I KNOW why the Americans tend not to follow Humphrey Bogart's advice to "park heading out" (Letters, December 22).

The first time I picked up a hire car in the US there I was told to park nose in, as it only had licence plates on the rear and the police who cruise round shopping mall parking lots get annoyed if they have to get out of their car to check your plates.

And in a similar vein, if your car is parked nose out, it is difficult to place the trolley adjacent to the boot to load up your shopping.

Perhaps the answer to that one is a dedicated pedestrian/trolley route between the rows of cars.

Scott Macintosh,

4 Alder Crescent,

Killearn.