HEALTH AND SAFETY ESSENTIALS

SELF-STUDY WORKBOOK

reverse parking
Back it up, back it in.
Let me begin.
I came to reverse park.
Parking forward’s a sin.
You might have a reverse parking policy where you work.
You might be implementing one, or you might be thinking
about it.
Either way, it’s something you should be doing.
Why?
Read on. Find out.

NAME

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 reverse parking
How to use this workbook

The workbook isn’t going to drive your car for you.

Nor is it going to call ‘Shotgun’ and jump into the passenger seat to, and give you tips.

Nor, indeed, is it going to stand behind your car, palm out, shouting,

“Keep coming, keep coming, loads of room, loads of room, loads of roo–WAIT STOP STOP
STOP. Okay keep coming, keep coming, you’re there”.

What I’m saying is we’re going to give you the information you need. It’s up to you to put
it into action.

You need to get all up in it, and drink deep from its wisdom. Imbibe, and become
nourished with its knowledge.

We know e-learning can get dull, so each segment will have a takeaway section with the
key information you need to remember.

There’s also a little quiz at the end to help the learning stick.

Who Should Read This?

• Employers who operate a reverse parking policy, or are thinking of implementing
one
• Anyone who drives to work
• Anyone interested in staying a bit safer and more fuel efficient when parking
• Anybody looking for tips on reverse parking best practice

Key Insights
• The reasons why reverse parking is important
• A bit of context
• Reverse parking best practice
• Ways to implement a reverse parking system where you work

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Put your thing down, flip it and reverse it.

Why are you here?

I mean here reading this workbook, not in the philosophical, ‘meaning of life’ way.

Maybe someone’s told you that you need to start reverse parking at work.

Maybe you’re just curious.

Maybe you’re just super into doing workbooks.

Whatever the reason, you’re here for some information on reverse parking, and we’re not
going to disappoint.

The long and the short of it is this:

When it comes to parking bays, you should be reverse parking.

By that, we mean you should be reversing into your bay, so you can drive out forwards
when you leave.

The first thing you’re probably asking is, “Why?”.

Well, I’m glad you asked.

The main reason is the one you might expect:

Safety.

You might be wondering, “How is it any safer to reverse into a bay?”.

Good question.

Let’s take a look:

• It’s better to reverse into an empty bay than out into a roadway where there may
be moving traffic or pedestrians
• When you’ve just turned the engine on, it’s easier to control a car going forwards
rather than backwards
• You’re more likely to be concentrating when you’ve just entered a car, rather than
after you’ve been driving for a while

So, it’s safer.

But who cares?

I’m sure you’d like to avoid fender benders, but how often do they happen, really?

It’s more than you might think.

One in five traffic collisions happen in car parks.

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Which is even more significant when you consider how little of your driving time is
actually spent in car parks.

In fact, car park accidents are the leading cause of fleet vehicle damage.

But big deal, right?

Worst case – scratched paint, broken brake lights, wonky bumper…

Sadly not.

Every year in the US, there are, on average, over 15,000 injuries as a result of being backed
into by reversing drivers.

That includes over 250 fatalities.

Thoroughly nasty way to go, that.

But look:

We’re not saying, “Reverse park and you’ll never have another car accident again!”.
It’s about reducing risks and creating a culture of safety.

But there are other benefits to reverse parking.

For example, did you know it’s more fuel efficient?

According to research from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, reversing out of a

parking space with a cold engine uses up to 25 times more fuel in the first few seconds
than a warm engine.

That adds up, in terms of money, engine wear-and-tear and your carbon footprint.
Reverse parking is basically better for everyone.

So, let’s do it.

takeaway
Contrary to popular belief, speed limits aren’t in place to control you.

They’re there to keep you safe.

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Reverse parking tips
We know you’ll have had to practise reverse parking for your driving test.

Since then, though, there’s a good chance you’ve largely ignored it since.

As humans, we’re naturally lazy.

We like to take the path of least resistance.

When we’re parking, that usually translates to driving forward into bays.

That’s not to say you can’t reverse park when you need to.

But doing it is one thing. Doing it safely is another.

Let’s look at a few tips as a refresher so that you maximise the benefits of reverse parking:

1. Stay alert and scan the area. Use your mirrors and rear-view cameras, if available.
2. Look for pedestrians.
3. Drive slowly. Obey posted speed limits and signs.
4. Wear your seat belt.
5. When parking, keep distance between your vehicle and others.

You probably found them pretty obvious.

But we wouldn’t have had to list them if everyone stuck to them.

It’s easy to get the basics right. It’s harder to make sure you’re doing them each and every
time.

Now, then.

The manoeuvre.

As you would expect, the points of reference are different from vehicle to vehicle.

Some are longer. Some are wider. Some are even rear-wheel steering.

So there’s no ‘catch-all’ guide we can give you when it comes to reverse parking.

What we can do is give you the theory.

You can tweak that to your own situation.

For illustration purposes, we’ll be using a standard family car. Because why not?

Let’s ride…

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 1. Select your bay
If there’s only one space available, your job’s done.
But if there’s more than one to choose from, it’s not good
trying to pick your bay on the fly.
You want to be able to plan your positioning and the full
procedure from the outset.
You’ll want to be ahead of your bay, and far enough out
that you’ve got room to straighten up.

2. Observe
Critically, before you make any movement, you’ll want to be 100% sure the way is clear.
That means effective, all-round observation, using your mirrors and checking your blind
spots. Do this before you move and throughout the procedure.

3. positioning yourself to turn

If there’s only one space available, your job’s done.
But if there’s more than one to choose from, it’s not good trying to pick your bay on the
fly.
You want to be able to plan your positioning and the full procedure from the outset.
You’ll want to be ahead of your bay, and far enough out that you’ve got room to
straighten up.

4. Turning
Again, you’ll need to be looking all around before
committing to any movement. Once you’ve reached the
position to turn, turn the wheel fully in the direction
you’re heading (i.e. anticlockwise for parking to the left,
clockwise for the right).
As the car becomes parallel with the white lines, correct
your steering so the car finishes straight and central
within the bay.

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 5. Extras
You might also try diagonal parking.

It’s a similar manoeuvre, and the same rules apply, but you
can give yourself a bit more room to turn.

To pull it off, drive diagonally forward past, and away from,

your selected bay.

Then reverse back into it using the methods we discussed.

Also, if bays are positioned back-to-back and there are two bays
empty in succession, you can drive forward through one into
another, so that you’ll be able to exit the bay forward.

Again, though, drive slowly and carefully, with full observation.

takeaway
Reverse parking is, really, no more difficult than driving forward into bays, once you’re
used to it.

1. Select your bay

2. Full observation
3. Take your position
4. Start to turn
5. Diagonals and ‘Drive-throughs’

Just remember to take it as slow as you’re comfortable with, and make sure you’re
checking round your vehicle constantly.

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anything else
We mentioned earlier about creating a culture of safety.

You can go back and check, but we did. Honestly.

So, you know it’s best to reverse park.

How can you get everyone else to stay safe too?

Well, as with the other courses in the Safety Six collection, it’s important that, as a team,
you’re all comfortable with challenging each other on safety issues.

You should also be open to being challenged yourself.

In terms of setting up a reverse parking system where you work, you could have
incentives in place, such as parking spaces closer to the building.

There are also telematics systems you can have that identify who is leaving their parking
bays forwards, and who’s reversing.

That’s a lot less time-consuming than having to go out and see which way everyone’s
facing.

takeaway
The important thing about reverse parking isn’t point scoring, or catching people out.

It’s predominantly about safety.

Incremental risk reduction, across the board. It all adds up.

So, next time you’re parking up – reverse it.

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Quick Quiz
Happy with everything?

Good.

Well, we promised you some questions, so here they are.

Nothing too taxing – they’re mostly here to help the learning stick.

Q1. What are the key benefits of reverse parking?

Q2. What are the steps you should take when reverse parking?

Q3: What different reverse parking methods are there?

Q4: How can you help to foster a culture of safety at work, in relation to reverse parking?

summary
Honestly, we know changing habits of a lifetime is tricky.
So, here’s the challenge to you.
Try it next time.
If you try it that once, you’ll see it’s no effort to change.
And you know the benefits.
So next time, reverse park. Then keep it up.
Stay safe out there.