Let’s be honest about it. Parallel parking is a difficult task. Especially for inexperienced motorists. When asked to parallel park, even the most experienced drivers become uneasy. So, what does parallel parking entail? When parallel parking, you park your automobile parallel to the road and traffic, typically squeezing your car between two cars at specific angles. But we’ve covered every angle in this guide no matter how acute the space might be. So, How to Parallel Park? Let’s know more about it below.
To park exactly in the sweet spot, you’ll need a little knowledge of your vehicle’s measurements as well as some maneuvering skills. But don’t worry, we’ve got you prepared with these simple tips for mastering parallel parking!
- Look for a parking spot.
- Start parallel parking by positioning your vehicle ahead and parallel to the spot.
- Back up your vehicle into the parking spot by completely turning the steering wheel.
- Continue to back up while oppositely turning the wheel.
- Adjust your vehicle’s position within the parking area.
Step-1: Look for a parking spot.
Before thinking about how to parallel park, you must first find a nice parking location. To parallel park well, you should park your car in a spot that is about a meter longer than your car. If you’re still nervous about parallel parking, give yourself an extra 2 meters. Next, keep an eye out for no parking or reserved parking signs, or you may find yourself in hot water. Let’s move on to the next step now that you’ve identified a suitable parking spot for your vehicle.
Step-2: Position your vehicle.
You can now position your automobile to begin parallel parking when you’ve found a great spot for it. Let’s imagine you’re parked on the left side of the road for this lesson. Position your automobile to parallel to the car in front of your preferred spot, with your tail lights aligning with the tail lights of the car alongside you and spacing of roughly 2 steps between the two vehicles.
Step-3: Maneuvering the rear end of your car into the spot.
Shift the car into reverse and turn on the indicator towards the spot once you’re confident the road behind you is free and you’ve checked all mirrors and blind spots. To the left, in our scenario.
Start backing up carefully by locking your wheel to the left. Stop and straighten the steering wheel once the passenger side pillar of your vehicle is in line with the passenger side tail light of the car ahead of you. Reverse until your front bumper clears the back bumper of the vehicle ahead of you. Don’t worry if you hit the curb on the side of the road, just move your car ahead a little bit and stop a few steps before hitting the curb. It’s generally advised to have someone outside the car guide you when to stop while you do the parallel parking, as it helps better determine the distance between the cars and the curb. You can ask the passenger to do this while you park. You can also consider lowering your side mirror to get a better view of the curb.
Step-4: Sliding the front of your car into the spot.
Now come to a complete stop and turn your driving wheel completely to the right. Continue backing up until your car is in a straight line between the two vehicles while making sure you don’t hit the car behind you. While doing so, you may need to straighten your steering wheel.
Step-5: Repositioning your vehicle.
Voila, you’ve successfully parked your car. However, you may need to reposition your vehicle to ensure that it is parallel to the curb. You can reverse a little further and then shift out of reverse if there is room behind you. Turn the steering wheel in the direction of the curb to straighten your car. You may have to go back and forth until you’re satisfied with your position. If there’s too much space between your car and the curb, you can consider starting over again by pulling up your car out of the spot and repeating the steps.
It’s not that difficult to parallel park but requires some effort and practice. Don’t get uneasy when you have to parallel park. Just follow these steps to slide your way into the parking spot seamlessly every time. Don’t forget to put your car in park and leave enough room for both the cars, in front, and in the back, so they can easily move out of the parking space.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Is it mandatory to learn how to parallel park?
Yes, because it is the industry standard for determining a driver’s ability. Many driving examinations across the world include parallel parking as a requirement. Not to mention that it is a skill that you will undoubtedly need, particularly in urban settings.
2. How close should my car be to the curb?
There should be enough room for the driver or passenger to exit the vehicle, with the door not hitting the curb, but not so much that your vehicle sticks out into the traffic lane.
3. I find it difficult to have an idea of the dimensions of my car. How do I determine the
distances?
It’s difficult to park correctly as a newbie, but in this situation, having a friend outside the vehicle to coach you may be beneficial. Bumpers and tail lights aligning is also a useful visual indicator.
