Parking lot accidents could be greatly reduced if drivers of small cars would simply remember to stick the car’s BUTT OUT so that its rear bumper is more-or-less aligned with the rear bumpers of adjacent larger cars, SUVs and pickups.
The increased visibility of the parked small car to drivers in the traffic lane reduces the chance of someone attempting to enter what is perceived to be a vacant space. It’s also safer for the small car to back into the traffic lane when leaving by not surprising oncoming drivers.
Consider that mid-sized cars such as Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are about 191 inches long and that pickup trucks, such as the Ford F-150 — the #1 best selling passenger vehicle — vary in length from 209-251 inches.
The most popular late model small cars in the US with length less than 160 inches, or about 13 feet:
Smart Car Fortwo – 106.2″
Fiat 500 – 139.6″
Chevrolet Spark – 143.1″
Mitsubishi Mirage – 148.8″
MINI Cooper 2-door – 151.1″
Mazda MX-5 (Miata) -155.5″
Prius C – 157.3″
Vintage classic car lengths:
Classic Mini Mk 1 – 120.3″
Austin-Healey Sprite – 137.2″
MG-TD – 145″
Morris Minor – 148″
Porsche 356 Coupe – 152.4″
MGB – 153.2″
Early Miata – 155.4″
VW Beetle – 160.6″
On a recent shopping center drive-thru, it was found that Fiat 500 owners were the worst offenders. The Fiat pictured below needs an additional 4 feet of BUTT OUT to reach the rear of the Toyota 4Runner (183.3″).
This website suggests that the ideal BUTT OUT position is within 2-3 feet from the rear of the parking stall. This means that the small cars shown above need to BUTT OUT anywhere from about 3 feet to 7 feet for best visibility.