How to make a good parallel parking?

Question

How to make a good parallel parking?

Answer 1

The most important part of parallel parking is the beginning...That means making sure that you have enough room to fit in...The correct amount of space is at least 1-1/2 times the length of your vehicle...Next pull up even with and about 2 feet away from the vehicle that you will park behind...Activate right turn indicator...While checking your mirrors and looking back, start backing slowly and as the back of your vehicle passes the back of the vehicle next to you, turn the steering wheel smoothly to the right and aim the right rear corner of your vehicle at a point a little more than half way back in the space and straighten the wheels - turn to the left...Looking forward now, as the front of your vehicle passes the vehicle now in front of you, start turning the wheel to the left to tuck in nicely within the space...You should be no more than 18" away from the curb (the law).

Parallel parking is a maneuver of grace and knowing your vehicle...It takes some practice to be proficient at it, meaning you may not get it right the first try...Again, the keys are to make sure that you  that you have enough space and that you position yourself properly at the start point.

The above is for right side parallel parking...Left side parallel parking on a one-way street is easier, yet still requires the same set-up for space and distance.

All the best.

Answer 2

When driving on the right hand side.



Check traffic behind you. Start to slow down and signal in advance.

Move parallel to the car in front of the space. Be no less than 3 ft away from the car next to you. You should try to line up your back tires with the rear bumper of the car on your side.



Put the car into reverse at this point, and keep your foot on the brake. Turn the wheel all the way to the curb that you are parking next to (in most cases, turn the wheel all the way to the right.)

Slowly back up while keeping the wheel in this position. It will seem sharp, but trust me, it works. The idea is to get your car to a 45-degree angle to the back of the car ahead of your space, then stop briefly, before you start turning the wheel the other way to ease into the space.

When you are about halfway into the parking space, usually when your front passenger side door is even with the back bumper, begin to cut the wheel at a consistent speed back to standard position.

With the wheel straight, reverse as far into the spot as possible while straightening yourself out. If you hit the curb, just stop where you are.

With foot on the brake, shift to D or 1st. Turn the wheel all the way to the right again. Now, inch forward slowly while straightening your wheel. Try to get as close to the car in front of you as possible without touching it (obviously).

Put the car in reverse, and back up straight. If necessary, straighten yourself out by adjusting the wheel. Center the car equidistant from the cars in front and back. Shift to P and stop.

Answer 3

Practice, between two objects, not cars.

Pull forward until the tail end of your car is parallel with the tail end of the object, car.

Begin backing up and turn the wheels to the left until you can clear the front object while not hitting the curb, but close.

Turn the wheels sharply to the right, clearing the object in front and as you back up, straighten your wheels until you are parallel with the curb, but remain clear of the rear object, car.

Observe your right outside mirror.

If you need to straighten out, pull forward a bit and back up again.

You should not be against the curb and not more than 18" away from the curb.  More than 18" can get a ticket.

Always leave enough clearance for the car in front and rear to exit.

With a little practice, you will be able to do it in one motion in most cases.