I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Kevin Spencer

In article ,
Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Kevin Spencer

I always back in - that way the door to the house is on the driver's
side :-)

Ivan

In article , Kevin Spencer says...

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Kevin Spencer

It's unusual. In fact, it's something I only did when I was part of an on-pager
emergency crew, so what your neighbor said is what would occur to me.

So, let me ask you - ya pays now or ya pays later, right? Either way, there's a
possibility of backing into something.. when backing in, or backing out! So why
do you prefer to do the manuever backing in??

For one thing, you can wait in your driveway for the traffic to clear before
backing out. If you back *in*, there's the change the guy behind you will have
to wait, or you'll need to pull over to let him past, then do the back-in
maneuver. For another thing, backing out into the street takes a little less
care than lining up to back into most driveways, since driveways are narrower
than streets.

Y'know what - get a circular driveway!

Cheers,
Banty

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005, Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently moved into a
house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and I have never had my own
driveway before this move. I find myself always backing into the
driveway now when I park, so when it's time for me to go anywhere, I can
pull out forward, and I won't have to worry about backing into a small
child or another vehicle.

Yours is a smarter and safer way to use a home driveway than the more
common method of nosing in and backing out, and for exactly the reason you
state.

"Kevin Spencer" wrote in message
...

Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

This is usual in England although no rule mandates it.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

No, Kevin, you're special and sensible. SOMETIMES I'm organized
enough to back into my driveway, but not usually.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 23:01:46 GMT, KLS graced this
newsgroup with:

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

No, Kevin, you're special and sensible. SOMETIMES I'm organized
enough to back into my driveway, but not usually.


the ones that crack me up are the ones that back into a parking slot
at Costo and then can open their trunk to load all their crap in. LOL

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 19:18:46 -0400, "
graced this newsgroup with:

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 23:01:46 GMT, KLS graced this
newsgroup with:

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

No, Kevin, you're special and sensible. SOMETIMES I'm organized
enough to back into my driveway, but not usually.


the ones that crack me up are the ones that back into a parking slot
at Costo and then can open their trunk to load all their crap in. LOL



yeesh...let's try this again...

the ones that crack me up are those that back into a parking slot
at Costco and then can't open their trunk to load all their crap in.
LOL

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005, Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently moved into a
house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and I have never had my own
driveway before this move. I find myself always backing into the
driveway now when I park, so when it's time for me to go anywhere, I can
pull out forward, and I won't have to worry about backing into a small
child or another vehicle.

Yours is a smarter and safer way to use a home driveway than the more
common method of nosing in and backing out, and for exactly the reason you
state.

Why doesn't he have to worry about backing into a child when parking
the car?

Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Just unusually sensible. Chances are that you're likely to be in
slightly more of a hurry when leaving, so it makes sense to have the car
'pointing the right way'.

Also you're likely to be slightly less alert first thing in the morning
so it's a bit safer.

Graham

In article . com, "Larry Bud" wrote:

Why doesn't he have to worry about backing into a child when parking
the car?

Perhaps neither he nor his neighbors have children...

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

I don't, my wife does. It puts more room between the cars in the
garage.

We both used to when we lived on a major street. It was easier
because we could "block" traffic to allow us to back in, but you could
never back out. Of course, you could turn your signal on for blocks,
decreasing your speed more and more as you approached the drive way,
and people would sit behind you in the right lane honking rather than
move over one lane and go around you.

Depending on the situation, backing in can be much better.

On 13 Jul 2005 13:46:19 -0700, Banty wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

It's unusual. In fact, it's something I only did when I was part of an on-pager
emergency crew, so what your neighbor said is what would occur to me.

No it is not unusual at all. And what the **** does it matter why he
does it, you can do it your way, he can do it his.

So, let me ask you - ya pays now or ya pays later, right? Either way, there's a
possibility of backing into something.. when backing in, or backing out! So why
do you prefer to do the manuever backing in??

Gee, maybe because you can pull up and eyeball the driveway before
backing, and thus have a far lower chance of running over something.

For one thing, you can wait in your driveway for the traffic to clear before

Could be days.

backing out. If you back *in*, there's the change the guy behind you will have
to wait, or you'll need to pull over to let him past, then do the back-in

**** him, let him learn to drive.

maneuver. For another thing, backing out into the street takes a little less
care than lining up to back into most driveways, since driveways are narrower
than streets.

Only for those who shouldn't be driving anyhow.

"Kevin Spencer" wrote in message
...
I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Depends if I am carrying a load in back or not. If I am, I back in, so
tailgate is right by house door. At work, I pull through the double row of
slots so I am facing 'out' to the aisle, because parking lot is laid out
badly, and backing out into the narrow aisles is a pain. Most people do the
same- you can spot the ones that went out for lunch, because they are nose
in, in most cases.

aem sends...

Kevin Spencer wrote:
I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

I back into my present driveway, and did at my previous place in San
Francisco as well. In each case I had a specific reason.

My present home is on a minor through street that, half a block away,
turns into the main entrance of a regional park that draws hundreds of
visitors in summer. The street also has bike lanes that see a lot of
use (including kids who often go the wrong way). By backing in, I
avoid having to back out into heavy traffic if I leave during rush
hour (when this street draws substantial traffic) or on a "park day".

The San Francisco place was on a street where the houses go right up
to the property lines, and the one to the right of mine (as seen
from the street) had a wall running along the edge of my driveway all
the way to the (narrow) sidewalk - and it's a major street. Trying to
back out of there at any time would have been suicide. If I could not
back in, I would not have dared to use the garage at all.

In both places, I use this technique to minimize the delay to others
when I back into the driveway:
1) Pull over so I'm "parallel parked" in the driveway opening.
2) Wait (a reasonable time but not forever) for traffic to clear.
3) Pull out at an angle of about 45 degrees to the curb, as if I were
attempting to start a U-turn, but stop while at least part of my back
bumper is still in the curb lane. This usually prevents anyone from
getting behind me and thus blocking the completion of the maneuver.
4) Check that it's clear (of pedestrians/bikes) behind me, then back
into the driveway.

Aside: If your place has a double-wide driveway and yours is the only
car using it, a better technique is to pull forward into the driveway,
then make a back-and-fill turn within the driveway before shutting off
the car with the nose pointing out. If I had the space for this method,
I would be using it instead.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005, The Etobian wrote:

the ones that crack me up are the ones that back into a parking slot at
Costo and then can open their trunk to load all their crap in. LOL

That's a lot easier than trying to back up when you're flanked by
Excursions on either side.

The ones who **** me off and crack me up at the same time are those who
drive tiny cars *all the way into* parking spaces flanked on either side
by much bigger cars. That's moronic; the smart way is to pull in only so
far as to put the trailing end (whichever that be) of the small car more
or less even with the outer extent of the parking space lines.

They **** me off 'cause they create phantom parking spaces (Oops, no, that
one's taken).

They crack me up because I know there are people not paying careful
attention who'll glance at the phantom parking space and swing on in.
Krunch.

DS

One car, yes. I have a narrow two car garage and its easier to get the
drivers door open if it swings toward the center of the garage.

--
Paul Hovnanian
------------------------------------------------------------------
Excuse me for butting in, but I'm interrupt-driven.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years)

A few YEARS?

Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

You're definitely unusual - on more than one level.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Kevin Spencer


I hope you're not unusual because I've been doing it for about 24
years now at different homes I've owned.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.

"Going to a fire"? What does that mean?

In article , asian_guy wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer
wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.

"Going to a fire"? What does that mean?

It means "leaving in a hurry".

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Kevin Spencer wrote:
I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Kevin Spencer

I back into my driveway because it is easier to pull out into traffic
then backout... it's easier to block traffic for a moment when pulling
in (if I need to.. the street is not traveled much)... also.. there is
less of a chance of something being in my driveway (ie child, bike, car,
etc) then on the road when I'm backing up... and as other posters have
said.. it's easier to get out in an emergency (I'm a network admin for
an ISP and sometimes need to leave in a hury)... why back out when you
need to go somewhere? why not back in when you have the time..

asian_guy wrote in message
news
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, Kevin Spencer

wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.

"Going to a fire"? What does that mean?


Goes back to the fire fighting volunteers... thats how they would park to
get to the fire quicker...

Kevin Spencer wrote:
I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

It's probably safer to reverse in and drive out. Personally, I do it the
easy way and drive in. It makes backing out a bit tricky, especially if
there are a lot of parked cars on the street making it impossible to
see, but any cars coming usually stop or honk when they see me backing out.


Kevin Spencer
Ulf

In article ,
Ivan wrote:

I always back in - that way the door to the house is on the driver's
side :-)

You've just pinpointed why I normally don't back in usually, although I
never really thought about it other than it's more of a PITA to back in.
My driveway's on the opposite side of the house (compared to yours in
relation to your house).

But if I have my parents' mini-van on loan, I back in for easier
loading. ;-)

Kendall

--
Kendall P. Bullen http://www.his.com/~kendall/
kendall@---^^^^^^^

Never e-mail me copies of Usenet postings, please.
I do read the groups to which I post!

I do with the van, which even with towing mirrors and a rear-window
lens has big blind spots, for pretty much the reasons you describe.

Before backing in, I can get a good look at who or what might be in or
near the driveway (usually nothing, but as the saying goes, "assume
makes an ass out of u and me"). If there's something I have to move,
or somebody's kid is too close for comfort, or traffic coming, I can
parallel park in the mouth of the driveway until I get a handle on the
situation.


By contrast, backing out into a public street in such a vehicle,
especially in the morning when kids are walking or riding bikes to
school, drivers who are late for work and probably a little behind the
car are likely to come flying down the street, etc., strikes me as a
less controlled situation.

The other possibilities in the family are sedans and a small SUV that
have much better sight lines; I usually feel pretty good about nosing
in and backing out.

Your neighborhood may vary,
--Joe

I always back in when I park -- it's much easier to pull past my
driveway, make sure the driveway is clear, then back into it, than it
is to make sure the street is clear before I start, and remains clear
while I back out onto the street.

The driveway is a much more confined space, there's no other vehicle
traffic coming onto it, much less pedestrian traffic, and no room for
bicycles or skateboards to be going fast. The street has
intersections, other driveways, public sidewalks, bicycles riding on
the wrong side of the road, etc. And a motorist entering the roadway
is required to yield to all the traffic already on the roadway, so
almost any accident backing out of a driveway is going to be the
backing motorist's fault.

If I remember correctly, around 20% of all car/pedestrian accidents
are children being hit by cars backing out of driveways.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Bicycle Touring Books List:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/bike/tourbooks.html

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:24 -0400, someone wrote:

Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

How long is your driveway?

Is it any easier to back out than in?

Most people I know, drive forward into their driveway, and then turn
around to go out forwards also.

I back my trailer into the driveway so that I can park it tight
against a building. The cars, I drive in and then turn around to go
out.



Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

In article , DTJ says...

On 13 Jul 2005 13:46:19 -0700, Banty wrote:

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

It's unusual. In fact, it's something I only did when I was part of an on-pager
emergency crew, so what your neighbor said is what would occur to me.

No it is not unusual at all. And what the **** does it matter why he
does it, you can do it your way, he can do it his.

So, let me ask you - ya pays now or ya pays later, right? Either way, there's a
possibility of backing into something.. when backing in, or backing out! So why
do you prefer to do the manuever backing in??

Gee, maybe because you can pull up and eyeball the driveway before
backing, and thus have a far lower chance of running over something.

For one thing, you can wait in your driveway for the traffic to clear before

Could be days.

backing out. If you back *in*, there's the change the guy behind you will have
to wait, or you'll need to pull over to let him past, then do the back-in

**** him, let him learn to drive.

maneuver. For another thing, backing out into the street takes a little less
care than lining up to back into most driveways, since driveways are narrower
than streets.

Only for those who shouldn't be driving anyhow.


Wow. Off your meds today??

Cheers,
Banty

Banty writes:
Either way, there's a
possibility of backing into something.. when backing in, or backing out!

I think it is easiest to make sure you don't run over the kitties
by pulling straight in... you can more easily pay attention to
whether or not they run in front of you.

Later, when leaving, you can look around for them, look to see
if they're under the car, and be pretty sure they're nowhere around
before you back out. If you fool around with the keys or something in
the car, you should get back out and check to see where the kitties are
to make sure it is still clear.

Sounds like a lot of trouble, but my kitties are unrunover as of yet.

-Mike

In article ,
Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if I
"was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

Yes. That's the way I was taught to park. Especially at my parents'
house, backing out of their driveway is a major pain in the neck, but
backing into it is a no-brainer. I also prefer not to have to back out
into a public area where kids and other traffic may come up in my car's
blind spot.

In article ,
Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if
I "was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

No problem here. I can back a car, a van, a truck, or a 25' trailer into
virtually any garage, as long as it would fit in there once parked. In
fact, all other things being equal I prefer to back in. Power mirrors make
it a lot easier but it can be done regardless.

For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

In article . net,
Skip Elliott Bowman wrote:

[big snip]

For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

In the "Residents Only" parking areas at the local train station where I
grew up it was so the cops could verify that you had the residents
sticker on your rear bumper.

It could also be so that the cops could check for expired registrations
easily (in states where the sticker gos on the rear plate).

--
Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321 6507
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky Owner:Chinook-L
Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

"Rich Greenberg" wrote in message
...
In article . net,
Skip Elliott Bowman wrote:

[big snip]

For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

In the "Residents Only" parking areas at the local train station where I
grew up it was so the cops could verify that you had the residents
sticker on your rear bumper.

It could also be so that the cops could check for expired registrations
easily (in states where the sticker gos on the rear plate).

That would explain it. Thanks, Rich.

"Skip Elliott Bowman" wrote
For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

Generally, they're so that the longer rear overhang of the car doesn't
block the sidewalk or hit something beyond the bump stop.

Floyd

On 13 Jul 2005 16:35:36 -0700, "Larry Bud"
wrote:



Daniel J. Stern wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005, Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently moved into a
house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and I have never had my own
driveway before this move. I find myself always backing into the
driveway now when I park, so when it's time for me to go anywhere, I can
pull out forward, and I won't have to worry about backing into a small
child or another vehicle.

Yours is a smarter and safer way to use a home driveway than the more
common method of nosing in and backing out, and for exactly the reason you
state.

Why doesn't he have to worry about backing into a child when parking
the car?

Maybe because when you pull up, you can look out the window.

Mark wrote:

On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 21:50:18 GMT, "Skip Elliott Bowman"
wrote:

In article ,
Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if
I "was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

No problem here. I can back a car, a van, a truck, or a 25' trailer into
virtually any garage, as long as it would fit in there once parked. In
fact, all other things being equal I prefer to back in. Power mirrors make
it a lot easier but it can be done regardless.

For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

Come on. Really? I've never seen a sign like that. What type of places
have you seen these signs? I'm not doubting you, I'd just like to know a
little more...

It's to make sure nobody has dumped a stolen car off. Some
states require only a rear tag, instead of front and back.

Im my area all public parking lots are "Front In Only."

KM

In article . net,
"Skip Elliott Bowman" wrote:

In article ,
Kevin Spencer wrote:

I wanted to get some opinions about my behavior. I recently
moved into a house (I'm house-sitting for a few years) and
I have never had my own driveway before this move. I find
myself always backing into the driveway now when I park, so when
it's time for me to go anywhere, I can pull out forward, and
I won't have to worry about backing into a small child or
another vehicle.

I have noticed that most others always pull forward into their
driveways, in fact one neighbor did actually ask me if
I "was planning to go to a fire" .... in a friendly way.
Does anyone else back in to the driveway .... or am I
unusual?

No problem here. I can back a car, a van, a truck, or a 25' trailer into
virtually any garage, as long as it would fit in there once parked. In
fact, all other things being equal I prefer to back in. Power mirrors make
it a lot easier but it can be done regardless.

For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

Yeh, now that you mention it. I have seen those signs too, but only in a
few parking garages in New York City. I wonder what the point is of
that. One other benefit to parking with the front facing out is that if
your car battery dies, its a lot easier to get a jump start because you
will need shorter jumper cables. Its also easier to get a tow if your
car won't start at all if the front is facing out. I do park face in
sometimes, mainly if I am in a big hurry, but that's unusual for me.

"Stan Horwitz" wrote
"Skip Elliott Bowman" wrote:
For some reason, some parking lots have signs that state "Front-In
Parking
Only". I have no idea what's up with that.

Yeh, now that you mention it. I have seen those signs too, but only in a
few parking garages in New York City. I wonder what the point is of
that. One other benefit to parking with the front facing out is that if
your car battery dies, its a lot easier to get a jump start because you
will need shorter jumper cables.

Except for cars such as BMWs that have their batteries in the trunk.

Floyd

In article , hubcap says...

Banty writes:
Either way, there's a
possibility of backing into something.. when backing in, or backing out!

I think it is easiest to make sure you don't run over the kitties
by pulling straight in... you can more easily pay attention to
whether or not they run in front of you.

Later, when leaving, you can look around for them, look to see
if they're under the car, and be pretty sure they're nowhere around
before you back out. If you fool around with the keys or something in
the car, you should get back out and check to see where the kitties are
to make sure it is still clear.

Sounds like a lot of trouble, but my kitties are unrunover as of yet.

-Mike

Me too. Kitties and kiddies both

It's a good point, though. When *leaving* my house, I have an easy opportunity
to see if there is any kittie or kiddie activity around the driveway or sidewalk
or street. Then I can 'afford' the lower visibility I would have while backing
out.

On the other hand, when I *arrive*, I can only see what I can see from the
vantage point of my driver's seat in the street. For that I'd rather have the
visibility to drive fowards into the driveway.

Although - my current setup allows me to back towards my backyard to turn
towards the street while leaving through my driveway, so I can drive forwards
either coming or going. If I lived on a busy street, I'd put in a circular
driveway if I at all could.

Banty