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.......

I have a reverse camera in my new car. It's bloody marvellous!

I can't parallel park.

I can reverse in and out of spaces in a car park easily, and I have a driver at home so just pull in.

But OMG I have to parallel park at my mums and it just never goes well!

I’m the same, can you pay for a couple of refresher lessons to practise a bit more with an instructor? It’s a good idea to work on something you know you can’t do confidently just remember you can do it or you wouldn’t have passed your test

@Redcrayons I challenge you to 2 half hour slots in the supermarket car park this week, find a big space and learn parallel parking, come back and tell us when you have it sussed

I'm terrible at parallel parking, I used to ask my wife to drive if I knew there would be parallel parking at the destination, she was brilliant at it.

www.bsm.co.uk/learner-driver/refresher-lessons/

Whilst I am soapboxing skid pan is also an excellent course to do as a one off and very handy when you least expect it.

It’s 30 years since I passed my test and I think my parking is worse now than it was then. It’s pure fluke if I parallel park successfully and I never, ever reverse into a space. I’d rather walk half a mile than try to park in a tight space.

I always avoided parallel parking until I had a bit of a revelation. I hadn't practised them since my driving test. So I went somewhere quiet with my DH in the other car, and just practised parking behind him. Did it over a few days, and now I can do it.

Slightly embarrassed at the slow realisation. I'm a teacher, and I'm always telling the kids that if they want to learn it they have to practise...

If we had to resit our driving tests at regular intervals this would probably be less of an issue and people would presumably be better drivers overall.

Re refresher lessons - yes good idea.

As I've said, I'm a confident driver. Nothing really panics me except for the parking.

And this post has made me realise....it's only when people are watching lol.

I just need to do it really. There's been a fair few times I've surprised myself when parking and I've felt like getting out of the car and shouting 'look everyone at my magnificent parking' 😂

I've sent a message to apologise again and he has replied saying it's fine and asked me about something else so now I feel better

There's been a fair few times I've surprised myself when parking and I've felt like getting out of the car and shouting 'look everyone at my magnificent parking

That's how I felt the first time I managed to parallel park in a tight spot.

With a 15' trailer attached.

OP Clearly it's when you're under pressure and your parking brain goes. I've always been good, but with an old car I can turn around in the driving position so I see where I'm going out of the back window rather than rely on mirrors. My DH has never been any good at reversing even down a straight lane and can't turn in his seat at all.

If you can get another couple of driving lessons. Or go with a patient friend who can help.

Depends. OK at parallel if big enough space but if someone is waiting behind me, sometimes I lose it and drive off. Try to reverse park most days really and I have improved lots, not brave enough to reverse in between two cars though.

I used to be fucking awesome at parking, to the point I used to swap with DH to park for him because he is not blessed with spatial awareness. However, since having DS over a year ago I cannot park any more?! It's so embarrassing! Can't bay park, parallel park, anything! No idea what's going on.

Practise practise practise. I can parallel park because I lived in a terraced house with on-street parking. I learned very quickly how to get my car into tight spaces. It was a one-way street, with parking on both sides, so I am pretty good at parking on the driver's side as that was outside my house.

Last week at work the car park was full. There was one tight space next to some double yellow lines (private land so no chance of a ticket). The groundsman was going to pull up some of the ropes which are protecting the grass but I said I was going to try to parallel park first. He raised his eyebrows and said he didn't think my MPV would fit in. One reverse then move slightly forward in the space later and it was in. He gave me a round of applause and the pupils who were out playing tennis did too. It's a skill and like all skills you have to use it or lose it. DD this morning made a hash of a reverse bay park. She's only had her licence for 6 months, so she really needs to keep having a go.

I am brilliant at parking, even parallel parking tiny spaces on busy roads (I would never park anywhere otherwise!) I can't drive on motorways - we need to get together

@Ces6 deal! I could drive for hours on a motorway with no panic whatsoever. 5 minute trip to ASDA when it's busy and I'm like 😱😱😱😱

I have to parallel park sometimes to drop my kids at school. It's a tight village and usually pressure from other drivers waiting. It either goes absolutely perfectly, or horribly, embarrassingly wrong. There is no middle ground I never found a method that worked, all this half turn at this point, full lock at that point never ever works. Best results is usually if I just wing it by my own judgement.
Reversing into a bay = easy. I was taught when the line of the space before the one you want lines up with the middle of your car, turn on full lock then just straighten up once you're in line with the space. Never fails.

I am superb at reverse parallel parking after living in a flat on a busy city street where it was the only option. I’m pretty good at reverse parking into bays although the advent of reversing cameras has oddly made me worse. What I can’t do for toffee is go nose first into a space. Can’t do it. Got no concept of the size of the front of my car! It’s hilarious. I can reverse parallel into a space with inches to spare at either end but can’t go in front first.

It's not that I can't park it's that I'm lazy I like easy parking space just drive in . I rush too which I shouldn't I've nearly hit a couple of cars while reversing cause I was rushing which shook me up so that I was extra careful after that . I can parallel park and reverse park but I choose not too . I think sometimes I'm worried I'll mess it up and someone will see .
I can understand you feeling embarrassed but it's happened to everyone one time or another.

It's just practice.
I used to be dreadful at it but slowly have got better. I parallel parked the other day and had to look about to see if anyone had noticed as it was so good 😂

I will say, if other people are in the car I tend to screw up still.

Parking should be a part of the test, if you can't park then you can't handle the car safely and shouldn't be on the road. I detest people who can't even park in a supermarket properly, the graduates of the Stevie Wonder driving school!

I’m a masterparker.. it’s something that can learn with plenty of practice.

Me too
It makes me so angry 😡 I park miles away and avoid multi story