Why Every Busy Shopping Centre Car Park Suddenly Feels Like A Rally Stage

Let’s get this off my chest before someone backs their SUV into my right bumper – why, oh why, in a busy shopping centre car park do so many drivers insist on reverse parking like their life depends on it? You sit there, engine ticking over, foot half-on the brake, while someone performs about three manoeuvres that would embarrass a learner driver – all because they’re convinced they’ll be so much safer later. Or so they say.

Now, the official arguments for reverse parking aren’t invented in the depths of lunacy – there’s actually some logic to it. Driving instructors and road safety groups note that if you back into a spot, you don’t have to reverse out into a stream of pedestrians and traffic later. You are facing forward when you hit the road, with better visibility, and you can merge out more confidently. With reversing cameras and sensors in most cars these days, the manoeuvre is reportedly easier too – even “safer for pedestrians and other vehicles,” according to safety advocates.

And there’s even an insurance twist: in Australia, if you’re reversing and clip someone, you’re generally deemed at fault because you’re the one going backwards – cue another reason drivers reverse in, ironically, to avoid liability.

But let’s not pretend this is some universally cherished ritual. There’s a perfectly legit other side to the argument which goes like this: Reverse parking in a busy carpark is slow, awkward and frankly aggressive – because it holds up traffic behind you. Many people simply can’t do it quickly; they lurch and adjust like a toddler learning to walk, causing snarls in the aisles. And when your only goal was a nine-item shop, the last thing you needed was to turn two bays into three.

Critics also correctly point out – while you might get out safer later – you’re holding everyone up now. And then there’s the eternal gripe: if you’ve loaded up a trolley full of groceries – especially the bulky kind – reversing in means the boot is tucked away from easy access, turning what should be a few minutes into a mild logistical challenge.

So is reverse parking genuinely better? Some say it’s about safety and exit efficiency; others say it’s slow, disruptive and often unnecessary. What’s clear is this: your fellow shoppers may curse you while you’re performing three zaftig reverse-adjustments, but when it’s time to leave, you’ll thank yourself. Or maybe you won’t – but someone will definitely honk.

Either way: pick a lane, get in, and for the love of all that is holy, use your indicators properly.