Reversing out of spaces in car parks

SimonAH

OK, this is laziness as I could probably find it in an online version of a highway code or summat, but some of you guys (and gals) always seem to have this stuff to fingertip.

When backing out of a carparking space in, say, a supermarket carpark, if you are halfway out and clearly moving should you stop for someone who wants to drive past you? Or should they stop and let you complete the more complicated manouvre?

My entire viscera tell me that the right of way should be to the vehicle clearly in the process of reversing - and not with the impatient tw*t who wants to save 2s of his life by squeaking through, but I'm not sure? Also if were to get a Landrover and just simply reverse into their door panels then who would be at fault as we would both be moving in opposing directions?

CiB

You're emerging from a junction / side road onto a main thoroughfare, so it's your responsibility to stop rather than take the non shall pass attitude. Far better always to reverse into car park spaces to prevent the blind reversing out, when you can easily fail to spot a small toddler with no road sense or the local tw@t in his souped-up Corsa demonstrating his skill & ability at doing 35mph through a busy car park. Twunt.

ETA once you're on your way out you should be able to continue once you've started the manoeuvre. Still better to go in backwards to emerge forwards tho.

walkingbootweather

Using the logic that someone driving down the main carriageway has r-o-w over someone reversing out of their driveway, I'd say someone reversing out of a car parking sapce ought to wait. But if you reverse in life is much simpler.

[edit - CIB beat me to it.]

Brakeless

If you reverse into a Car Parking space at the supermarket it's actually pretty awkward to put shopping in your boot!

rjsterry

CiB wrote:

You're emerging from a junction / side road onto a main thoroughfare, so it's your responsibility to stop rather than take the non shall pass attitude. Far better always to reverse into car park spaces to prevent the blind reversing out, when you can easily fail to spot a small toddler with no road sense or the local tw@t in his souped-up Corsa demonstrating his skill & ability at doing 35mph through a busy car park. Twunt.

ETA once you're on your way out you should be able to continue once you've started the manoeuvre. Still better to go in backwards to emerge forwards tho.

True, except if you have a heavily laden trolley of shopping, transferring it to the car is much easier if you can just pull the trolley up next to the boot. Especially when so many don't seem to be able to park centrally within a space.

dhope

Can't you just turn the bike around and cycle forward :?

Kieran_Burns

or the old skool Grey mini on a VERY foogy day that didn't have his lights on and I almost ran over when reversing INTO a parking space.

I had NO idea he was there (and I PROMISE I checked) until I got into the space and saw the totally panicked look on his face!

kelsen

Probably the car driving past has right of way, but in either situation I would just carry on creeping forward (or backward) until the other driver stops or forces me to stop. Kind of like Carpark Chicken if you will.

walkingbootweather

Just park in a disabled space - it's what everyone seems to do around here.

Kieran_Burns

Oh in answer to the OP - I would always stop the reverse manoeuvre.

kelsen

walkingbootweather wrote:

Just park in a disabled space - it's what everyone seems to do around here.

Or a parent and child space. This really winds me up when they are obviously not with a child.

CiB

Brakeless wrote:

If you reverse into a Car Parking space at the supermarket it's actually pretty awkward to put shopping in your boot!

But if you're carrying only the weekly necessities of some bottles of red, a white for OH and this week's Cycling Weekly (plus a lottery ticket) that's not an issue. All supermarkets are keen to deliver the shopping these days. Going is purely for emergencies & late addendums.

walkingbootweather

kelsen wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Just park in a disabled space - it's what everyone seems to do around here.

Or a parent and child space. This really winds me up when they are obviously not with a child.

Or the 'child' is about 17

estampida

so you are advised by in advanced driving that you reverse into the space, its safer pulling out......

but if you do go head first into the space,
the sections that get you to and from the parking spaces have markings (not legally enforceable) but they paint them down and everyone follows the markings to a certain extent, this could be argued as common sense..........

if you are reversing, it is on to the assumed flow of traffic, so you would be viewed as the hazard by the driver making his way along to the main road, but the driver should avoid a collision

but racing along or jumping out of spaces would not help in the insurance claim

Big_Paul

dhope wrote:

Can't you just turn the bike around and cycle forward :?

Is the right answer!

Seriously though, I try to park well away from other cars at the far end of the car park to avoid people with trolleys., SWMBO just goes in nose first then gets annoyed when people push past as she's reversing out.

kelsen

Speaking of reversing. The missus has just started driving regularly despite passing her test many years ago. One of her weak points is reversing into spaces so we drove to an empty car park at the weekend for her to practice.

"Ok, I want you to reverse into that space by the lamppost"
"Which lamppost?"
"The one nearest to us"
"What, that one over there?"
"No, the lamppost I'm pointing at right now"
"Ok, which space do you want me to park into?"
"See the two spaces next to the kerb?"
"Yep"
"Drive around and reverse into the furthest space"
"The one next to the wall?"
"No-oh, not the wall, the kerb"
"Next to that yellow bin?"
"No! That's a wall, not a kerb"
"Where?!"
"Do you know what a kerb is?"
"Yes! I KNOW what a kerb is, but you're not being clear with your directions!"
Me gesticulating angrily "You know! The kerb! That grey bit over there on the ground, in the middle of the car park, next to the lamppost! THE KERB!"
"If you start shouting then I'm not driving anymore!"
<sigh...deep breath> "Ok watch"

At this point I get out the car, walk over to the space, then backwards into it whilst turning an imaginery steering wheel. Over the far side of the car park, I can see a bloke in another car grinning to himself.

rick_chasey

Reverse parkers is for anally retentive people that obviously like making putting things in the boot more difficult.

rjsterry

kelsen wrote:

Speaking of reversing. The missus has just started driving regularly despite passing her test many years ago. One of her weak points is reversing into spaces so we drove to an empty car park at the weekend for her to practice.

"Ok, I want you to reverse into that space by the lamppost"
"Which lamppost?"
"The one nearest to us"
"What, that one over there?"
"No, the lamppost I'm pointing at right now"
"Ok, which space do you want me to park into?"
"See the two spaces next to the kerb?"
"Yep"
"Drive around and reverse into the furthest space"
"The one next to the wall?"
"No-oh, not the wall, the kerb"
"Next to that yellow bin?"
"No! That's a wall, not a kerb"
"Where?!"
"Do you know what a kerb is?"
"Yes! I KNOW what a kerb is, but you're not being clear with your directions!"
Me gesticulating angrily "You know! The kerb! That grey bit over there on the ground, in the middle of the car park, next to the lamppost! THE KERB!"
"If you start shouting then I'm not driving anymore!"
<sigh...deep breath> "Ok watch"

At this point I get out the car, walk over to the space, then backwards into it whilst turning an imaginery steering wheel. Over the far side of the car park, I can see a bloke in another car grinning to himself.

Are you sure the missus is not yanking your chain?

bails87

Rick Chasey wrote:

Reverse parkers is for anally retentive people that obviously like making putting things in the boot more difficult.

And people who don't like being run over....

kelsen

rjsterry wrote:

Are you sure the missus is not yanking your chain?

I wish! No, she really is that ditzy.

davmaggs

You are in effect reversing into the thoroughfare, so wait.

Also no point complaining about someone else not wanting to give you a mere two minutes, when in fact you are unwilling to give them even less time to drive past.

mudcow007

walkingbootweather wrote:

Just park in a disabled space - it's what everyone seems to do around here.

i do that, then get out of the car with a bad limp

SimonAH

davmaggs wrote:

You are in effect reversing into the thoroughfare, so wait.

Also no point complaining about someone else not wanting to give you a mere two minutes, when in fact you are unwilling to give them even less time to drive past.

No.

I am reversing slowly checking all my mirrors for pedestrians / children / little old ladies. This means I am constantly rotating my field of vision.

This means I may not detect you when you squirt past me in your car as I may be looking the other way assuming that, as I am halfway out of the space, clearly reversing out with bright lights on the back of my car you will have the bloody sense to wait for two seconds whilst I complete the manouvre.

Agent57

I always reverse in, rather than out. Especially in tight spaces, I find reversing in is easier anyway, and it makes it much easier to get out again,.

davmaggs

SimonAH wrote:

No.

I am reversing slowly checking all my mirrors for pedestrians / children / little old ladies. This means I am constantly rotating my field of vision.

This means I may not detect you when you squirt past me in your car as I may be looking the other way assuming that, as I am halfway out of the space, clearly reversing out with bright lights on the back of my car you will have the bloody sense to wait for two seconds whilst I complete the manouvre.

If you want to be belligerent then that's entirely up to you of course (although rants is the place for that and not here). Why I should I care about your no claims ending when you have to explain how you managed to reverse into a moving car?

It's no different to backing out of your driveway.

kelsen

Agent57 wrote:

I always reverse in, rather than out. Especially in tight spaces, I find reversing in is easier anyway because it proves that I'm a real bloke. Sometimes I even eat a Yorkie bar whilst performing the manouever

FTFY

SimonAH

Sorry Davmags - didn't mean to come across all warlike.

It just seems to me to be politeness - and very different from coming out of your drive into a road (which should always be done nose first).

In a car park we are all supposed to be at walking speed because it's shared with pedestrians.

But that was the point of the OP really. Yes, I'm going backwards slowly, but the squeaking past car is going forwards relatively quickly in full awareness that I'm going backwards into his path...does that affect the apportioning of blame?

daviesee

SimonAH wrote:

Sorry Davmags - didn't mean to come across all warlike.

It just seems to me to be politeness - and very different from coming out of your drive into a road (which should always be done nose first).

In a car park we are all supposed to be at walking speed because it's shared with pedestrians.

But that was the point of the OP really. Yes, I'm going backwards slowly, but the squeaking past car is going forwards relatively quickly in full awareness that I'm going backwards into his path...does that affect the apportioning of blame?

You are reversing so in the case of any blame being apportioned, it is coming your way.
Justify reversing and repeat yourself ad infinitum but that is the way it is.

davmaggs

What we have is common courtesy and who is to blame if there's a little crash. Two separate things methinks.

I agree that if you are practically through the maneuver then you should be given time to get it out of the way. And, my observation is that the oafs that dodge around end up causing more fuss or risk other people. If, on the other hand you've barely started the reverse, then I don't think you can expect a pause from others.

sketchley

A supermarket car park is not a public highway so is not covered by the highway code. Therefore niether or you have a "right of way". As far as I know most insurance companies work on the principle that car park reversing accidents are split liability unless you can prove otherwise.

mudcovered

I've actually been hit from the side by a car reversing out of the parking bay. 100% the fault of the reversing driver according to my insurance company and that of the other driver. By the time I'd even seen they were manouvering and started to take avoiding action I'd been hit. Was hit in the rear quarter of my car which shows you how much attention the person manouvering was paying to what was behind them. I would have been in 2 of their mirrors and the rear view for quite some time.

IMO there are too many blind spots to ever safely reverse out of a bay in a busy car park. Yes it makes loading large amounts of shopping a bit more hassle (I just leave the trolley at the front of the car and shuttle the bags to the boot which doesn't take that long even for a full trolley). Will I give way if I see you reversing out. Yes if you have started manouvering and I see you. Picking up on a reversing light while trying to keep track of mad pedestrians is the same observation lottery you are describing when reversing out of the bay and commentin on whether you will see a car behind.

Mike