Почему в Луизиане водители паркуются задом: традиции безопасности и влияние технологий

Minutes after Amy King flew into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, she stopped for a cup of coffee. She was visiting from Liberty, Missouri, and couldn't help but wonder why all the trucks in the parking lot had pulled into the parking spaces backwards. "Is this a Louisiana thing?" she asked her friend. She decided to pose the question to Curious Louisiana — why do so many people in Louisiana back into parking spaces? "For me, it takes so much more effort to back into a parking space that I'm just curious why people do it — why they take the extra time to do it?" King asked. Turns out, back-in parking is a practice linked to decades-old industries in the world — the military, oil and gas companies and even healthcare. For Louisiana businesses, reverse parking is about safety. Acadian Ambulance Service, a private ambulance company covering emergency transport in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee, encourages back-in parking for safety reasons. Ashley Matthews, a National Registry Advanced Emergency Medical Technician at Acadian Ambulance Service, explained that every second counts in an emergency situation. "If the scene is not safe anymore for whatever reason, if we need to respond really quickly to an emergency, it's really easier and cuts down on a few minutes on time to be able to pull out versus backing out," said Matthews. Other companies like American Automobile Association, a nationwide company providing roadside assistance, also urge drivers to reverse into parking spaces whenever possible. While the exact date of reverse parking is unknown, it appears to have started in the military back in the mid-20th century. "They introduced back-end parking to help build military tactical habits or behaviors in soldiers, airmen, and Navy personnel to get them in a better mode in case something happened — evacuation, incoming fire, emergency, medical needs," said Jonas "JJ" Johnnie, vice president of safety and training at Industrial Safety Solutions, a company in charge of safety management systems, headquartered in Youngsville. In the military, reverse parking, also known as tactical or combat parking, enhances security in operational situations — offering a quick departure in the case of an emergency. Johnnie said reverse parking has organically grown in popularity thanks to the oil and gas industry's safety standards and practices. Within some companies and industry cultures, the reverse parking practice is so common that new hires often quickly make it their habit as well — hence, the practice's continued growth throughout the region. Backing into parking spots and reversing, however, is not always a point of confidence for new and inexperienced drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 2021, an estimated 3,990 people were killed in nontraffic crashes, with 23% of those deaths resulting from people being struck by vehicles backing up. Similarly, data shows that 64,838 people were injured in nontraffic crashes in 2021, with 37% of injuries resulting from vehicles backing up. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation mandated backup camera technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018, after data showed that both children and seniors were the primary victims of back-over accidents. The percentage of back-over deaths since 2017 has fluctuated but ultimately decreased as of 2021. Brian Wolshon, professor of engineering at Louisiana State University, thinks there may be a generational gap in how reverse parking is done because of new technology. "My daughter who's 18, I don’t even think she relies on her mirrors. She only looks at her backup camera, and I rely on my mirrors because I grew up and became a driver without a backup camera," said Wolshon. Still, some local Louisiana infrastructure could discourage back-in parking. For example, parking metered spaces and lots often require cars to park their vehicles head first or facing the meter. Louisiana law leaves this to the discretion of local city governments and lawmakers to impose a fee on vehicles that park opposite the meter Although reader King doesn’t reverse as often as others she sees, she still can’t help but back into parking spaces for emergencies of her own. Months after her trip to Louisiana, King said she found herself backing into a parking space. “I was going with a friend to a show and I backed in so that I could get out faster after the show,” King said. “I just didn't want to wait in a long line to exit the parking garage.” Perhaps King’s question turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy.