Safe Speed Forums

confession time. My parallel parking, err, needs work. I don't need to do it that often, but need to do it often enough to know that my skills need improving. I need too much room and never seem to be able to judge the point where I need to turn right and either end up feet from the curb or scraping my wheels on it. I don't like scraping my wheels because a it looks terrible and b it can't possibly do my side walls any favours.

Any advice?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/lin ... 1487538469

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

start practicing on one lonley parked car
draw up paralel 0.75-1m away from the car you want to park behind
start reversing put 2 passes on the steering wheel
continue to reverse untill mid point of the car is at the end of parked car
streighten the steering
cotinue back till your front wheel is equal to the other cars rear end
put the same two passes of the wheel and reverse into the space.

obviously you will have to adjust the amount of steering wheel movments for different cars but the first turn and last turn should be roughly the same (but opposite)

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Practice makes perfect!

There isnt really any other way.

You need a bit of quiet road and some milk crates and just practice until you get it right.

Learn to use your wing mirrors, they are your freind! (Most car drivers never really learn to use wing mirrors properly)

The second thing is your statement that "You dont do it very often" If you avoid the problem you will never learn how to solve it! Most people learn to drive in small manouverable cars (and then go on to buy similar vehicles to the ones they learned in) and so never really learn how to do the hard stuff! And then they avoid any situation where they may have to!

I "Learned" In a MKIV Zodiac, and my main vehicle currently is a "White Van" Manouvering in tight spaces holds no fears for me

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"The road to a police state is paved with public safety legislation"

Pull up alongside the car in front of the space. Completely alongside, so the rear of your car is on level with teh rear of the parked car.

Start to reverse and turn the wheel toward the kerb.

When you just see the centre of the car behind in your right hand door mirror you straighten up and start applying opposite lock (whilst still moving slowly).
Alternatively, when the centre of your rear lines up with the point the car behind meets the kerb, do the same.

This should land you perfectly every time.

Don't be rushed, don't allow people around you to rush you, slow is quicker. If you get it right first time you will delay people less than taking 3 or 4 attempts.

Keep checking for ped... errmmm... motorists on foot

The thread reminds me of an episode of "The Wonder Years" .. where Kevin (the hero reminiscing over his formative years ) recalls having nightmares over this part of his driving test....

However, cannot really add much to Homer's advice other than





Take your time. You are parking. They just have to wait!

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Duplicating the above somewhat, but...

This example is parking on the left of the road:

When reversing in, look in your right door mirror, and aim at the centre (numberplate?) of the car behind. This seems to ensure the right approach angle.

Most people who have a problem with PP tend to aim for the equivalent point on the car behind (e.g. look in right mirror and aim at right corner of car behind), and thus because they have to steer left to straighten up, they end up too far from the kerb.

In my pic, you are the green car. The pink dots indicate your line of sight from your door mirror to the car behind. The green dots indicate your line of travel, so that when you straighten up, you should be the right distance from the kerb.



This simple rule is how I taught Mrs Theboy, who's PP was woeful when she first got a car.

You need a parking simulator!

http://www.nuts.co.uk/howsmyparking/

(with apologies to all the laydeez out there)!

And when it comes to parking, this chap's hard to beat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZA6g8r8 ... re=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=REpXf0cmJ ... re=related

That guy's pretty good too.

To qoute from
this link

'94 Chevy Caprice Classic Wagon (aka Estate)
Length 5519 mm
Width 2022 mm

I routinely parallel park this aerodynamic truck in spaces between 5.9 and 6 metres long, with both tires less than 100 mm from the curb.
If given permission to lovingly nudge bumpers, I can park it in a space exactly its length (alternate side street cleaning forces everyone to park on only one side).

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The Rules for ALL ROAD USERS:
1) No one gets hurt
2) Nothing gets hit, except to protect others; see Rule#1
3) The Laws of Physics are invincible and immutable - so-called 'laws' of men are not
4) You are always immediately and ultimately responsible for your safety first, then proximately responsible for everyone's
Do not let other road users' mistakes become yours, nor yours become others
5) The rest, including laws of the land, is thoughtful observation, prescience, etiquette, decorum, and cooperation

It's the same chap- Russ Swift!

That Caprice is obscene! We have vans over here that are 5m long (but not as wide)!

I also briefly had the pleasure of owning it's platform cousin, the Cadillac Fleetwood. (It was too delicate and floaty for my tastes; it failed to occur to me that I could've modified the suspension with police pursuit components from the Caprice 9C1.)

Add 200 millimetres to the length.

The Fleetwood was usually parked in a garage space until I sold it to my uncle, who enjoys it to this day in Pennsylvania.

I'd like my next car to be a Honda Fit (your side of the pond knows it as the Jazz). The suspension will probably be left as is, but I will probably be overcome by the urge to add physical, mechanical, or chemical displacement to its ridiculously puny engine (I'd be in heaven if the new Accord's 2.4L 190HP K24Z3 engine could reasonably fit in the Fit's engine bay!)

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The Rules for ALL ROAD USERS:
1) No one gets hurt
2) Nothing gets hit, except to protect others; see Rule#1
3) The Laws of Physics are invincible and immutable - so-called 'laws' of men are not
4) You are always immediately and ultimately responsible for your safety first, then proximately responsible for everyone's
Do not let other road users' mistakes become yours, nor yours become others
5) The rest, including laws of the land, is thoughtful observation, prescience, etiquette, decorum, and cooperation