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Automobile · April 19, 2021

Guide to Different Parking Techniques

Parking a car is either the simplest thing in the world or a near mission impossible, there’s no middle ground. For a lot of people, this comes intuitively but others see this group like they possess some sort of mystical art. There are techniques for different types of car parking scenarios and these techniques are often quite simple, once someone takes the time to explain it to you. So, here is a brief guide involving some of the most important parking techniques out there and giving you a couple of tips on how you can become more efficient in this field.

1. A couple of starting tips

Regarding parking techniques in question, there are three things you need to keep in mind. The first one is the size of your car. About 90% of all parking-related problems come from the fact that, from your position in the driver’s seat, you have no idea how much space your car is taking. You need to be aware of all the fringes of your car in order to be able to park properly. Second, you need to make an estimate of how much parking space you need. This is about more than just where your car can fit. It’s also about the space that it takes for you to open the door, as well for cars next to you to be able to do so, as well. Lastly, when buying a car, you can always look for a vehicle with a parking sensor or even install a parking sensor. Still, having this device doesn’t mean that you will no longer have to know how to park. All that parking sensor does is boost your awareness of the surroundings; it will not park the car in your stead. There are three parking techniques that we will cover here. These are angle parking, parallel parking, and perpendicular parking. These depend on the spot in question and here are tips and tricks on how to make all of this work.

2. Angle car parking

The angle car parking is probably the simplest, most common type of parking there is. This is also something that you will learn during some of the first driving lessons that you take. So, how do so many people get this wrong? Mostly because they’re too focused on what’s ahead and behind them to keep track of the sides of their vehicle (which are far more important in this scenario). The key thing is that you align your mirror with the parking spot line that is the closest to your vehicle. You should then proceed to steer until you’re in the middle of the parking spot and proceed to straighten the wheel.

3. Parallel parking

This method is a more difficult one to pull off, which is what makes it much more prestigious. You need to start by placing your car parallel to the car in front of the empty space that you plan to park into. You should keep 1-2 feet of distance and stop when the bumpers align. If the cars are of a similar length, you should use side mirrors as a marker. Then, check your mirrors to see that the coast is clear and start slowly backing up. Turn full right and all the time, look into the rearview mirror. Once the rear car is on the other side of the mirror, you should stop and straighten the wheel. You should continue reversing until your car is clear of the car that is in front. Then, turn full left until your car is near the car in the back. From here, you should just straighten the car a bit.

In conclusion

Lastly, with perpendicular parking, the only thing worth keeping in mind is that you should avoid turning too early. So, when parking left, turn a bit right on the previous parking spot and that’s it. Combined with the other two, this covers the vast majority of parking scenarios and you can learn how to do it in a matter of minutes. Once you park enough time using these methods, you will stop thinking about individual steps and intuitively follow the procedure. At the end of the day, it will turn out that you spent your entire life dreading something that can be learned in a matter of minutes.