Parallel parking
Parallel parking can be a tricky manoeuvre to master, but with practice, it can become second nature. Here are the steps to conduct parallel parking:
- Position A: Position your car so that the left-side mirror of your car is level with the front of the lead car. Your front wheels should be set straight. Keep your foot on the brake and select reverse gear, the reversing light will then show traffic behind that you intend to reverse. Observe your surroundings and make sure it is safe to start the manoeuvre.
- Reverse slowly: While looking back through the passenger rear window, reverse slowly until the back of the vehicle you are parking behind is level with the middle of the passenger rear window. Then, do one whole turn left.
- Swing out: As you continue to reverse, your car will swing out. Wait until your car reaches 45 degrees. Once you reach it, steer right one whole turn (clockwise) to straighten the wheels up.
- Reverse slowly: Keep reversing slowly until you are reasonably close to the kerb. If so, steer briskly to one whole turn to the right to bring the front of the car into the parking space.
- Straighten up: When your car is almost parallel with the kerb, steer one whole turn left as this will bring the wheels parallel to the kerb.
