British woman parks car in the US and gets 'warning' for breaking little-known rule

A couple were gobsmacked after being issued a warning for parking a certain way while on holiday in America recently. Northern woman Stef and her husband Darren were holidaying in Nashville, Tennessee, and hired a car. But they noticed one strange thing about the way car parks work.

Stef, who shares travel tips and her life adventures online, shared a video on her page where she boasts over 80,000 followers recently - and explained what happened. The couple found a multi-storey car park in Franklin, Nashville, where they planned to park up before a day of exploring.

However, they came back to a warning letter on the car's windscreen. Stef, who shared what happened via her page , said: "Right, one thing you need to be aware of if you come to Nashville. I am not sure if it is all over Nashville or just where we are in Franklin, but we've parked in a multi-storey car park - and I literally just said to Darren that all the cars had driven into the spaces and nobody had reserved."

Showing that she got a ticket on her car, Stef said: "You're not allowed. You're not allowed to reverse into a car park space here. Didn't get a fine, we just got a warning."

If you get a 'warning note' in Nashville, make sure that it is legitimate - it will say Parking Violation Notice at the top. It comes after Metro Police issued a warning last year about fake parking tickets, .

Is reversing into a space illegal in Nashville?

Backing into a parking space, or reverse parking is generally not illegal in Nashville - and Tennessee law does not explicitly ban it - but often there may be local regulations or signs in specific locations that prohibit it. These rules are typically sign posted.

Number plates

In the comments of Stef's video, some suggested it may be because in some American states, drivers only require one number plate - on the back. Tennessee law mandates that only one license plate, a rear plate, be displayed for most passenger vehicles.

One commenter suggested: "It's so the number plates can be checked by patrol without anyone having to get out their vehicle because so many US cars only have a plate on the rear of the car."

"I would think it's because of the number plate," added another. One other said: "It's probably because 99% of American cars don't have a front licence plate - but that in itself drives me mad, like why remove front licence plates? It's so weird!"

Facing the wrong way

One shared that this happened to them in New Hampshire. They said: "I got a ticket when I parked facing the wrong direction on a street in New Hampshire. Land of the free!". "I think I remember that being a rule in Malibu as well," added another.

One other shared: "When I was in San Francisco I saw a space on the other side of the road. I parked in it and my friend told me you aren't allowed to park facing against the flow of traffic."

In most US states, it is illegal to park facing the wrong way on a street. This is because it can create safety hazards and obstruct views. All vehicles that parallel park on the street must park in the direction of the flow of traffic.

In Nashville, parallel parking generally must be done with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 18 inches of the right-hand curb. Local authorities, like the city of Nashville, can make exceptions for left-side parking on one-way streets and angle parking on any street. The Tennessee Department of Transportation must approve angle parking on state and federal highways.