Parking
May 5th, 2008
Every one who drives knows you always have to park your car. Sometimes it can be the biggest hassle if you are not very good at it. If you learn to park properly and properly drive you could save a ton of money on car insurance since a lot of accidents happen in parking lots. You might feel your car is too big for the space or there is not enough room for you to maneuver your car to get in straight. I’m going to share with you some techniques for parking your car in all different ways such as how to parallel park, how to back in to park, how to park forward, and the pros and cons of each technique.
Parallel Parking
When- Parallel parking is used most of the time when parking in down town commercial areas. Many times the streets are narrow and you are parking on the side of the street with not much room to fit your car in. Since parking this way is used in downtown areas you are usually holding up traffic so it would do you well to become an efficient parallel parker.
Step 1- When driving around look for a space that you feel your car can fit into while leaving enough space to get out. You can do this by driving up next to the space and visually estimate using your passenger side view mirror.
Step 2- Pull up parallel to the car parked in front of the space you are trying to fit your car into. You want to get fairly close to this car. Make sure the back of your car isn’t pass the back of there car if it is you will need to reverse your car back until your end is behind the back of their car otherwise when you go to park it will result in the crushing of their car if not careful.
Step 3- Put your car in reverse. Make sure you check all your mirrors to make sure no one is behind you that you will hit when backing up. Begin to slightly take your foot off the brake and crank your wheel to the right. Look over your right shoulder or use the passenger side mirror to judge how close to the curb you are. You should probably stay at least one foot away from it so you have enough room.
Step 4- When you are close enough to the curve begin to turn your steering wheel back to the left to straighten out. Make sure you watch the car next to you so that you don’t damage it. Get as straight as you can and as far back in the space as you can without tapping the bumper behind you.
Step 5- Your almost there all you have to do is put your car in drive and pull forward to make sure you are straight and in the middle of the space. If you did not park properly just pull out and give it another try. It takes practice but you’ll soon become and expert and will laugh when other people cannot do it quickly in one try.
Pros- There really is only one pro to parallel parking actually there is to you look cool if you do it right and you can park in front of your favorite restraint, store, or shop downtown without having to go find some garage drive up 5 stories walk down the stairs or wait for the elevator the walk another two city blocks and do the same on the way back.
Cons- It is tough to master and can be a pain learning. You just have to practice go to an empty curb and set up some cones and practice parking in between them. People might get frustrated with you when you don’t do it right the first time but hey once you get it right you’ll be saving yourself a ton of time.
Reverse Parking
When- Reverse parking is just how it sounds putting your car in reverse and backing in to a space. Many times this is the technique used by valet parkers because it is easier to park this way in tighter spaces and much easier to pull out fast.
Step 1- Look for a space in the parking lot that you want to pull into. Once you find the space make sure your car will fit in width wise.
Step 2- Pull up close to the cars on the same side as the spot you want to park in. You don’t want to be to close maybe a foot or two away. Once you are perpendicular to the space you are parking in turn your steering wheel the opposite way and move forward. You are going to have to estimate when to start turning but you want to end up so that your back end is semi lined up to fit into the space. This is just giving you a head start on the backing in part.
Step 3- Put your car in reverse. Make sure you check all your mirrors to make sure no one is behind you that you will hit when backing up. Begin to slowly let your foot off the break while cranking your wheel all the way towards the side the space is on. Make sure you use your side view mirrors. When actually going into the space look in the mirror of the car on the side you are parking on. If parking on the left side use your left mirror. If parking on the right side use your right mirror. Always check this mirror. You want to make your car as close to the other car when turning because you won’t hit it unless you turn too far once you are in the space. If you can stay close to this car the chances are you won’t hit the car on the other side.
Step 4- Now that your back end is successfully in the space begin to straighten out and position you car in the center of the space. You might have to go back in a straight line for a short distance so you have your car in the middle of the space.
Step 5- Now pull straight back as close to the end of the space as you can. A good way to do this is again using side view mirrors to look at your back bumper and the line on the ground. When backing up in a spot against the wall look at your brake lights and reverse lights on the wall. You usually will see them shining on the wall. They will begin to get smaller and smaller as you get closer and closer to the wall. This is a good measure of how close you are. Congratulations you have now parked in backwards
Pros- The pros to parking in this way are that it is easier to park this way in tight parking lots with not a lot of room to maneuver. It is also very quick to exit especially if you need a quick get away.
Cons- It can be tough to do at first but like I always say PRACTICE! Go into a parking lot and practice backing in. Start in a vacant lot after business hours then progress to lots with cars in it. After doing this many times it will just become second nature to you and it will only take you seconds.
Parking Forward
When- Parking face forward or regular is the most common form of parking a car. We do this all the time whether in a crowded parking lot or pulling into our garage. Since this is the most common way to park lets do it right the first time so that you don’t hold up traffic.
Step 1- Find your spot in the lot or your spot in the garage. Again you want to make sure your car will fit adequately with enough room to properly park.
Step 2- Pull to the opposite side from which the space is on as far as you can. If you are parking in a spot on your left pull as far to the right as possible because when you turn your back end will not shoot out and hit the cars to your right so you can get as close as you want. Put your front a few feet behind the beginning of the spot you are looking to pull into.
Step 3- Turn your wheel toward the space and make sure you are lined up correctly to put the front of your car in the space. Just turn and get as much of the car as you can in the space.
Step 4- Now that your front is in the space you might have to go at a diagonal so that you end up in the center. Do this but make sure you don’t hit the cars on either side of you. When you feel most of your car is in the correct spot begin to straighten out maybe even correct yourself back the other way a little bit. Once you are straight you have parked.
Pros- It is very easy and doesn’t take very much getting used to. It is quick if in a hurry and is the most common way people park.
Cons- Backing out can be tough for some people. It might be easier to back in and pull out then pull in and back out. If in a crowded lot with a big car it can be tough to make the turn so you might have to pull out and try again.
Now you know how to correctly park your car in three different ways. You will avoid many accidents and save money on car insurance. Just make sure you practice until you feel comfortable to park these ways in actual driving situations.
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