Motorists often walk
unnecessary distances or find a shopping centre carpark, rather than venture
to find a space to parallel park. If this is done for some exercise, good.
However, many develop a fear of parallel parking (also called ranking) and
therefore avoid it, where possible. One of the reasons, perhaps, is lack of practice,
which makes parallel parking
a
dormant skill.
Whilst
instructors usually use two poles, here we purposely describe
parallel parking, step by step, as it happens in real traffic. It starts
with the search for a suitable parking space, between vehicles already parked
parallel to the kerb.
Step
1:
Indicate
left and reduce speed.
Drive
slowly, while searching for a vacant spot. Look carefully at
signs, such as this one:
>
Read
signs for restrictions,
such as time limits, or restricted vehicles only (Taxis, buses).
Red is usually a restriction, such as unloading only, or
a clearway applies. Green indicates permission to park
for a certain time, during a certain period. A continuous yellow
line means no standing anytime at the kerb.
Step
2:
Stop just
beyond the vacant spot.
Look behind*,
reverse slowly to the point where your car is side-by-side with
the other vehicle. (If both cars are average size, line up the
steering wheels of both cars).
At this point
turn your wheel to left lock. Keep the car moving ever so
slowly. Observe the angle the car is reaching.
Note: Most
roads drop off towards the kerb (for better drainage). This fact
plays a role in controlling the speed of your vehicle.
*Do not reverse
using the rear view mirror only, where possible.
Step
3:
When
the car reaches a 45 degree* angle turn
the steering wheel to full right lock.
As you turn the
steering wheel right, (watch that you clear the car in front of
you) look over your right shoulder.
Now comes the heart
of the exercise: As you turn your wheel further right,
observe how the back of your car lines up with the front
of the one behind. The speed of rotation of steering wheel
and the speed of the car** must be coordinated. This is where
eyes, hands and feet must work together.
* The rate of
angle depends on the turning circle of your vehicle. 45 degrees
is an average figure.
**
The car may gather speed as it approaches the kerb. If you fail
to control this roll, you will hit the kerb most likely.
Step
4:
Reverse
slowly into the vacant space.
A. If
you turn the steering wheel to too late or too slowly,
you will hit the kerb.
B. If
you turn too early or too fast, you will end up parking
too far away from the kerb.
As the front or
your vehicle approaches the parallel position, straighten the
wheel (by turning it left).
Difficulties in
parking usually stem from mistakes in 4 A or B and controlling
the speed of the vehicle.
Step
5:
(Final step)
Move
forward to a parallel position, equal distance
between vehicles. Within 300 mm is a reasonable distance from
the kerb.
If
a further move, reverse and forward again, become necessary,
observe very carefully how the front of your vehicle is moving.
End result >>>
Warnings:
Watch that you do
not collide with posts, trees or fire hydrants etc, which
often are close to the kerbside.
Look behind
before opening car door. Other
vehicles or cyclists may not leave sufficient safety margin.
Watch
this 1.44 Min Video: Note
driver is using pull-push method for steering!
General
rules:
DON'T
LEAVE VALUABLES in
full view of passers by! It invites thieves.
LOCK ALL
DOORS. Use
key (unless the vehicle has central locking). Holding down the
lock-button often results in the key being locked inside the
vehicle.
INDICATE AND
GIVE WAY, before moving off from
a parked position, check road carefully.
Question:
Why reverse into a car parking space? Why not just drive
into it?
Answer:
We park the rear wheels first, because they don’t turn
like the front wheels do. Reverse parking takes far less
space, than trying to drive forward into a parking spot.
Here
is a little test to remember what you have learned. Firstly,
answer the True / False question. Secondly, using the letter
beside the correct answer, form a word. All answers are on this
page
Please note: To get good at
it parallel parking needs practice, not mere knowledge!
T> W
When parallel parking I
first find a space, then indicate.
F> F
T> A
Lack of practice makes
parallel parking a dormant skill in many drivers.
F> E
T> S
Turning the steering wheel
must be paced with the speed of the car when parking.
F> A
T> R
There is no difference in
driving forward or reverse to parallel park.
