would you step behind a reversing car in a car park?

djglover – Member

because its safer to reverse in than out. H&S culture rules supreme, well it certainly does in oil and gas

Of course, making them drive back out and in again is less safe 😉

Common sense, obviously- you don’t walk behind a vehicle and assume it’ll stop, even if you’ve got right of way it’s idiotic. But your obs when reversing out should have covered it too.

At the supermarket, I park nose in because the spaces are always too small for the barge, and if I reverse in I can’t load my bloomin shopping. Unless I put it in with the engine.

I think modern society is so safe that a lot of people have lost their ability to assess risk…
Personally, I think walking behind a reversing car is stupid. Yes Highway Code may suggest drivers reverse park but if you walk around a carpark without looking for reversing cars, you’re likely to get hit one day… and that’ll be too late to be self-righteous about it
so I think bloke was a bit daft for just hitting the car and suggesting it was your fault – he’s missed the the opportunity to learn something for himself IMO…

That said I didn’t know Highway Code recommended reverse parking… so I’ve learnt something too!

as far as it goes in asda carpark, if you keep reversing without looking, you will probably hit some trolleys before a trolley pusher, who can only control their momentum to a certain extent. So stop. These things can do quite a lot of damage to your car and are quite low, about the height of a child. Customers are reminded with signs saying that they park at their own discretion and the company takes no responsibility 😉 it’s a war out there.

Some of the Highway Code does refers to Law. The red sections which say you MUST/MUST NOT quotes the RTA (road traffic act) section that the driver could be prosecuted under.

Its not illegal to reverse out of a space, just not recommended.

On a Driving Test, if the Reverse ( or Bay ) park is requested, it must be completed by reversing into the bay.

The guy the OP mentioned is just a clown. Anyone with any sense should expect vehicles to be reversing in a car park.

Even reversing in obviously requires reversing and this guy just seems to be make a point for making its sake. 😀

Happens all the time when we are Reversing round corners that people just walk out despite it being obvious what we are doing.

It happens that often that I now tell the learners to stop when anyone is approaching the car from any side.

a lot of people sit in car park bays with their reversing lights on for a loooooong time without moving. is everyone else supposed to just wait?

Not moving /= reversing.

I guess it depends on where the guy was when you started reversing. You didn’t even see him so he could have been behind your car before you started your maneuvure, then he’d have a point.

So we are all agreed then, mow the bastards down while travelling forwards, then reverse over them just to make sure, repeat as necessary.

I wouldn’t step in front of a moving car, no. It’s never a bad idea to look where you’re going while reversing though. I learnt this while trying to extract my cinquecento from some really deep ruts in the field I used to park in. The beeping informed me that actually I hadn’t parked in ruts. And that reverse gear in a cinquecento does not have adequate power to push a land rover back down a country lane 😳

I always reverse into a space, unless I’m gonna be loading up from a trolley that requires boot access.
If some idiot wants to walk behind a reversing car then they deserve to get knocked over. I’ll take my chances in court.

You will lose.

But good luck 😉

If some idiot wants to walk behind a reversing car then they deserve to get knocked over. I’ll take my chances in court.

It has nothing to do which way you go in or out (though reverse park is clearly more superior 8) ). You should always give way to pedestrians.

It might well be stupid to walk behind a moving car, but I’ve done it countless times. Quite simply because there are 100s of cars in car parks, and I don’t wish to study each one to see where they’re going. THEY are in charge of the heavy machinery, and it is their job and their responsibility to ensure they don’t hit anyone. No court is going to see it any other way. And that’s the way it should be.

I’ve actually done exactly what the person in the op’s post did. I was walking into a shop when a woman in a Audi estate almost ran me over. I had to step out of the way but I gave the window a good hard slap to wake her up.

Now, the thread title is “would you step behind a moving car?” but in this instance I was walking through the car park. I saw the woman get into the car but I didn’t expect the car to just shoot out. She didn’t give so much as a glance, just fired the car up and launched it out of the space in reverse. When I am leaving a car park in my car I take care to look for pedestrians and other vehicles, I don’t just go. No, I wouldn’t walk around a reversing car, but if I am walking past a stationary car in reverse I expect the driver to be looking out for me.

In my case, had I been elderly, or a mother pushing a pram, or indeed another car there would have been more serious repercussions as I doubt there would have been any chance of avoiding a collision.

For what it’s worth the woman in the Audi appologised, furthermore to policemen who were walking out of the shop saw the incident and had a wee word with her. She was probably off her tits on prescription drugs, she clearly wasn’t focused on the task of driving.

Depends on the particular scenario I think.
But a lot of people do seem to have zero ability to realise where the things around them are going to be in a few seconds time and act accordingly, maybe you just had one of them.

It’s difficult enough for the Range Rover drivers at my local Sainsburys to limit themselves to one parking space, and parallel to the painted lines. Reverse in ? Not a hope in hell. You’d need 4 empty spaces in a row, and an air traffic control tower.

Um, there are generally different perspectives on these things. Even based on what you wrote, my assumption is that you didn’t see him walking behind your car, reversed, almost hit him.

Why do you feel you need STW’s collective view on who was right ? What vindication does this give you. What if we all take his point of view ? WHat did he do that was so wrong?

hels – Member
It’s difficult enough for the Range Rover drivers at my local Sainsburys to limit themselves to one parking space, and parallel to the painted lines. Reverse in ? Not a hope in hell. You’d need 4 empty spaces in a row, and an air traffic control tower.

Loved my old (L reg) Polo, when people parked over 2 spaces it was usually possible to squeeze it in a half space. Would usually try to block the drivers door. 😀

I have slapped a car on the back in similar circumstances to the OP. It had been sitting stationary with engine running for a few minutes and was making no signs of moving, I would expect any careful and competent driver to have been fully aware of my presence. As I walked behind, it started to move. The fact that the OP didn’t see the person can only mean he hadn’t looked properly or for long enough. If you never crossed behind cars with their engine running, or even cars with their lights on, or even cars with their reversing light engaged you would never get anywhere. You are reversing out the space it is your responsibility to make sure there is nobody in the way and common courtesy to let pedestrians pass before your reverse.

Brakes – if people are crossing behind or in front of you (which quite frankly is not unreasonable since you are crossing the footway) it is probably because you are travelling slowly / cautiously. This implies you are not planning to drive over people and are going slow because you are attempting to make good observations. However your driveway sounds dangerous however you use it. In which case if you run over a child in the process the court might well take the view that, “you knew it was dodgy but kept using it so are culpable”, even more so if the walls etc which obstruct your view are within your control to remodel.. I’d also suspect that such a driveway would not get approval from any modern Local Authority Roads Dept – so unless the house is particularly old, accessing it across the footway in a dangerous ‘road layout’ could be fraught with problems.

As to companies reversing in to spaces I know one company who insist company drivers reverse into spaces and if you have an accident going in forwards make you pay the damage! I believe it is generally accepted to be safer as you have better observation of what is around and behind you. All the companies I know who actively enforce such a policy are at sites where emergency evacuation might be required (chemicals etc) and it is quicker to clear all your personnel off site in a hurry if they can drive forwards.

One thing; if you reverse into a space in a supermarket car park, how are you supposed to load it easily?

One thing; if you reverse into a space in a supermarket car park, how are you supposed to load it easily?

Park in the family spaces, they have room for getting ther trolley down the side and are closer to the door of the supermarket.

As a van driver i dont have a rear window, so reversing out of a space is dangerous and never done by me, always reverse in a lot easier.

Even based on what you wrote, my assumption is that you didn’t see him walking behind your car, reversed, almost hit him.

I think I made it quite clear that this was the case. yes I didn’t see him, I admit that.

Why do you feel you need STW’s collective view on who was right ? What vindication does this give you. What if we all take his point of view ? WHat did he do that was so wrong?

by eck you got out of bed the wrong side. I was just passing comment – some people do this just as a way of starting a conversation; I wasn’t asking to be exonerated, nor was I asking to be hung drawn & quartered.

I agree with poly, brakes, your driveway sounds lethal! We have a drive on the main road and I am sure my husband said he would only get planning if there was space in the drive to turn the car around. This was about 20 years ago. So no need to reverse in or out. This is different if you ad more cars of cours and if we do we reverse in (sometimes after a long wait) or wait untill the 1 st car has left and turn the second one around. We also have to cross the footpath, and it tends to be the cyclist on the path that catch you out! They go much faster then your average pedestrian.

And to answer the question, no I would not walk behind a reversing car, and my kids would not either. But then I do teach road safety in schools for a living. This is the kind of stuff we teach 6 year olds!

Right – you may not like thi, but it’s what the highway code and whichever the relevant laws are say – a) you are not allowed to run people over, b) you need to make sure your observation is good enough to allow you to not run people over.

For what it’s worth – park in a quiet bit of the car park and go for a drive through space. Keeps the chances of muppetry happening down to the minimum.

go for a drive through space

there are none 🙁

yes, my observation let me down. yes I did bad. no, I didn’t hit him and no, he wasn’t hurt.

my mkII polo used to fit perfectly in the trolley storage shelter thing at the sainsburys where i was at uni, so i generally used to park it in there – protect the valuable paintwork. 🙂

chalk it up to experience then and move on. little bumps, scrapes and scares are good for drivers now and gain – keeps them from getting complacent.

OP – You’re a in car, basically a deadly weapon (that’s certainly what the army refer to them) and the pedestrian is on foot, not surrounded by roll bars, air bars, a pillars etc. Yet you think it is their responsibility to look out for you and your driving. And you’re a cyclist! No wonder there are so many accidents on the road.

Douche bag

et tu brute

how many times do I need to say I know I was in the wrong?

And you’re a cyclist!

big assumption there mister. I haven’t ridden for over a year

no need for the insult though

OP – You’re a in car, basically a deadly weapon (that’s certainly what the army refer to them) and the pedestrian is on foot, not surrounded by roll bars, air bars, a pillars etc. Yet you think it is their responsibility to look out for you and your driving. And you’re a cyclist! No wonder there are so many accidents on the road.

Douche bag

Crikey, that’s not what I got from the OP at all. Yes he has responsibilities that he needs to take very seriously, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to walk around where you know cars are moving around without taking any responsibility for yourself.

I’m all for the people in charge of the ton of metal having extra responsibilities but that doesn’t mean nobody else need apply any common sense.

Yeah fair enough. Sorry dude.

Hit by a vacant driver in similar circumstances so still unreasonably bitter.

Get back on the bike!

I would not walk behind a reversing car in a car park or a car parked on a street, it really annoys me when some idiot walks behind my car as I’m either parking or pulling out from a space. Beggars belief how some of the general public are totally unaware of their surroundings.

‘general public’
Lol!

I would not walk behind a reversing car in a car park or a car parked on a street, it really annoys me when some idiot walks behind my car as I’m either parking or pulling out from a space. Beggars belief how some of the general public are totally unaware of their surroundings.

Again. Why should pedestrians give way to you when the highway code says it’s the other way round?

I understand the logic and, well, common sense in the vulnerable watching out for themselves – and of course they should do that. But I find it wrong that drivers assume right of way because of the fact that they are operating the potentially deadly weapon. It’s pretty close to bullying.

It’s pretty close to bullying.

No its pretty close to common sense not to move in front or behind a moving vehicle 🙄

does anyone remember The Green Cross Code?

I understand the logic and, well, common sense in the vulnerable watching out for themselves – and of course they should do that. But I find it wrong that drivers assume right of way because of the fact that they are operating the potentially deadly weapon. It’s pretty close to bullying.

Yep, this exactly. Most of the time this is just victim blaming. It’s like blaming a woman for being raped by walking through a dodgy part of town at night. Okay so it’s a potential risk, but that doesn’t make it right and indeed if people persist in this point of view then the rapist/car driver* will always be the one with the ultimate power.

*Please note, I’m not comparing the two, just looking at analogies in other areas of the victim blaming culture in which we live. Interestingly misogyny provides numerous examples

No its pretty close to common sense not to move in front or behind a moving vehicle

I’m talking about the attitude of the driver. Not the pedestrian.

The pedestrian has the responsibility to look after themselves. Of course they do (and I acknowledged this). But you’re just trying to justify it – implying that it is the responsibility of the vulnerable party to avoid any accidents.

It is in the best interests of the vulnerable party to avoid any collision – without a doubt. But the greatest responsibility is with the driver, as they are in control of the source of the danger, and so are not only responsible for themselves, but also for everyone around them. And for that reason, it is they who should be extra vigilant, and give way when necesarry.

hels – Member
It’s difficult enough for the Range Rover drivers at my local Sainsburys to limit themselves to one parking space, and parallel to the painted lines. Reverse in ? Not a hope in hell. You’d need 4 empty spaces in a row, and an air traffic control tower.

They’re either stunned by the site of you on your high horse, or smirking at your peasant-mobile. Take your pick. 🙂

This is what the Highway Code says:

“Reversing vehicles. Never cross behind a vehicle which is reversing, showing white reversing lights or sounding a warning.”