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'm an excellent parker, although I find it harder reversing into a bay on my right (as I drive forward) than on my left, for some reason. It may be because I do it entirely using my mirrors, as a neck problem restricts the amount I can turn my head.

I always have old estate cars though, and I think they're easier. The outside corners aren't much further away than the inside corners, iykwim, and they have big windows, so good visibility. Modern saloon cars, with their big fat pillars and shallow rear windows give much more of a restricted view. DP reckons the view from the rear view mirror of some cars must be like peering through the slats of a Venetian blind.

You only get better at reversing into a bay when you practise. There are lots of spaces that are really only possible to reverse into. Practise, practise, practise. Oh and pull forwards past the space further than you think - a full car and half the next one usually works for me. Start turning straight away and use your mirrors. You can always correct if you're nor quite right.

I'm not great with parallel parking but I will have a go. I just don't have much occasion to practise it so I've not mastered a technique, so it's more of a fluke when I do try it.

I’m ok with bays as I always reverse in but I am rubbish at parallel parking
People tease me about being shit at parking because I like to take what a few seconds longer than they do and not rush.
My parking went to shit when my DC was little. I got stuck a few times and had to flag down a passing pedestrian 🙈

I'd have said no! 21 years of having a license and driving and never so much even pranging my car against a post or pillar.

Can reverse park in to smallest of spaces and it's an engineering feat getting into my drive everyday between the van parked opposite and the Range Rover next to me.

But I brushed someone's car getting into a space the other day 🙈
Literally mm.

Was so pissed off with myself as usually my spacial awareness is really good and - although my fault - was a little reassured when I realised the car I hit was actually on the white line.

So I'd say it can happen to anyone. Some people just struggle a little bit more than others - like everything in life.

For reversing into bays, my lightbulb moment was when I looked up S manouevre on youtube. You first pull up parallel to the empty bay so that you're looking directly down the middle of it out of your driver window, keeping close up to the opening of it. (Say it's on your right). Stop. Then go full lock left and pull forwards as far as your left front corner will allow, then stop, put into reverse and go full lock right while reversing, checking side mirrors all the time to make sure you are clear and equal distance from the lines markkng out the bay. Look it up on youtube. Much easier.

I can only drive into spaces. I can't parralelle park unless I have at least 1.5-2 car lengths. I know I'm capable of reversing into tight spots, I've done it before in a small garage but it brings me out in cold sweats.
Driving on motor ways, busy London traffic, huge scary roundabouts all fine but parking is a bastard.

Christ at 17 I learnt to parallel park a volvo 240 estate, I can now park our long wheel base van into a smaller space than I can get our 4 door family hatchback. It takes practise, forget parking sensors learn where the corners of your car are and use your mirrors

I can bay park fine.

I cannot parallel park, and I have a camera to aid reversing! I actively drive past spaces that require parallel parking.

I’ve actuslly always been unable to do them, if it had come up on my test, I would have failed for sure. Thankfully I got a three point turn and an emergency stop!

So you’ve identified you’re shit at parking. Now fix it. Pay for some lessons and then practice! Just like you would anything else.

Why people think lessons should stop thensecond you pass your test I don’t know.

I got really good at parallel parking when I was at uni - terraced houses, high density of people, lots of cars, hardly any space, narrow roads and on a hill!

Rubbish parker here too I have to parallel park at DCs school and it stresses me out no end. Reassuring to hear so many people say it's just a matter of practise - thank you! - I might consider taking some refresher lessons.

I'm useless at parking. I passed my test 9 years ago and now avoid any situation that involves reverse or parallel parking. I'll actually park several streets away rather than parallel park somewhere. It's ridiculous.

When I learnt to drive, a long time ago, the instructor's car had marks on the windows showing where the line/kerb should be before you made the turn. I haven't had to resort to that, but in every car I've had I've noted where the line needs to be in relation to the wing mirrors. And I had parking sensors added to my current car because my previous car had them and I couldn't live without them!

Parking sensors are awful
Switch them off, use your mirrors and practice

Passed my test a year ago on Thursday. I'm fine with all parking now. We had practised during lessons of course plus I had the ppark in my test.
It was a challenge to relearn it all in my car as none of the markers I used in the wee 106 applied.

I used lots of the driving schools YouTube videos on how to judge it, highly recommend them as a tool.

No excuse for not being able to park in all ways imo As a new driver shortly about to get shot down

I used to be fine with parking but I'm terrible at it now. I have a blue badge which means wider, more accessible parking spaces and as a result I've lost my parking ability in a regular space.

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.

Unless the rear wheels also steer (very unusual unless you're driving heavy machinery) it doesn't make a difference if your car is rwd

I'm ok if I dont think about what I'm doing, once I realise what I'm doing it all goes to pot. I can also reverse into a space between 2 parked cars better than I can reverse into a space with no cars either side, and weirdly I can reverse the works van better than my own car

How entitled

I am not great. Despite having passed my test 26 years ago, my parking is not good. Parallel parking basically non existent. I can reverse park but sometimes I just have to give up and park somewhere else as i know it won’t work right then.

I WILL NOT parallel park on the high street under any circumstance.

it's virtually impossible to drive into a kerbside space, but easy to back in. Double the car's length is a doddle. At 1 and a half car's lengths it's tricky.

I can either reverse parallel park perfectly or you can barely tell which side of the road I was trying for. Usually audience or waiting car makes it all go to shit...

Currently drive big estate cars, one which had really shit radar (cried wolf the whole time) and screwed my confidence). Since we replaced the radar has been so much better.

The bigger car (Mondeo) is a pig in car parks because you end up with no more than 6 inches either side if parked perfectly in some of them!

Yes.
I have to do school run earlier as I can't parallel park. If I go mega early no one there and I just wait in car for ages with my poor daughter lol.

I am a terrible Parker. Perhaps has to do with poor spacial awareness. Not sure. Driving is no problem, but parking is a joke. I got a new car with parking cameras. They help so just need to practice now.