Parallel Parking

[keenduck]

Hey all,

I'm heading in for my first road test in about a month, so as you can imagine, I've been driving around a lot (to and fro, driving my mom around, etc).

I think I've got a good initial grasp on driving around on roads (or at least, people don't honk at me, and I haven't been pulled over by the police :P ), but parallel parking is driving me nuts. I think it must have something to do with the driving manual's assumption that I'm working from a large (long) car, so the set of instructions they give don't work for my short Honda Civic.

I'm going in for a set of driving lessons anyway, so this'll be resolved, but anyone have any tips on parallel parking? The manual gives me this vague impression that I'm supposed to be able to do this in roughly three fluid motions, but from just watching my parents, it seems to be quite a bit more than that.

For that matter, any tips for passing the roadtest and for new drivers?

[Chaerophon]

Sorry, I can't really give you much advice on that. About all that I can say is "practice, practice, practice". It's definitely a "feel" thing, but with a little practice, you'll start getting it right every time.

As far as the test goes, I don't really understand why a little bit of adjustment isn't allowed after your "three fluid motions" (or at least wasn't on mine). So long as you aren't disrupting traffic, I've always believed it to be entirely acceptable to "Austin Powers" your way into as small of a space as you like - in fact, that's often the only way to do it!

[traxus]

There are times where three fluid motions work, and times where it doesn't. What works for me is just to pull up roughly equal to the car in front of the open space, reverse and turn the wheel, be careful to not hit anything, and slide into the spot.

Practice, practice, practice. That's the best way to learn.

And while you're practicing, don't be afraid to start over if it doesn't feel right. Just don't hit things, that's the most important thing about parallel parking. :D

[Chaerophon]

Well, don't HIT anything... but a nudge or two never hurt anyone! :)

[Roland]

Line them up before you turn the wheel. That's the trick that was taught in either the manual, or my driver's ed course. I forget which. :) Line up your mirror with theirs, and work slowly. And, as has been said already, practice practice practice!

General tips:
Do everything by the book. Use your turn signals, stop for yellows (or at least try), etc. When you get into the car, don't take the e-brake off until you're ready to move. And don't forget, either. When you're done, pull the e-brake up BEFORE you shut off the car. And don't forget to take your key out. Don't take a coveritble - they're too hard to see out the back. :) Use an automatic if you can, unless you're REALLY good with a stick. Get there a little bit early, just in case, and be sure to have all your paperwork in order. And, lastly but most importantly, don't be nervous. If you can drive, you won't fail. :)

[Feryar]

You guys take the drivers test with automatic gears? :blink:

What do you do if you're out of the country and get a rental car? Most of these have manual transmissions. At least the ones I've been in. Besides, it's a hell of a lot more fun driving manual :D



As for parallell parking, do like the others said. Line up with the car in front of the pocket, turn the wheel all the way, reverse the car. I usually keep backing untill I'm at an ~70 degrees angle from how I started. Then work the wheel the other way and slide in. If you find out something went wrong, start over.
And be very careful about cars that are coming down the road while doing this.

[Jane]

:huh:Well if you can choose to take the tests with automatic or manual gears, I must say that sounds weird to me too.

Here in Belgium you CAN do the test with automatic gear, BUT than you have an automatic gear driver's license too. If you want to drive a car with manual gear, you have to take the test again.

Since the manual gear cars are by far the most abundant (at least here they are) it would be quite stupid to take the test with a automatic gear car. Especially if you consider the fact that testing with manual gear gets you a license that works for both kinds of cars ;-)

It has been said here before : the most important thing is to stay calm!

[Walkiry]

Take references on how it's best to park a car.

Line up your car with the one parked in front of the space you want. Make it so that your back tires are at the same level as the end of the other car.

Turn the wheel all the way, then start moving. Once the mirror on the right is at the end of the other car (same reference, see?) start to smoothly turn the wheel the other way as you move in.

I've parked anything from a Corsa to a Dodge Caravan with the same references, and works every time.

Good luck :)

[Bob]

Article 1

although quite a bit of the text for that was stolen from

Article 2

er... whether complex mathematics will be in the foremost of your mind whilst trying not to smash into something with the examiner in the car is debatable. :blink:

-Bob

[--Pete]

Hi,

Manual transmissions have almost disappeared from the scene completely here. When I wanted a manual in the last car I bought, it took the dealer almost a week to locate one. Getting a rental with a manual is nearly impossible. What with automatic transmission, power steering and breaks and cruise control, I'm sometimes tempted to send the car on the trip by itself while I stay home and play computer games :)

What all this means about American drivers versus the rest of the world is a place I do not want to go :)

--Pete

[--Pete]

Hi,

However, it *was* totally impractical. From the second link:

Pick a gap that is a minimum of 150% the length of your car.

Right. That eliminates all parking spaces within fifty miles of wherever you're trying to go, making the whole point of parking rather moot.

Going back to the original question: practice is indeed the key. A couple of people gave instructions that involved fully turning the wheel -- take those with a grain (or bag) of salt. If you are driving a vehicle with a short turning radius (many pickup trucks and some SUVs), following those instructions is almost guaranteed to crunch the rear fenders of both.

--Pete

[pakman]

When I took my driving test the instructor had to tell me to speed up, that's always a good sign. The opposite is not true. And don't talk to anyone in the DMV, you'll just be made dumberer :P. Seriously, though, I didn't have to parallel park for my test, but I did have to back around the corner. That was probably the hardest thing because there are, like, five steps before actually going around the curb. But, after the test you can drive like normal....10-15 above the limit, rolling stops, and talking on the cellphones...I hate people that talk on phones while driving, but that's another story.

[Roland]

...to ONLY drive an automatic. I said to drive an automatic ON YOUR ROAD TEST. Learn to read: it avoids unneccesary confusion.

I, myself, drove an automatic for my first car. My second, and current, car is a standard. I can drive either equally well. It's not difficult to drive a standard. However, when you're just learning to drive, it's difficult enough just to do THAT, and unless you are WELL trained in the use of a stick-shift, it is ill-advised to take a stick-shift automobile to a driver's test - it's just one more thing you have to worry about. This was the advice given to me by countless peers - including my driver's ed teacher. It's not a rule, it's a guideline, to help ease the stress of going on your road test.

[Roland]

When I took my driving test the instructor had to tell me to speed up, that's always a good sign.

That is not a good sign. It's not as bad of a sign as being told to slow down, but it is most definitely not a good sign. They WILL knock points off your test score if you do not drive fast enough. For one, it denotes a serious lack of confidence. For another, it denotes an even more serious lack of understanding about driving, and the surroundings and conditions you are in. Lastly, there are such things as minimum speed limits in this country (U.S.). As such, you WILL need to drive within a certain speed range. And that's just POSTED speed limits - there are upper and lower speed limits no matter where you drive, regardless of whether it is posted or not. Going 10 down a 45 zone will get you a ticket just as surely as going 65 in the same zone.

[pakman]

Hey, I was just being cautious. I wasn't going that slow. I was nervous as hell too...but if I had to do it again I would have to be told to slow down...meh, oh well.

[Feryar]

...to ONLY drive an automatic. I said to drive an automatic ON YOUR ROAD TEST. Learn to read: it avoids unneccesary confusion.

I already know how to read, thank you very much.

I am sorry for any mental harm that I have (or seem to have) caused to you with my post.
I don't know how a US driving test is organized, so I just figured it's the same as here. We get in the car, drive around for an hour and then we know if we failed or not. If we do that test with an automatic then we get a license stating that we can't drive a manual.
I am awfully sorry that things doesn't work the same way over here as it does in your country. I really meant no offense with that and hope you can forgive me.

[--Pete]

Hi,

If we do that test with an automatic then we get a license stating that we can't drive a manual.

Do the same laws apply for automatic choke versus hand choke? How about manual spark advance versus vacuum? And is there a special category for crank start?

Given that automatic transmissions have surpassed the manual in almost all respects *except* in the hands of an excellent driver (and that *includes* fuel economy), I think it is quaint and funny that in many places driving a manual is a matter of pride.

I don't know how a US driving test is organized

No such animal as a USA driving test. Each state has its own laws and methods, and even then it can depend a lot on which test center you take your test at. Usually (maybe always) you have to take a new test when you move to a different state. My first test, when I turned 16, was in Atlanta Georgia. Instead of a test on the open road, they had a closed track. Painted railroad rails, phony crosswalks and the whole bit. The funniest part (to me) was the parallel parking. They had marked off the space with a couple of flags on poles. It was big enough to park a full sized '61 American car. I was driving my SIMCA -- Could have parked three of them in there :)

Frankly, I thought then, and still think now, that that "test" was a joke. After passing a test with no traffic, no people around and at an average speed of about 25 MPH, I was certified to drive anywhere -- including downtown Interstate highways with 70 (or maybe 75) MPH limits and heavy traffic. And, what is worse, is that I could renew that license every four years for life without any additional tests (although I think Georgia does require an quick eye test now). Indeed, someone could renew that license for me after I was dead, since it could be done by mail :)

Yeah, there is no consistency.

--Pete

[Feryar]

Yeah, it could be a matter of pride involved, but I still love the manual. Makes me feel more in control of my driving. I can stretch the engine when I want to, without having to wait for the automatic to realize that I just floored the pedal :)
It seems automatics are far more common in the US than in europe. Maybe our car-park is older or maybe we just are slow to catch on. I wouldn't like having an automatic in the one I drive now (a WRX :D), but it's starting to get more common on new cars.

As for renewing the license I think it's even worse in Norway. I took mine when I was 18, and it's valid untill the day I turn 100. No new tests are needed. Personally I think that is a bad idea :unsure:

[Roland]

No such animal as a USA driving test. Each state has its own laws and methods, and even then it can depend a lot on which test center you take your test at.

I can understand the differences between states - I see that everyday in many aspects. But different between testing centers in the SAME state? That has always boggled my mind.

As to the other guy I replied to:
You did me no mental harm. I'm sorry if I sounded a bit too sarcastic for you. It's just getting irritating when you can't even type something on here and have even HALF the people interpret it right. :P

Personally, I prefer standard over automatics. *shrugs* But I guess that's because of like Pete said: a matter of pride. :) Eh, actually, I know it's more than that. But that's a part of it. ;) Besides, I think automatics breed lazy drivers. :P And, I prefer to be in control of which gear I'm using, thank you very much. :P

[A.PLH]

you haven't driven until you drive a standard.