To me, it seems objectively easier to pull into a parking space forward and then back out of the space when you are ready to leave. You don’t have to line up with the lines while driving backwards, and it’s easier to keep from hitting other cars as well. So why back in? To me, the only advantage I can think of is that you can get out quicker, technically.
Edit: I do not need driving instruction, just wondered why. The reasoning.
…
Why would skill matter if it’s not any harder?
Driving forwards and driving backwards are separate skills that both require practice, but one is not harder than the other (only applicable at slow speeds).
For one thing, people are practicing driving forward 99.9% of the time they’re driving a car, so even if it were true that they were equally easy, most people would be much better at driving forwards.
But, it’s obviously not true. Cars are designed around going forward. There’s a huge windshield to look out of, the seat faces forwards, etc. Driving backwards is simply a more difficult activity. It requires using mirrors and/or a backup cam. The seat stays oriented forward, and as animals with front-facing eyes, we’re not as comfortable moving backwards as forwards. In addition, the steering wheels are on the wrong side, so instead of aiming the steerable part and letting the unsteerable part follow, you have to orient the steerable part to push the non-steerable part around.
Reversing isn’t any harder if you are familiar with the skill of reversing. That’s what I am saying.
If you’re familiar with the skill of reversing, reversing isn’t any harder. Hmm. Ok. If you’re familiar with landing a plane, then landing a plane isn’t any harder either.
Actually landing a plane is a lot harder than reversing a car even if you’re skilled at it. Not sure what you’re trying to prove, this is a dumb argument
Obviously reversing is harder, and adding the tag “if you’re familiar with the skill” doesn’t change anything. I added “if you’re familiar with landing a plane” to make that point.
Reversing literally isn’t harder than driving forward.
Landing a plane is way harder than taking off. Your analogy is irrelevant and incorrect
Of course it is. Don’t be dense. Going forward there’s a huge windshield for you to look through with both eyes so your binocular vision gives you full depth perception. You’re moving in the direction you’re facing. The wheels that can’t be steered follow the wheels that can so you don’t need to think about them because they’ll always just follow.
Compare that with reversing where you’re facing forward but moving backward. You can only get a small, incomplete picture of where you’re heading using either small mirrors or a low-resolution camera. You can try to rotate in your seat if you have a useful back window, but even if you do it’s far away and so most of your view to the rear is going to be blocked by the car’s interior. In addition, you’re pushing the non-steered wheels with wheels that are steered, so that small movements of the steered wheels are amplified, so you have to be much more careful about where you’re pushing them.
There’s no question that driving backwards is harder than driving forwards.
True at higher speeds. You’re right about these points. But at slow speeds in a parking lot these have a negligible difference and results in parking forward or backwards being similar in difficulty. Especially if you’re not driving an oversized vehicle with poor visibility. So I will amend my statement in that way.
At low speeds these are all still issues that mean going backwards is harder than going forwards. They may be “similar” in difficulty, but going backwards is always going to be significantly harder.