Gus Van Horn blog Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 Back when I lived in Maryland, I noticed that large numbers of people backed into parking spaces, rather than simply driving into them. I tried to learn why then, and the answers I could find basically consisted of vague assertions that it was "safer," sometimes festooned with statistics that may or may not have been inaccurate, incorrectly applied to the question, or irrelevant.Such drivers stand out to me, and have had me scratching my head since. Sometimes, they waste my time in parking lots with their antics, and have even -- because of unintuitively switching to reverse as I was getting ready to park -- nearly caused me to have an accident. (!)(To be fair, it can sometimes make sense to park this way. For example, my next-door neighbor in Florida owned a very large pickup truck that he'd back into his driveway. It's relatively easy to do, and the prospect of a toddler wandering into his driveway when he needs to drive is much greater than that of a parent allowing a toddler to wander in a parking lot.)Enter one Matthew Dicks, who is not content to stew in mild bewilderment or frustration. He decided to try to understand this odd practice, and decided to try it for a week.His conclusions after doing so pretty well confirm what I concluded after some time observing this phenomenon and occasionally having to interact with the drivers. I especially like his sixth item, which comes after his consideration of other aspects of this practice and its alleged benefits:The biggest drawback to backing into a parking spot, and the reason I will not be backing into parking spots in the future, is time. Not only do I sacrifice my own time by backing into a spot (which always takes longer), but I discovered that if there is a vehicle following you in a parking lot, backing into a parking spot delays that vehicle considerably from moving forward and finding their own parking spot. Rather than pulling forward into a spot, I must instead drive past the desired parking spot, stop the car, turn my body so it's in position to drive in reverse, shift into reverse, and then begin the slow process of backing into the spot. If I'm backing out of a parking spot, I can do all these things without delaying anyone. I can take my time because I am safely tucked away into my own spot. When I'm in the middle of the lane with other vehicles waiting to find a spot, this process becomes a serious delay for others. In two instances, the driver behind me pulled close enough to me that part of their vehicle was blocking the spot that I planned on backing into, and in both cases, I didn't blame them. They had no idea that I was preparing to engage in this ridiculous maneuver and simply continued moving forward until I could no longer access the desired spot. In both cases, I instead drove forward to a new spot, feeling foolish while doing so. [I have been that driver more than a few times. --ed]If everyone backed into their parking spots, I am convinced that parking lots would become nightmares to drive through. Vehicles would constantly be delayed as drivers executed the required steps to back into a parking spot. [bold added]Let me say I fully agree with the following alternate recommendation:In fact, if you want to be safer in a parking lot, experts advise that you park farther away from the entrance, where pedestrian and vehicular traffic is less congested. This is the single best way to avoid an accident in a parking lot. This is true and, on really busy days, it is a great way to save time. In fact, I sometimes do this specifically to save time, and have walked past cars that I saw hunting or waiting for spaces close to the store as I drove up.A big bonus to this is that for the one undeniable benefit of parking front-out, one can often drive forward through an empty space to be in position to do this near the fringes of the lot.Then you get to park quickly and have fast egress.-- CAVLink to Original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 You're in good company, Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car to save her life, either. She tried, gave it up, made Frank drive her everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 18 minutes ago, Jon Letendre said: Ayn Rand couldn't [...] Instead, she adored lynching negroes😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 9 minutes ago, AlexL said: Instead, she adored lynching negroes😁 Are you trying to challenge the facts in my post? Do you have learning disabilities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 25 minutes ago, Jon Letendre said: Are you trying to challenge the facts in my post? I am challenging the relevance of your post for the topics' subject. But maybe you simply don't know what the hint at "lynching Negroes" means? Then read this. Jon Letendre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 You can't drive a vehicle for shit, either, can you? It's OK. It's not a moral issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jon Letendre said: You can't drive a vehicle for shit, either, can you? It's OK. It's not a moral issue. Oh, your initial comment - about "Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car" - was in fact about ME not being able to drive a car! OK.😁 Edited January 18 by AlexL Clarity Jon Letendre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 24 minutes ago, AlexL said: Oh, your initial comment - about "Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car" - was in fact about ME not being able to drive a car! OK.😁 Not precisely correct. My initial comment, in context ("You're in good company ... ") asserts that both Gus and his quoted author, one Mr Dicks, cannot drive a car. Secondarily it asserts that Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car, either. Your having taken offense at my morally neutral comments leads me to suspect that you also cannot drive a car well, if at all. But I don't have solid confidence in that non-moral judgement of your aptitude for driving like I do for Gus and Mr Dicks, (given their own well-described struggles.) And let me pre-empt you here; no, I will follow-up with details. Discussing driving over the internet any further would be a waste of time. Don't you owe this board a follow-up over here You go on and on and on all the time about the duty to follow-up one's assertions with details and support and proof, whenever asked to. Do you stand by that, or not? If you stand by it, then get over there and answer, why did you think in the first place that his comment might warrant the board owner's attention. Or is it OK if I just leave it at that I can tell from their hilarious descriptions of their struggles that neither Gus nor Mr Dick can drive for shit, without any duty to supply evidence or to prove it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 (edited) 4 hours ago, Jon Letendre said: My initial comment, in context ("You're in good company ... ") asserts that both Gus and his quoted author, one Mr Dicks, cannot drive a car. Gus Van Horn's comment is about pros and cons of back-up-to-park. It does not follow from it that Gus "cannot drive a car". Quote Secondarily it asserts that Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car, either. Changing the subject to Ayn Rand is sneaky. Quote Your having taken offense at my morally neutral comments... Your comment: Quote You're in good company, Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car to save her life, either. She tried, gave it up, made Frank drive her everywhere. is not morally neutral. Quote Don't you owe this board a follow-up over here [...] get over there and answer, why did you think in the first place that his comment might warrant the board owner's attention. I did not draw board moderator and owner's attention over the comment you are citing ("Someday, in a month or so [...]"). It was over a different comment. Edited January 19 by AlexL Jon Letendre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadmjones Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Pretty sneaky turning a story on driving to an anecdote about AR driving on an O’ist forum, pretty sneaky , Jon. When Soviet propaganda is the obvious go to, pretty sneaky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Morris Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 On 1/18/2024 at 12:31 PM, Jon Letendre said: You're in good company, Ayn Rand couldn't drive a car to save her life, either. She tried, gave it up, made Frank drive her everywhere. Ayn Rand lived in Manhattan. I have driven successfully in each of the six communities other than Manhattan in which I have owned a car, and on cross country trips. I tried driving in Manhattan but gave it up for public transport because I feared it would turn me into an offensive driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reidy Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 She lived her first 8 years in the US in LA and another 8-year stretch (way out in the country) several years later. Manhattan is not what stopped her from driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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