Passing your driver's licence test and buying your first car is always a moment of jubilation... Until you get inside the car and realise that you have to deal with the anxiety of being on the road with motorists who are more experienced in driving than you are. This is always the case with new drivers, especially when the issue of parking comes into play. Everything seemed easy to grasp when you were at the driving school practicing parking between cones, right? Now you have to park between actual cars. What do you do?
In this blog article we will take you through the steps of the fundamental art of parking to ensure that you are fully equipped with the necessary skills needed as a legal road user.
Park Straight Between Two Cars - Step by Step
- Slowly position your vehicle so that it is in the center of the parking aisle. If the aisle is made for only one direction of traffic, position your vehicle as far as you can to the opposite side of the aisle to allow more room for turning.
- Stop your vehicle when its front bumper is approximately half of the way past the parking space before the one you plan to park in.
- Turn your wheel towards the parking space and slowly begin to drive your car into the parking space. Check the left and right sides of your vehicle to ensure that there is a reasonable amount of free space on either side.
- Keep turning your steering wheel as you pull into the parking space until your car is parallel with the vehicles parked on either side of that space.
- Continue to slowly pull forward until your car is completely inside the parking space. Be careful not to park too close to the vehicle parked directly in front of you.
- Turn off your ignition and exit the vehicle.
- To exit a parking space when other cars are parked on either side of you, you must first evaluate the proximity of the two cars. If you can turn to either side when reversing out of the space, turn towards the side on which the closest car is parked. This will give the front of your vehicle more room in which to turn as you exit the parking space.
Parallel Parking – Step-by-Step
- The space between two cars (Car A in front, and Car B at the back) should be a few metres longer than your car.
- Pull up parallel alongside Car A and in line and as close as possible.
- Line up the back of your car with the back of Car A.
- While at a stop, turn your steering wheel all the way to the left (if you are parking on the left-hand side, or all the way to the right (if you are parking on the right-hand side).
- Put your car into reverse gear.
- Turn your head inwards to look out the back of your car and start reversing slowly towards Car B, keeping your wheel still.
- When the front corner of Car B is exactly in the middle of your windscreen, stop reversing and turn your steering wheel back to the normal position.
- Continue reversing until your car has just passed Car A.
- Stop.
- Turn your steering wheel fully to the right (if parking on the left-hand side of the road).
- Continue reversing slowly towards Car B keeping the wheel in position.
- Stop.
- Your car should be parallel or almost parallel with Car A and Car B.
- Now move forward slowly while turning your wheel back to the normal position.
Reverse Bay Parking – Step-by-Step
Scenario: You are parking in Bay 2 between Bay 1 and Bay 3.
- Move your car forward to line its back up with Bay 3.
- Put your car into reverse gear.
- Turn and look out the rear window.
- Check for pedestrians, cyclists, other vehicles, etc.
- Once clear, slowly reverse while turning the steering wheel fully in the direction towards your parking bay.
- Keep glancing in your wing mirror on the side of the parking bay until you see Bay 2’s first line appear.
- Use this line as a guide to reverse into the bay.
- At the same time while moving, look to the wing mirror on the other side to find Bay 2’s second line.
- Now use both rear mirrors to reverse evenly between the two parking lines.
- Moving very slowly and check through rear view mirror to gauge the distance behind you.
- Once you are far enough and the two lines look parallel on each side, move forward slowly while straightening up the steering wheel.
By following these steps and practicing them often, you will notice that it’s not so hard after all. The most important rule to apply first and foremost is: Take it slowly.
Article credit : Auto Pedigree
