Parking Help!!

[Also22]

Hi everyone,

I’m a new driver and really struggling with parking, particularly reverse bay parking. I feel so unconfident with parking that it’s really affecting my confidence as a driver and I hate driving right now - I only want to drive to places really late or really early so I can avoid parking near other cars. The part I seem to be really struggling with is knowing how far forward to go past the space so the back of my car is actually angled with the space? Sorry, I know this is probably a stupid question but I feel really down about it, my husband has been trying to help me but he’s getting very very frustrated and is saying he’s never heard of anyone ever having this problem and he doesn’t understand why I can’t do something so simple. I have been out a few mornings practising in empty supermarket car parks but I think I need some kind of tips to implement.

Practice is the only way to really build confidence. The more you do it, the easier it will be.
Have you thought about going back to a driving instructor to help? They won't get annoyed like your husband and will be able to provide practical support.

You do just have to keep doing it. Remember that it doesn't matter if you have to shimmy back and forth a bit, so don't rush it. I was rubbish at it until I moved somewhere with no choice and had to do it!

Practise is the only think that helps with with bit when you get the hang of it reverse parking is so much easier than forward parking - and safer too.

Make sure your mirrors are angled correctly so you can see enough of the ground.

It might sound counter-intuitive but I actually find reversing in to a parking bay much easier if there are cars parked in the adjacent spaces. I find it much easier to figure out where I am with cars either side then using the white lines (which are often out of sight as you're reversing as wing mirrors tend to not be angled so you're looking down). Find yourself a quieter car park and have a go parking between two cars (slowly and carefully obvs!) - you might find it helps.

You just need practice.

I try to line the space up with my back window, then pull forward with a full lock as far as I can. Sometimes I’m in line with the space, sometimes I’m not. If I’m not I reverse as though I’m going into the space as much as I can, then pull forward again and readjust.

Sometimes people have to wait while I do it three times to line up.

Go to a big car park that always has rows of free spaces and spend a couple of hours with trial and error until you crack what needs to line up where on your car.

@SaffyWall I also do this. Much prefer it to parking in an empty bay.

I drive past a space then turn so I'm a 45 degree ish angle to the space. I then just use my mirrors and make sure they're angled right so I can see both cars.

The key is to go slowly, and there's really no shame in driving forward and correcting yourself.

You can also use the spaces opposite as a bit of a guide as they're often aligned with the space you're going in.

I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. I forward parked for years then started reverse parking now I've got a car with a rear camera.

I can't parallel park for shit, and rarely do as a result. In fact I'm the idiot that drives it forward onto a kerb first to park parallel.

I've been driving for forever and I hate reverse parking, we have a reverse parking rule at work 🙄
As for parallel parking, I've no chance 🤭
Like pps have stated it just takes practice, does matter if you don't do it in one go, I find it easier to swing my front end towards the bays in front of me so my back end is almost in line with the bay I'm aiming for then reverse, I wouldn't line myself up across the front of cars in my row then reverse in an L shape.
Then I use my mirrors to see if I'm straight-ish sometimes I'll even open my door to see if I'm straight.
Keep at it, it doesn't have to be perfect

practice practice practice (or get a reverse camera )

find a bay you can practice in nearby and do a few times a week, you’ll be proficient in no time

Look on you tube? My kids had specific techniques which I am sure will be covered on there

Absolutely this! Parking between cars I can usually nail it one but an empty car park and I always end up at a funny angle across 2 spaces 🤣

Hmm I never reverse into a parking space. I always go in forwards. Much easier! I am an experienced driver and have no trouble reversing or parallel parking, but why make life harder? Another bonus is your boot is on the outside ready for your trolley.
Reversing out of the parking space is quick and easy.

I recommend practising when you have time OP, because being ABLE to do it is important. There may be times when it's safer to be able to come out forwards, such as when the parking spaces are on an actual road. But don't let your dislike of it stop you from going out driving. Just go into the spaces forwards then reverse out into the big space. Practise reverse parking when the opportunity arises (and your husband is not in the car)!

I know exactly how you feel OP. I had this fear of reverse bay parking between two other cars for fear I’d hit them. Then one day I was so desperate to get a parking space I just reversed in as soon as i saw one. It only dawned on me what I’d done once I was in - and since then it’s not been an issue. Force yourself to keep doing it. Try not to worry about lining yourself up according to a point of reference, you’ll get your knickers in a twist. I just get basically in the right position and go slow, adjusting as I go.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186801799630?

These might help, my eldest Dcs have both recently learnt and their driving instructor recommended getting these to help see the parking bay lines more easily.

My Ds hasn't taken his test yet, I was out with him yesterday in an empty car park and we were practicing to see where he had to line up his shoulder with a parking bay line to then enable him to turn into a space so he can use this as a bit of a starting point, obviously this is only a guide (and not sure I've explained very well!)

I'm the opposite and find it much easier to reverse in, I also prefer to drive out forwards as car parks can have cars manoeuvring from all directions so easier to see what's coming.

Reversing into a space is easier than driving into it.
Practice and you'll get used to it.

How to parallel park: our parking guide | RAC Drive

Reversing in is easier and then much safer to drive out forwards.
Use your side mirrors - they are your friend when reversing. They really help you align better and see the lines and/or cars beside to you to see how far away you are.
Keep doing it. And keep doing it!
You may want to give up or stop but don't. You WILL crack it and become more confident and soon you'll be reversing without any problems - don't give up.

You need to find your reference points for your car, so for example reverse parking in my last car, my nose was in my drive when the front corner of my drivers side window was lined up with the front border of the gravel next to my drive. The car before that, I was in a bay when I could see the front of the white line or when my door was level with the car next to me. Develop your relative reference points it will really help you.

A diagram to show an example of a reference point, I know that in my car, if I line my shoulder with the line of the bay as shown, then fully lock the steering wheel I will be pretty much in the right position to reverse into the bay shown. This obviously varies a bit on which car you're driving and the size of the parking bay, but it's a good starting point.

I don't actually do this myself as after driving a while it becomes instinctive, but has been useful for my Dc just learning.

Thanks so much for the responses. I have watched countless videos on YouTube which all use the same reference point (turning away from the desired bay when the second bay line is in line with your mirrors, or when your shoulders are in the middle of the bay), however every single time I’ve tried this I end up near enough right in between two bays. I need to figure out the reference point for my car but when I’m practising and playing around with moving more forwards or backwards I just can’t seem to get it - I guess I just need to put in more practice.

Thank you as well @seventyfivepercent for this diagram, I can actually park using this method (not always perfectly but I’m okay with fixing it), which is what I was doing initially, however I’ve found it’s not that practical in a lot of different car parks/situations so I’m trying to learn to park how I see most people do it (the 45 degree method, angling the back of the car towards the space at a 45ish degree angle)

You don't need to reverse park or parallel park. It makes life a bit more inconvenient but I can't do either and I am fine!
(I did both beautifully in my test and never since then!)

Do you have your own driveway OP? I’ve been able to practice loads on my own drive and figure out what I can see in my mirrors / reference points / distances.

Although I am one of those people that will park far away from the shops where there are loads of spaces I can forward park in but go across to the next row where I’m technically reverse parked 😆