To ask if anyone else is absolutely shit at parking??

[trentyh]

I can drive no problem. Drove regularly on motorways, nothing phases me about driving.

But parking, I'm crap. Absolutely crap.

I've just been somewhere and knocked a tall plant pot over. I apologised to the person who owns the thing I knocked over. Other people saw me do it and I'm mortified.

Because all I needed to do was drive instead instead of trying to reverse in. Honestly I don't have a clue what I was doing.

I left this place completely red faced and they are people I see on a regular basis. The pot wasn't damaged. But there was so much room for me to park properly.....what the actual hell was i doing?!

Should I message the person again to apologise for knocking it over? I picked it up and it's not damaged.

But it was loud as all these kids came running out to see what happened. Eurgh.......

Me! Not parallel parked since my driving test

@SpoonBlender yes that's exactly it. It's the decision I make to park and I panic. Not the actual parking I suppose. Because I do reverse park regularly. And I like to do it's easy to get out.

This was a small yard full of cars and only one place i could of parked. I should of stopped and thought.

Lesson learnt

I can’t really reverse Park very well. It often takes me a few goes to do a reverse park.

Does anyone actually think I should send a message to apologise?

I did apologise but I was so embarrassed, I can't really remember what I said

Practice, practice, practice. I used to be rubbish at parking but I needed to get over it as I did a lot of driving and parking for work, and my lack of skills became a massive inconvenience. Do I used to practice parallel parking all the time. Even when I could easily drive into a spot. I would always reverse in, even if I didn't need to. Practice when you aren't in a rush, and where you have loads of space.

I am fantastic at parking now and can get into really tight spaces. It is a great skill to have.

Shortly after I passed my driving test I had to ask a complete stranger to park for me in a multi storey car park. . Not long afterwards my boss asked me to park a client's car as he was late for a meeting. Underground car park with spiral entrance ramp. Drove his jaguar straight into the wall I'm a bit better now

You're not the only one OP! I've been driving 5 years and reverse parking has only just 'clicked' for me, mostly because they've started telling us we have to reverse in at work. Before that, I never got any better because I didn't ever really do it. I can't parallel park very well as there's just nowhere I go to where I'd need to.

chocolate I have a CMax too. It’s the 7 seater version and I had to get it when DC3 was born- it was the only 7 seater that would fit in our driveway.

Every time - every single time - I get to about halfway through my journey home I start worrying about reverse parking into the bloody driveway. If a car comes up the road behind me I start panicking. I’m pathetic!

I also avoid parallel parking at all costs. I can do it but, like pp I go to shit if there’s anyone else around 🙄

I'm utterly shit. I'm dyspraxic so cannot judge the size of gaps so get really stressed. My brain just tells me that even supermarket spaces are to narrow for my golf...

I have terrible spatial awareness. I find parking sensors hugely helpful. I also park very sloowwwwlly as I'm constantly checking mirrors / adjusting. I can parallel park but only if the space is generous and no one is watching!

You are clearly not alone, which is why so many new cars do it for you.
It took me a long time to be able to parallel park with confidence, but if you dont keep practising, you will never learn. Getting the right angle is key. My instructor used to tell me to think 10 past 2, but I think it is more like 5 past 1, if you know what I mean.

I can only reverse park. I am absolutely shit at parking going forwards into a bay. If there is a car either side, there is no way I can drive forwards into it.

I am a rubbish at parking too! Never parallel park, will rather pick a bigger drive into space. Lucky at home we have a big drive with turning space, so no worries there! 😂

DH was driving the other day, arrived at car park, I looked around and said, park there, you can pull forward, he turned to me and said Yoga, you know every trick in the book to avoid reversing! He’s not wrong!

@PositiveVibez I'm a bit like you, always prefer to reverse park. I can drive into a bay but it's getting out of it if there's a car either side!

I'm only 5ft so not sure if it makes a difference either.

i can park SOME cars....others I just cannot get to grips with

The "Can Park" list contains many and varied cars from LWB Nissan Patrols to very wide Multiplas, to Seicentos , back to Volvos, Minis, Pandas, Hyundai Trajet massive people carrier effort. Current car is okay with the roof down!!
The "Cannot Park" list mostly involves Renaults and my last car which was a Fiat 500. ...that poor car was abandoned so badly in so many spaces.

I have a theory that there is some sort of Geometric Viewing Angle when you are in a car as a driver and each individual has their own setting, where they just know where cars start and finish, where the corners are, and if that angle in a particular car doesn't suit you, you are doomed to knock over plant pots for all eternity in that car.

im crap at parking, and im even worse if someone is watching me. I might sort out some refresher lessons just for parking one of these days.
I can do it, but it takes me so bloody long straightening myself up etc

My only advice is drive a small car lol. As my username suggests I have a wee car. Been driving since September and I am the reverse parking queen!

Nope. Am an amazing parker! Comes from living in a city with double parked streets, very narrow (so only just one car width on the road with a few inches either side to parked cars) and tight spots. I had to learn fast. I'm much better at reversing into space than going in forwards thanks to mirrors. I always think the front of my car is longer than it is, but know exactly where the back stops, hence more confident reversing. I have had random men applaud me on several occasions when I've done a tricky reverse parallel park

I am good. Comes of having to be. Learned in a very busy city.

The rules -

1. Your centre (where you turn from) is your feet. Your car's centre however is the middle of the front or rear axle, depending on whether front or rear wheel drive. Therefore the turning focus is not you in the driver seat it is the spot centred on the axle. Most likely your car is front wheel drive btw and this is why reverse parking is best and easiest because turning point is centre of front axle. Also reverse parking means you are looking where you are going pulling out, always safer in busy car parks. Get the toy cars out and learn how they have to manoeuvre from the axle into the space, teach yourself the angles and watch how to line up the corners of the car with the space.

2. Anytime you get a new car go to a big carpark like the supermarket, pick an empty bit and practice. Go into spaces, get out and look at where the car is. Repeatedly. From every angle, alongside kerbs/bins whatever you can find to learn your sight lines. Use your mirrors (move if need be) but always check over your shoulder for blind spot first. Know what position your steering wheel is in when wheels are straight. A lot of new cars are not easy to get the size of because you can't see the edge of the car from the driver seat so learn where the perimeter of the car is.

3. Practise. Really get good and know that the skills needed for parking are the same skills needed for driving safely through traffic and knowing how much room you have, how to manoeuvre and how to be aware of what is around you.

No matter where you are or what is going on around you focus on what you are doing, go slow and if it doesn't line up then pull out and line up again. It is easier to park on a correct line than to try and correct a badly lined up park mid park iykwim.

I used to drive round for ages looking for a space I could drive forwards into until I realised there just weren't any and I'd be driving in circles for an hour looking for one. I just had to try and reverse park in the between 2 other cars along the side of a street spaces and now I've done it thousands of times I can now usually do it in one go without any beepers. What I cannot deal with though is reverse parking between 2 parallel cars eg in a supermarket/multi storey car park. Even worse is when there's a rail or concrete wall down one side. There was a car park like that where I used to live and my space was between a massive car and a concrete pillar. I used to use better one that was designated to a flat no one lived in and got told off by the building manager all the time.

Yep, much prefer to drive in than reverse park! Can reverse out no problem so fine with it. Been driving 3 years, and passed my test first time with a parallel park - and that was the last time I parallel parked!

I’m so bad at work I struggled to drive in a space and this guy just laughed at me. Like what a knob I even had a P sign on the back. I felt horrible and will arrive early at work to ensure i get a space I can drive into.

Honestly all of you who struggle to park, stop treating it as optional and get that skill OWNED!!!

Get out and practise yourselves perfect!

I was TERRIBLE at parallel parking (bays are fine, for some reason!?), I drive hundreds of miles a week but would park twice as far away from my house to avoid a tight parking space. Then I moved somewhere where I had to parallel park on a very busy street or walk a literal mile to my house and suddenly I was finding myself getting better each time - it's amazing what the prospect of walking in the rain will do! It still takes me ages and I have to correct the angle I'm parking at sometimes but the sheer amount of practice has made me better.

I'm better at reverse parking than forward parking. I ways too close to the line when I drive in.

I can't do parallel parking at all. I'll drive off rather than attempt it.