Why do some people have such a hard time parking their car?

[Exterous]

Is spatial acuity that different between people? When I get in the shared parking garage is pretty empty so there are plenty of options. Still I seem to be able to back into a parking spot faster than many people can pull into one (and be between the lines). I don't even have a backup camera.

 

[sdifox]

Barrier to entry lowered. Back when you had to drive manual, you actually had to learn how to drive.

 

[purbeast0]

Because people are stupid and lazy.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I blame the parents. If not the parenting then the genetics.

 

[thebestMAX]

Maybe because they have to always back in for some reason unbeknown to me.

 

[IronWing]

You got a coffee in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and it's really hard to back a car with your knees.

 

[PricklyPete]

I honestly don’t know. Now that cars have cameras, sensors, and moving cameras everywhere...there really is. I excuse.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Spatial relationships is a fairly rare talent. Couple that with the lack of practice due to most people living and working in two dimensions and being unable to park a car is what you get. I'm much more concerned about the lack of imagination I see. I call it one dimensional living. Most people can't understand anything that's not right in front of them.

 

[DietDrThunder]

I never had problems parking my 1963 Chevy Corvair Monza Convertible or my way really tall 2003 Chevy Trailblazer. I did however have a hard time parking my 2014 Chevy Camaro SS/RS. It sits really low, it is wide, has a high belt line, has a really long hood in which you can't tell where the front ends. I ended up installing a front camera in the lower grill and connected it into the backup camera wiring. I flip a switch and can now watch the front view on the Mylink display as I pull into a parking spot.

It is pretty much like sitting in a submarine (up para-scope), but it is fun as hell to drive.

 

[Exterous]

Maybe because they have to always back in for some reason unbeknown to me.

A fair number pull in and still can't manage to make the turn or get between the lines of the first try or do it shockingly slowly

 

[FeuerFrei]

Probably smaller spaces in the garage. You should approach people and ask ... "why the difficulty?"

 

[NoTine42]

I do agree that some vehicles are more difficult than others.
I find myself needing to pull out and straighten our current minivan more than previous ones. And, of course, I can’t throw my large car into the same places of my previous, small car.
(Which is another part of the problem..aren’t Civics now larger than old Accords?)

 

[Anubis]

I honestly don’t know. Now that cars have cameras, sensors, and moving cameras everywhere...there really is. I excuse.

cars with those are still the small minority

 

[Denly]

OP should head to near by metro and watch people do parallel parking.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I honestly think nobody ever bothered to teach them. Driver's ed stopped being a class and started being "have your parents teach you to drive."

And even if you do a proper class, sometimes they skip a topic. I was in my 20s before I figured out how to use rearview mirrors properly to line myself up when backing into a parking spot. (How my parents did it in cars without mirrors, or with a single driver-side RVM, I have no idea.) And yeah, the spacing is definitely different for ever car.

(Which is another part of the problem..aren’t Civics now larger than old Accords?)

Somewhat. Some of the bloat is to make cars do crash testing better, and I won't begrudge them that. But small cars like the Fit, Fiesta, and Smart are still around, even if they weigh more than they did in the '70s. And they're still "subcompacts" and they're still plenty cramped. They also sell poorly in the US.

In the case of the Civic, Accord, Taurus, and a couple others, the nameplates have "grown up" with their buyers. (The Accord is probably the most extreme example - starting out as a "compact" sedan and now I'm seeing it referred to as a "full size" even though it probably technically isn't. The RLX is based on it, with a slightly longer wheelbase, and probably qualifies.)

 

[Humpy]

I find myself needing to pull out and straighten our current minivan more than previous ones.

On Sunday at a trail head parking lot I watched a guy in a minivan hit the side of a pretty nice older G Wagon, then back up and hit it again, while trying to park. He moved to another spot. When I asked him if he was going to leave a note with his info he said "I did not hit a car!". I pointed at the big scrape on his front bumper and he just said "No no no!" while his wife and kids mean mugged me.

Was that you?

 

[FeuerFrei]

And even if you do a proper class, sometimes they skip a topic. I was in my 20s before I figured out how to use rearview mirrors properly to line myself up when backing into a parking spot. (How my parents did it in cars without mirrors, or with a single driver-side RVM, I have no idea.) And yeah, the spacing is definitely different for ever car.

My dad owns only 60s cars with a single driver-side mirror (except the pickup), and he likes to poke his head out the window when backing. Of course that's partly because he's super careful with his precious vehicles. He does way more backing into parking spots than most people. Though he typically parks in a remote parking lot corner away from other vehicles.

 

[NoTine42]

On Sunday at a trail head parking lot I watched a guy in a minivan hit the side of a pretty nice older G Wagon, then back up and hit it again, while trying to park. He moved to another spot. When I asked him if he was going to leave a note with his info he said "I did not hit a car!". I pointed at the big scrape on his front bumper and he just said "No no no!" while his wife and kids mean mugged me.

Was that you?

Ha!
No, I’m aware of the corners of my van...it just doesn’t turn as tightly as I was used to.

 

[jtvang125]

Saw a women take 6 tries to back up into a parking spot with no cars on either side.

 

[local]

Driving is a skill. Some people have better situational and spatial awareness that allow them to more easily develop that skill, some less. I can't wait until we have a lot of autonomous vehicles then see the complete failures that happen due to a lack of driving skills when special situations occur that require manual input.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Could be a femininity problem. Men have a higher spatial IQ than women. It's been tested.

(I believe "spatial" is the correct term.)

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Driving is a skill. Some people have better situational and spatial awareness that allow them to more easily develop that skill, some less. I can't wait until we have a lot of autonomous vehicles then see the complete failures that happen due to a lack of driving skills when special situations occur that require manual input.

Naw, we'll just have people calling for a driver like they call to have a flat changed.

 

[KeithP]

You seem to be confusing ability and desire. Just because they are parking poorly, doesn't necessarily mean they couldn't do a better job. It could mean they just don't care about it.

-KeithP

 

[local]

Naw, we'll just have people calling for a driver like they call to have a flat changed.

I'm thinking more along the lines of when a mechanical failure causes an avocado truck to crash spilling its load on the highway and now everyone has to snake around the wreckage and through the avocados.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'm thinking more along the lines of when a mechanical failure causes an avocado truck to crash spilling its load on the highway and now everyone has to snake around the wreckage and through the avocados.

Clearly, all traffic will halt, and minimal resources will be mobilated to "rescue" motorists.