> I've been told that in the army (UK) its illegal to park forwards. They had so many accidents that they banned it.
I've parked in numerous UK army bases over the years (as a civilian) and have never been aware of this. There might be something specific for soldiers whose specific trade is driving but not in general car parks. Some younger soldiers join up without a license and pass a normal civilian driving test as part of their career progression (taught by civilian driving instructors IIRC).
My first employer had this rule — reverse parking only. If you parked the wrong way then reception would send you back out.
Their argument for it was basically the same as the Army’s — with so many people working for them it became significant enough where it prevented a tangible number of people getting injured.
The other argument was that if you were getting attacked / mugged you could get away faster!
Backup cameras are increasingly the norm as older vehicles go out of service. But as someone who was exposed to a variety of different rental vehicles last week, it's increasingly hard to know what features a given vehicle has exactly, which are enabled, and how to use them.
It's hard when you get a loaner car from the dealer and that car doesn't lock when you walk away.
It's a habit you quickly forget. You're just walking away waiting for the beep. No beep, you have to press the fob.
I do also hate when dealers advertise the backup camera as a security feature. It's mandatory, you don't advertise seatbelts or airbags (unless there are 37 like in a modern Mercedes).
But yea, definitely easier to squeeze into tighter spots going backwards, and not that much harder after you've done it a few times.