To ask for parking advice from people who are actually able to explain things

26 replies

desperatedaysareover · 11/07/2024 15:07

I’m always impressed by the level of road knowledge on here and have actually learned information about motorway driving I’ve managed to go 20+ years without ever having heard anyone discuss.

so help me out - I need to learn to parallel park a large saloon car with no parking sensors on a busy street. Spaces are often tight. I have driven huge cars all my driving life but they’ve always been estates and they’re easy to parallel park being flat-backed. This whole ‘foot of metal and paintwork beyond the rear windscreen’ palaver just feels risky. The men in my life are helpfully like ‘use spatial awareness.’ Easier said than done when stressed and pressed. Any tips?

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desperatedaysareover · 11/07/2024 16:07

TeresaCrowd · 11/07/2024 15:49

This does actually work if you have plenty of room in the street width-wise. however it focusses a lot on the front of the car, and I guess your issue is actually the bit of the car you can't easily 'see'.

Using the traffic cones is good as as long as you are going slowAF you can boop them and see the distance from the back wheel and from the rear windshield (both of which you should be able to easily see in the mirrors) to the obstacle, then remember that and never go beyond it. Just use enough that you can position them as both front corners and the front numberplate position of the imaginary car you are trying to replicate.

The other thing I would suggest is practice when it's dusky so you can do it with your lights on, as the pattern in the lights on the other vehicle (or wall etc) will change as you get closer. Reversing into spaces (not parallel, just rows of them with a wall behind) will also help you get used to the extra length of the car using the lights to judge. Once you've nailed the relative position of the 4 corners of the car compared to your head, it becomes more straightforward to manouvre around, and as it sounds like you are good in a big car, it will become second nature.

Source: Regular park-er of a Long Wheelbase Van with no clever sensors in central London side roads outside Theatre stage doors etc, often in the dark and as it's british summer, in the pissing rain. Use the 'there is ~3ft overhang from the rear wheel' method A LOT!

helpful to see it in action. thank you, as you say it’s about accounting for that extra foot (or 3) and getting attuned to where all the corners of the car are relative to me ( also appreciate the Youtube comments section about other motorists, glad I don’t drive in London - or NYC!)

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