Ask any new driver what scares her most and the answer is often parking. The secret is not talent. It is using fixed reference points and moving slowly. Here are the methods our instructors teach.
Golden rules for every type of parking
- Go slow. Use the brake to control speed. Slow parking is good parking.
- Look all around. Mirrors first, then a quick look over your shoulder.
- Small steering corrections work better than big turns.
- It is fine to try again. Pull forward and reset if the angle is wrong.
Reverse parking into a space
- Drive past the space until your shoulder lines up with the far line of the space next to yours.
- Check mirrors and blind spots, then select reverse.
- Reverse very slowly and turn the steering fully towards the space.
- Watch your side mirror. When the car is parallel to the lines, straighten the wheel.
- Reverse until you are fully inside, then stop and apply the handbrake.
The L-shaped track (licence test)
The L-track tests your control in a tight space. The key is very slow speed and knowing exactly when to start turning. Our instructors mark simple reference points on the car and the track so you know when to turn every single time.
Parallel parking
- Stop alongside the car in front of the space, about half a metre away.
- Reverse slowly until your rear wheel lines up with that car's rear bumper.
- Turn the steering fully towards the kerb and reverse at a 45 degree angle.
- When your front door passes the other car's bumper, turn the wheel fully the other way.
- Straighten up, then move forward a little to centre yourself.
Practice ideaUse two plastic bottles in an empty parking lot to mark a space. Ten minutes of practice a day will make parking feel automatic within a week.