Learning to drive: Knowing where the curb is?

Question

Hi,

I am currently learning to drive in my brothers car and am now confident with finding the biting point, moving off, changing gear etc but when on the roads I'm worried about things on the left side (ie. curb or parked cars).

How do *you* know where the front left wheel is or do you simply judge and get used to the road? My brother always says "it's about there" and pointed to a part of the car for me to try and line up, but that really doesn't help...

Thanks,

Matt.

Answer 1

Line the car up beside the kerb then look at the front of the bonnet to see where the kerb meets it. Use that as your reference point .

Answer 2

The more you drive the easier it is to judge the distance and after a while it just becomes second nature.

Until then i would say that if you hit something,your a bit too close.

Answer 3

The more you drive, the better you will get, but, try not to hit any parked cars, or your brother's insurance will go up if someone put in a claim.

Practise on side streets that aren't too busy and in parking lots late in the evening when they are empty. Dead end is also good to practise in as you can do 3 point turns.

Answer 4

When you first get into the car, and in your normal seated driving position, see where the curb intersects the bottom of the front windscreen - so where the curb crosses the area where the wipers usually lie. This is where the curb cuts the view when right next to curb (assuming you are parked right, and not on the curb!)   So closer than that is too close, and generally better to drive normally a few feet further out.  But this helps judge where the curb is, as that distance is always the same.

For generally avoiding things on your left

, the more u drive the more your perception 'fills' the car - so u just know where the left hand side is. The same way you know to avoid things when walking. So you will get v good at judging the size of your car - just takes time and practice!

Good luck.

Answer 5

its just a case of getting use to it, try getting your brother to park the car by the curb how it should be parked then sit in the driving seat and just line up with the bonnet where the curb is. that is how it should line up when you park.

learning to drive is hard but one day it all just seems to click, you will get there good luck..x

Answer 6

yup the more experienced you are, the better you become at judging that kind of thing. make sure your mirrors are lined up right for where you're sitting. you should be able to see a little bit of the side of your car so that you can use your mirrors to tell how far you are from curbs.

Answer 7

Depends on the car you are driving but l know where the curb is in the car l drive because it lines up with the centre of the dash board...hope this helps .

Answer 8

You judge by knowing the size of your car and the width of the road you are driving on.  It gets better over time, don't rush yourself.  At this point it's probably better for you to be a little overly cautious.  Welcome, new driver  ; )

Answer 9

little trick... if theres a car in front of you line your drivers seat (yourself) with theirs.  Otherwise just get a feel for your car, park by curbs a lot.