Tip for Parallel Park & Reversing Around Corner maneuvers, please! :)

Hi guys!I've had around 22 hours of lessons so far. My instructor has said that he think I will be ready for my practical test in a month or two. He is currently on holiday for two weeks. Both he and I agree that my biggest problems at the moment are the reverse around the corner maneuver and the parallel park maneuver.I was wondering if any of you could reply to this post with tips? I would love to get a solid knowledge on how to do these more fluently and correctly by the time he comes back off holiday. I think it would really help me if you could reply using bullet points for how you would perform these two maneuvers.Please guys. And thank you. :smile:

Reply 1

username2088165

Original post by TheDandelion

Wow, well done for making such good progress in your lessons so far! It took me 11 months of lessons before I passed my test! :colondollar:

Parallel park

This is how I do parallel parking (I had to do it on my test!):

1. Approach the car you want to parallel park with. Position your car closely alongside the parked car, and line up your wing mirrors with theirs (if they are facing forward), or with the edge of their rear doors (if they are facing backwards). Basically make sure that the back end of your car is lined up with the end of the other car.
2. Select reverse gear, then steer the wheel once to the left. Check that it is safe, then slowly roll until you are roughly 45 degrees from the opposite pavement. Pause for a moment, steer once to the right, check all around and then keep reversing until your car is almost parallel with the one in front.
3. When your car is almost straight, steer full lock right until you are about 15cm from the curb. Then steer twice to the left to straighten up the wheels, reverse a little more while looking behind you, then come to a stop.

Reverse round a corner

1. Select reverse gear, check all around and look through the rear windscreen as you reverse back to the corner. Come to a stop when you reach the first curb stone curving into the corner.
2. Steer the wheel three quarters to the left, check all around, then continue reversing.
3. Use your left wing mirror to check how close you are to the curb. Try not to brush against it or to go too wide. You may have to adjust your steering to keep an appropriate distance.
4. Once you have cleared the corner, straighten the wheel back to the beginning. Look through the rear windscreen as you continue to reverse, and come to a stop.

Remember to be constantly checking around you during both manouveres! I hope that helps :smile:

Reply 2

Trapped

These Youtube demonstrations are so helpful:
*
RRC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BspWUto6Kxc

PP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3UbEi4YDFA*

Parallel parking was my least favourite manoeuvre. *

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3

ohhello92x

Original post by TheDandelion

Hello

The tips I've been taught from parallel park are:
- line your car up to the parked cars bonnet (or rear if the car is parked facing you when you park)
- select reverse gear, do the all round checks and release the hand break
- when your side mirror is roughly half way on the parked car, stop, steer one full circle turn to the left, do your all round checks and reverse
- when you're at the 1 o'clock position, stop, do a one full circle lock to the right, and reverse
- when you feel like the back wheels are close to the kirb, steer to the left
- and just straighten the wheel up/keep reversing until you've straightened up and not too close to other parked cars

Tips from reverse round the corner that I've been taught:
- first obvious one park up by the side of the kirb
- do all round checks, select reverse and release handbrake
- as you're reversing, continuously do the all round checks but keep an eye on your left hand mirror
- from the last point with the left hand mirror, as the kirb disappears from the bottom left corner, stop, do one circle turn towards the left, do the all round checks and carry on reversing
- when you see the kirb reappearing in your left mirror, stop briefly, turn the wheel towards the right, all round checks again and carry on reversing
- continuously straighten up so you're near the kirb and make sure you're two car lengths away from the end of the road :smile:

And as long as you're continuously check all round the car, you'll be fine :biggrin:

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Reply 4

Pinkberry_y

Original post by Leviathan1741

Wow, well done for making such good progress in your lessons so far! It took me 11 months of lessons before I passed my test! :colondollar:

Are you allowed to do dry steering? i.e turning your steering wheel whilst you're not moving the car? My old instructor was fine with me doing it but I got a nitpicky instructor for one lesson who had a massive go at me for doing it

Reply 5

username2088165

Original post by Pinkberry_y

Yes, I did a bit of dry steering when doing the parallel park on my test and my examiner didn't say anything about it :smile:

Reply 6

Advisor

Original post by Pinkberry_y

Dry steering is really bad for the car and the tyres, so don't do it. No wonder your (better) second instructor told you off for it. It may not be a massive public safety issue, which is why examiners won't make a big deal of it, but those with a little car sympathy and understanding go on to make the best and safest drivers.

Reply 7

cherryred90s

Original post by Advisor

Weird, I'm taught to dry steer..

Reply 8

Advisor

Original post by cherryred90s

Weird, I'm taught to dry steer..

It seems your instructor isn't very good, or too lazy to teach the correct way of doing it, which does take some skill and patience.

Do you ever hear the creaking / groaning noises your car makes when you dry steer? That's the car's steering joints and tyres crying out in pain.

Reply 9

cherryred90s

Original post by Advisor

So I can't dry steer in my test? Will I fail if I do?

Yeah I do hear that noise but he doesn't say anything

Reply 10

Advisor

Original post by cherryred90s

So I can't dry steer in my test?

The test is an assessment of your competence based on safety and "best practice". Dry steering isn't "best practice" for the reasons I've mentioned. If you wouldn't do something in reality, you shouldn't do it on your test either. Do what you know to be "best practice".

Will I fail if I do?

Before I answer that, let's consider your final point:

Yeah I do hear that noise but he doesn't say anything

That confirms my suspicion that your instructor isn't very good. You commit a fault which is really bad for the car, must be obvious to your instructor because of the noise it makes (even you notice it as a novice), yet your instructor does nothing about it. He hasn't identified the fault, hasn't analysed it (hence you asking about it on here) and certainly hasn't remedied the error and taken steps to prevent its re-occurrence. If anything, he has let you repeat the fault so many times, that you are probably now an expert.. in committing a particular fault. Has he done his job properly? No.

If he doesn't say anything about this fault, it begs the question how many other faults you are committing that he "doesn't say anything" about. You are only aware of your own weaknesses if these are pointed out to you, with sufficient training and mental reprogramming to prevent their re-occurrence. If you are not aware of your own weaknesses, you will take a test where these weaknesses will be assessed, marked and pointed out to you at the end of the test in no uncertain terms.

So, back to the question of will you fail if you dry steer? Well, it's possible if the dry steering is so severe that it combines with another problem. What is more likely to make you fail a test, however, is continuing to be taught by an instructor who "doesn't say anything". That's your biggest concern.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 11

Afon

I too am taught to dry steer by my instructor. I had an instructor a few years ago (I gave up learning to drive for a bit) who would tell me off for doing it accidently but this instructor now encourages me to do it on the parallel park and bay park. He's taught it this way for a while now and says he has never had any examiner fault any of his students for it. He rolled his eyes when I said that my old instructor used to be really picky about it and says that yes it used to be an issue in old cars but that it's different now in new cars. His car doesn't make any creaking or groaning noises or anything when I do it. I can do the manoeuvres without dry steering but he says that on the test I should do it to make really sure that I get it perfect. He's one of the top rated instructors in my area, almost impossible to book lessons with because of how busy he is and has a waiting list, has a list of qualifications as long and your arm and has been teaching for many many years. But yea, I'm a bit confused/conflicted on it becasue I know other people say not to do it.