fancy parking
I was perusing Ask Metafilter and started reading about how to improve your parking. I’m an average parker, although my parallel parking is a little rusty since I rarely park that way. In any case, ever since I heard from a police officer that statistically your car is less likely to be broken into when you back in, I’ve backed into parking spaces. I don’t do it all the time, but if I’m going to be parked somewhere for a while, I do it just in case. I’m not sure why thieves would avoid cars that are backed in, but my theory is that it’s harder to hide from people driving or walking by since you’re more visible as they go by.
But all of that is secondary to my new discovery.
I’m a Fancy Parker!
Hee. Does a person who drives through a parking space to be facing out on the next one count as a “Fancy Parker”? Does that make sense? ;-)
Indeed, that is one of the formal methods (#4 The Drive-Thru). My personal favorite is #5 The Crazy Straw, though I have yet to try it. #2 Spin the Bottle is a close second.
No offense to your police officer friend, but logically, if fewer people back into parking spaces to begin with, then wouldn’t it follow that fewer cars parked that way would be broken into?
Karalyn: An excellent question. I believe I asked him the same thing when I heard it and since I remember being satisfied by the comment, here is my guess. The percentage of fancy parked cars that are broken into out of all fancy parked cars is lower than the percentage of cars that are parked normally and broken into out of all cars parked normally.
I just searched online for some corroborative evidence and I found none other than this blog entry in the results, so I may be wrong. Even if it doesn’t make your car any less likely to be broken into, it’s easier to leave the parking spot. :)
one thing I did not find addressed is the one way angled rows. yes you can pull through but if you are going the right way down then it is difficult to fancy park. I must agree it is safer to pull out where you can see from a spot.
That’s true. I dislike angled parking lots because you’re only supposed to go one way and it can be a pain to get out.