which if the car park is busy, you invariably cannot.

One of the worst cars for poor rear light design is the new Honda Civic. If you approach that vehicle side on you cannot see the reversing light due to the clear lens protruding. I have been nearly ran over twice in the last six months by a Civic driver reversing out of a parking space due to not being able to see the reversing light, and more importantly, the driver not being able to see me.

^^^^ just one of many reasons

Technically it's better to reverse in and drive forward out - 1. Because of safety, not having to reverse into potentially hard to see traffic through parked cars, and 2. Because mechanically it's the correct way, the front wheels steer which enables far tighter angles to be achieved in reverse for getting into the bay.

I always drive around until I can find an end bay that I reverse into.I can get in/out more easily and access the boot. Also far less chance of getting parking door dings. I had none on my 10yr old Touran when I sold it.

 

Colin

Due to the nature of my work, all vehicles must be reverse parked in our car park.  This has been the policy for many years and so it has become habit to reverse park.  

 

I've experienced people in supermarket car parks reversing out without looking (or assuming passing vehicles will stop to let them out) and I've even had people reverse into me as I was driving past.

 

90% of the time I reverse park everywhere unless it is completely impractical to do otherwise.  The nice thing about the Octavia over the Yeti is you don't have to make as much room to open the tailgate.

I always reverse park, unless the configuration of the parking precludes it (eg "herringbone"). I have not once bashed any cars with a trolley or bags, nor failed to get my shopping into the boot. The primary reason is my and others' safety. Reversing into a controlled space that you have already eyeballed as you line up makes for a much safer manoeuvre than reversing out of a space into an area that could have moving cars (driven impatiently), moving people (including unpredictable and difficult-to-see children), trolleys, people reversing out of the space opposite etc. This is all more important to me a few seconds saved getting to the boot. The IAM agree with me too.

Going back to the old lumpy n grumpy (when cold) cars which needed a hand on the choke to keep the engine running, it was thus so much easier, when the engine was hot, to reverse then rather than first thing in the morning with a stone cold engine.

And it was safer in any case.

I'm a reverse parker as well, makes getting out of the space so much easier and safer.

My local Tesco has a very long carpark and traffic within the carpark travels mostly at 20-30mph, reversing an 17 foot long luxo barge out far enough so you can see whats coming is impractical because most of the car is out of the space before you can see clearly both ways. At least reversed in you only need to go forward a couple of feet to get good vision.

I've never had a problem loading shopping, despite the car being quiet wide as well as long.

The nice thing about the Octavia over the Yeti is you don't have to make as much room to open the tailgate.

 

I guess it's worth just parking a little more forward in the Yeti, since it's a fairly short car compared to most estates It's a case of remembering to leave a little more space behind so you can get to the boot properly... And then contend with trying to shut it with Skoda's ridiculous rubber handle thingy...

That 'ridiculous rubber handle thingy' prevented me from having to buy a portable mounting block!! :D

 

Love that feature :clap: :clap:

who cares  ; -))), here in finistere everyone stops to let you reverse out, very civilised here a la finistere, not like paris rennes nantes etc!

Due to the nature of my work, all vehicles must be reverse parked in our car park.  This has been the policy for many years and so it has become habit to reverse park.  

 

I've experienced people in supermarket car parks reversing out without looking (or assuming passing vehicles will stop to let them out) and I've even had people reverse into me as I was driving past.

 

90% of the time I reverse park everywhere unless it is completely impractical to do otherwise.  The nice thing about the Octavia over the Yeti is you don't have to make as much room to open the tailgate.

I agree wholeheartedly with the above...... You mention the advantage of the Octavia over the Yeti, namely the room required for tailgate opening.... I had a Toyota RAV 4 which had a side hinged, full width, tailgate.... If you reversed into a space, you had trouble opening it and if you drove in forwards it was a real "traffic stopper" as it opened so far into the roadway! I note Toyota have now top hinged the tailgate and although I loved my Toyotas, as I used to sell them many years ago, I wouldn't have a new RAV as it's too big for my needs.

I HATE supermarket car parks... they are the most hazardous driving environment there is!  If there are one-way lanes,  people ignore them.  People drive much too fast.  Pedestrians seem to be in a dream world,  completely unaware that there may be moving vehicles,  and they deliberately sneak up on you in some blind spot when you are trying to emerge from a parking space.  Trolleys have a will of their own,  and even if they are behaving,  their pushers seem unable to control them.  Cyclists think no rules or common sense applies to them (and that goes for on the roads as well, here in Cambridge).  People don't care if they ding your car when opening their doors.... etc.  etc.  etc.  Horrible places!

^ stop at home then!   :peek: 

^ online shopping might be your answer. No issue as to which way to park then.

I thought it was mostly women who drove into an open space and reversed out into a blind space,just changed only to mostly not to cause any offence?

Edited 13 November, 201510 yr by Sad555

Well, well that opened a can of worms! Have to say that in 50 years of motoring I have never found it a problem to carefuly reverse out of a car parking space, might have to wait a few moments for the driveway to clear and for any pedestrians to pass but so what, it's a car park NOT a roadway. At least the boot of my car is easily accessible and I don't have to sidle past the wing mirrors to get in the drivers door.

Can I just make one plea - however you park please park squarely in the centre of the bay. Too many drivers seem to think that as long as their vehicle is within the bay lines then it doesn't matter how, or at what angle, it is parked. Don't want to restart a riot but reverse drivers seem to be the worst offenders in that respect.

Finally herringbone parking is the real solution, easy in, easy out with no uncertainty of traffic flow directions. However I have come to the conclusion that most developers just find it easier to design the conventional parking layout and cannot bother to give any other system a try-out. High marks for Morrisons in Huddersfield who have herringbone parking in their supermarket carpark.

Incidentally I lived in the USA for some years and in most parking lots signs clearly instructed "Head-In Parking Only"!

Well, well that opened a can of worms! Have to say that in 50 years of motoring I have never found it a problem to carefuly reverse out of a car parking space, might have to wait a few moments for the driveway to clear and for any pedestrians to pass but so what, it's a car park NOT a roadway. At least the boot of my car is easily accessible and I don't have to sidle past the wing mirrors to get in the drivers door.

Can I just make one plea - however you park please park squarely in the centre of the bay. Too many drivers seem to think that as long as their vehicle is within the bay lines then it doesn't matter how, or at what angle, it is parked. Don't want to restart a riot but reverse drivers seem to be the worst offenders in that respect.

Finally herringbone parking is the real solution, easy in, easy out with no uncertainty of traffic flow directions. However I have come to the conclusion that most developers just find it easier to design the conventional parking layout and cannot bother to give any other system a try-out. High marks for Morrisons in Huddersfield who have herringbone parking in their supermarket carpark.

Incidentally I lived in the USA for some years and in most parking lots signs clearly instructed "Head-In Parking Only"!

You must be extremely lucky in having good vision always when reversing out and I must have most appallingly bad luck when I've had no other option than to follow suite.

The last time I was forced to do so my reverse sensors failed to detect a seasoned female driver of a much dinted BMW who seemed to assume that my extremely slow creep backwards ...(literally feeling my way out with zero side vision due to massive vehicles either side of me)....would cease, due to the completely reasonable (not) expectation that her speed would serve as a warning to me as to who had right of way.....my sensors didn't have time to be of any use.

Ps......Americans find a lot of things a challenge when driving.....floor carpets for one and European alignment of brake and accelerator pedals for another (Audi learnt that lesson in the 80s) .

I always reverse park, unless the configuration of the parking precludes it (eg "herringbone"). I have not once bashed any cars with a trolley or bags, nor failed to get my shopping into the boot. The primary reason is my and others' safety. Reversing into a controlled space that you have already eyeballed as you line up makes for a much safer manoeuvre than reversing out of a space into an area that could have moving cars (driven impatiently), moving people (including unpredictable and difficult-to-see children), trolleys, people reversing out of the space opposite etc. This is all more important to me a few seconds saved getting to the boot. The IAM agree with me too.

 

+1 I always reverse park the car and truck as it is safer, I also have never damaged another car because of this.

 

When the Superb arrives it will have rear radar to spot oncoming traffic and it applies the brakes automatically, so this may change my habit.... but don’t count on it.