Low - Risk Driving  a skill for LIFE 

- - - - - - - - - - Road Safety by Dieter Fischer - - - - - - - - - -

ISBN No. 0 09577 426 06   

   Your  SAFETY  is  Driving

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 G.39   (Reverse) PARALLEL PARKING 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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 driving forward into a parking spot.