Are you teenager preparing for your road test? Or perhaps an adult who just wants to park a little closer to that restaurant or special event! Well then you’ve come to the right place. Parallel Parking in 4 Easy Steps!
Parallel Parking Should be Easy
Parallel parking does not have to be so intimidating. Matter of fact it can be quite easy if you follow a few simple steps. The truth is many teenagers will attempt to parallel park on their road test and that will be the last time they ever do it again. Most adults just choose to park farther away because they just don’t want to deal with the frustration.
The truth is most of the driver education gurus will try to sell you on one of the many systems that help get you into that space quick and easy. The problem is those systems only work with cars that are a similar size to the car you are parking behind. Many of those systems also do not work if the car you are parking behind is too far or too close to the curb. I have researched all of these strategies and have found one system that stands out from all the rest. This system requires some practice , but is easily adaptable to any parallel parking situation. You need a minimum of five feet of space beyond the length of your car to parallel park effectively.
Parallel Parking Steps:
- Signal right and line your car’s seat or side view mirror up with the car you will parking behind. You should be about 2-3 feet away from the other car.
- Crank your steering wheel all the way to the right (Clockwise) and begin to roll backwards. When your seat is even with bumper of the car you are parking behind, straighten your steering wheel (usually 1-1 1/2 cranks of the wheel counter clockwise). You have now formed an angle with the other car. This angle is the most important part of parallel parking. It should be about 45 degrees. If the angle is too big you will hit the curb, too small and you will be too far from curb!
- Continue to roll back (look back over your right shoulder) until the front end of your car just passes the other car’s bumper. As soon as this happens crank your steering wheel all the way to the left (counter-clockwise), rolling back into the space.
- Shift to Drive and roll slowly forward as you straighten your wheels. Finish with your wheels totally straight.
Congratulations you have parallel parked!
Keys to Using this Parallel Parking System:
- The first time you try this you may want to stop in between each step. As you become more confident you can simply keep the car moving slowly as you move through the steps.
- Determine the angle! The reality is that the angle determines how close or far away you will be from the curb. 45 degrees is the ideal angle. Too big an angle and you will hit the curb or perhaps the bumper of the car you are parking behind. Too small of an angle and you will be too far away from the curb. If you are only parking behind one car and there is plenty of space behind it, then it is better to use a smaller angle and crank the car in a little bit later. This is ideal for teenagers taking the road test and are only required to park behind one car.
- Now get out and practice, practice, practice!
Common Parallel Parking Adjustments
- Parking behind a vehicle larger than yours- Don’t wait to line up with a larger vehicles bumper. Set your angle earlier!
- Parking behind a vehicle that is too far from curb- In this situation you may want too establish a larger angle of entry (over 45) or simply roll back a little bit farther, after you have passed the cars bumper.
- Parking behind a vehicle that is crooked- Just line up your car straight. Do not line up parallel with the “crooked car.” Then just go through the steps normally.
Conclusion
Like any other system you must learn the steps and then practice them over and over. It is suggested that you stop in between the steps the first few times you practice parallel parking. As you begin to feel confident you can pick up the pace.
Don’t forget to signal right as you approach the vehicle you are parking behind. Also remember to always look in the direction you are moving. That means looking over your back shoulder when the car is in reverse. If you are a teenager taking your road test. Parallel parking may be the only time the examiner observes you driving in reverse. Finally don’t forget to signal, check your mirror and then check your blind spot when you leave the parking space.
Happy Parallel Parking!
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Hank Wysocki