Check Out These Parallel Parking Hacks

Parking can be a stressful aspect of driving, parking straight in can be easy but you need these parallel parking hacks so parking up can get easier. No matter how much of a seasoned driver you are, or how many thousands of kilometers you have under your belt, parallel parking is a challenge. And don’t worry, you are not alone in getting intimidated and nervous when you do it.

Parallel parking is a maneuver that requires you to pull in behind a parked vehicle and position it parallel to the road. Despite its high level of difficulty, parallel parking is an essential skill to be learned by a driver, especially if you live and drive in a city.

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One of the largest contributors to motor vehicle insurance is accidents while reversing. In this article, we present you with a few tips and tricks while you parallel park your vehicle. With these cheats, you can do this maneuver easily like a pro. So, let’s begin!

Bird's Eye View of Parked Cars

Hack 1: Start Strong

Most people who don’t succeed in this parking maneuver tend to start the wrong way. In fact, they rush right into the free space available. But that’s not an appropriate way!

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The correct and foremost step in parallel parking is to go ahead and have your car alongside the vehicle in front of which you are aiming to park your car. And when you are in a position to park your car, make sure it is parallel to the curb and the vehicle alongside.

Pro Tips: Line up the back of your car with the car you intend to park behind, keeping a distance of about two feet between your car and the car next to you.

reverse parallel parking hack

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Hack 2: Constantly Check Reference Points

Another hack you can use to reverse park your car like a pro is to mark and constantly check on it. For example, if you line up your car parallel to the car you intend to park alongside, mark the bumper of that car as A. And mark the back bumper of that car as B. Once you have done marking, you can steer the vehicle with more ease and afterward put the vehicle on reverse mode.

Once you are starting to reverse your vehicle, you have to turn the steering wheel one whole turn to the left. While you reverse, you can notice a triangle in the left mirror between the curb and the side of the car. As you simultaneously steer and reverse, the triangle will accordingly shrink. When you see only a small triangle, you can stop the car.

Turn your wheel all the way to the right and then bring the front of the car to the parking space. While doing this, use the left door mirror as a reference point, and wait for the curb and the side of the car to become parallel. When they are both parallel, steer one turn left and straighten the car.

Hack 3: Watch the Car In Front

Watching the car in front of you is also a great advantage while you reverse-park your vehicle. Many drivers tend to be careful on the back, but the front part is also equally important in guiding you when it comes to cutting the wheel in the opposite direction.

As you are turning to get the car inside the parking space, you can watch the point when the car is diagonal, and you (the driver) are aligned with the rear corner of the car in front.

Besides the tricks and cheats, you have to be very careful about giving the correct indications to fellow drivers on the roads. What’s more; you need to pay extra attention to people walking on the pavements.

To Sum Up

In addition to theoretical knowledge, you must practice and practice until you become perfect. While it may sound a bit childish, why not first practice with Tonka Toys and then visit the nearest parking lot to put your new skill to the test?