Back in/pull out or pull in/back out — which is the safest technique in a parking lot?

There are those who teach safe-driving courses that insist the safest technique is back in/pull out. While it is difficult to challenge the safety aspect of pulling out of a parking space versus backing out, “The D Team” is up to the challenge. There are two major factors the pull out advocates seemingly ignore.

1. Backing into a confined area such as a parking spot in the local shopping center is far more difficult than backing out of the parking location into an open area. It takes considerable practice to perfect a safe motor skill level to back a motor vehicle into a confined area (between two parked vehicles).

2. The backing in advocates also ignore the aging process. As one ages the flexibility of the spine begins to deteriorate. The body rotation required to safely back into a confined area can be seriously limited increasing the potential for a fender bender or worse.

3. If one is fortunate enough to be able to find a parking location where pulling through can be safely accomplished, then certainly the pull in/pull out choice becomes a winner. However, care should be taken if the pull through option is available. Someone from the next row may already be preparing to use that same parking space.

Which is the safest parking technique — back in/pull out or pull in/back out: “YOU BE THE JUDGE”!