Fail-proof Parallel Parking...

Vivek · 10th June 2005, 18:53

Awright.... Even though most of us would definitely hate to admit this, but isn't parallel parking a pain in the neck

My friend was learning to drive and I went along for the ride with her and the instructor, and he gave her some simple steps to follow for parallel parking. I've been using them for a while and this never fails...
These are for the US, but ofcourse you can reverse this for our left side driving...

Now say you have a car ahead and one behind the parking spot you intend to occupy (on the right side of the road)...

1) Get your car exactly parallel and three feet to the side of the car in front of your parking spot(the rear bumpers of your car and the parked car should be in a line).

2) Shift to reverse

3) Turn your steering all the way to the right

4) Start moving in reverse and continue to do so until you see the right headlight of the car behind your spot in your left rear-view mirror.

5) At this point stop and straighten out your steering wheel

6) Continue going into reverse in a straight line until your left front wheel is in line with the outer edge of the parking lane (if its not marked you can always visualize)

7) Now turn your steering wheel all the way to the left

8) Keep moving in reverse

9) Voila - at this point you are perfectly alligned.

Not that I couldn't park in parallel before I learnt this, but it has made it a lot simpler. Hope this helps.

revtech · 11th June 2005, 01:02

hey dude thanx a lot.
hahaha i actually went and tried this out and its pretty good.its an excellent tip for beginners who have just started driving and find parking a problem.

rev

srasania · 11th June 2005, 11:40

Nice Vivek..thanks a lot dude..gonna try it out..and yeah..seriously,parallel parking is a pain in the a**.
Well,just thought of typing in the Indian car setting for parallel parking- (your same post,but modified according to Indian right drivers side type of setting).

Now say you have a car ahead and one behind the parking spot you intend to occupy (on the left side of the road)...

1) Get your car exactly parallel and three feet to the side of the car in front of your parking spot(the rear bumpers of your car and the parked car should be in a line).

2) Shift to reverse

3) Turn your steering all the way to the left.

4) Start moving in reverse and continue to do so until you see the left headlight of the car behind your spot in your right rear-view mirror.

5) At this point stop and straighten out your steering wheel

6) Continue going into reverse in a straight line until your right front wheel is in line with the outer edge of the parking lane (if its not marked you can always visualize)

7) Now turn your steering wheel all the way to the right.

8) Keep moving in reverse

9) Voila - at this point you are perfectly alligned.

Steeroid · 11th June 2005, 14:56

Parallel Parking should be a mandatory test in our licensing process, but then thats an utopian dream since the only thing you're expected to know before a license is issued is how to use the horn...

Vivek · 11th June 2005, 19:46

Thanks all for the kind words..... And thanks to you srasania for modifying this.

@Steeroid: I agree completely. Over here, as most of you would know, they always have you drive on the Freeway , In the City, In a residential area etc... and yup, you have to park in parallel and do some other stuff even before you can hit the road for the test. Wish our Indian tests were as stiff. Heck, I never even had to take a test for my Indian License.

srasania · 11th June 2005, 20:15

Same here Vivek..I didn't have to take a test,even though I went to RTO,Tardeo..!..this was like 4 years back..but I guess things have changed "a little"..they atleast make everyone sit behind the wheel now,and tell them to drive in the RTO complex only..it's like driving around 1/4th km,and that's it !..my sister had to do this recently in Jan..even she went through same Driving School,where I had enrolled..

Suraj

venkatrx · 28th April 2006, 16:35

Check out this site where you can test your parallel parking on your PC

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pparkgame.html

Please search before starting a new thread. Thread merged.

quicksilver · 28th April 2006, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Parallel Parking should be a mandatory test in our licensing process, but then thats an utopian dream since the only thing you're expected to know before a license is issued is how to use the horn...

Sorry for replying to an old post but thought it might be worth sharing a piece of information...

Our Indian Licensing process DOES require some complex tests to be passed... atleast in the law, though they are never enforced. One such test is to take a "S" bend without crossing the median line and do the same in reverse on a car.... all this with proper hand signals. My Dad had to do this and some "inclination driving" tests when he got his license. Probably explains why the driving scene was a lot better 20 yrs ago.... (yea, the number of cars were a lot lesser.. but still, the drivers were civilised, to say the least).

Hope all these rules get updated/enforced now...

speed0mania · 30th April 2006, 03:53

hey guys , this is something i learnt from a friend too !! really helps!! its things like these that makes you think that formal training should be mandatory !! i mean i dont know even one female driver ( no offence im not against female drivers!!but..)who can parallel park in fact there aren't many male drivers who can do it either forget do it in one go!!
our licensing tests should be stiffened up!! i mean i have i remember my test was taken by a learning school teacher as the officer was too tiered !! so he told him to take the test !!
the guy asked me if i had driven down there and i said yes he next asked me how long i had been driving for , and i sadi that i had learnt when i was in class 8!! and he just smiled and told me to sit in his car which he started , and moved to the passenger seat and then he put it into gear and clutched it from a parallel clutch he had !! i tried to adjust the seat as i was too cramped up but i realised there was an lpg cylinder behind the seat and it was jammed !! and the guy told me to press the accelerator as i did he let go the clutch and the car barely moved for 1 meter and he said that was good enough!!

and thats how i got my license!! no wonder we've got the craziest people on our roads!!

shrivz · 30th April 2006, 17:41

why dont driving schools in india teach things like this... i fail to understand!!!

cheatingdeath · 30th April 2006, 19:39

well wen i learnt driving my dad and my driver ... made me do it again and again.. till i got it in one attempt......

so not bad at it

cheatingdeath · 30th April 2006, 19:44

i did it in 10 secs flat...lol

Zappo · 1st May 2006, 11:58

Procuring a DL may be easy in India... but that is a generic scene but not essentially so bad everywhere. Here in Hyderabad they do have some serious tests and I have seen people fail left right and center... sometimes even before the tests begin Lol. In fact even the LL requires candidates to pass a test which is completely online, nonetheless with computer graphics of lot many everyday road scenarios, followed by questions on them.

The Nagole RTO, where everyone goes for the final DL has two tracks where they ask the candidates to drive. It has tracks where the candidate has to form H by forwarding and reversing the vehicle. The edges of the H track has hedges and bricks to form side-line. Anyone whose car gets on one is immediate disqualified. The other test is to make an 8... Again I have seen people get on the hedges and get disqualified.

The best test though is a narrow lane kind of a thing where one has to go in and then reverse and forward the car without touching the sideline and then again come out of it the same way he/she entered. This 180 degrees of about turn has to be done in 5 forward and reverses. I have seen people falter at this one regularly. In fact the last time I went there with my friend for his DL a guy who came for his DL in his scorpio and started doing the tests confidently. He was sailing through until he got into that narrow stretch. No matter how badly he tried the scorpio could not turn course 180 degrees in 5 attempts and in frustration that guy simply got on the ledge and turned the vehicle on his 5th forward. He was promptly disqualified. In fact that made me wonder whether the test is not unfair for the drivers of bigger vehicles!

D C · 25th November 2014, 19:32

Just thought adding some images would help! I found these on the internet

Source: http://imgur.com/4LTABkH

Sherlocked · 25th November 2014, 23:30

A good thing just for the sake of giving a newbie driver some driving tips. But I think this can always be done better with the best of our judgement.
While parking like this I will only consider the size of the gap and length of my car's bonnet and voila I'm parked.

10th June 2005, 18:53	#1
Vivek BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 40 Thanked: 8 Times	Fail-proof Parallel Parking... Awright.... Even though most of us would definitely hate to admit this, but isn't parallel parking a pain in the neck My friend was learning to drive and I went along for the ride with her and the instructor, and he gave her some simple steps to follow for parallel parking. I've been using them for a while and this never fails... These are for the US, but ofcourse you can reverse this for our left side driving... Now say you have a car ahead and one behind the parking spot you intend to occupy (on the right side of the road)... 1) Get your car exactly parallel and three feet to the side of the car in front of your parking spot(the rear bumpers of your car and the parked car should be in a line). 2) Shift to reverse 3) Turn your steering all the way to the right 4) Start moving in reverse and continue to do so until you see the right headlight of the car behind your spot in your left rear-view mirror. 5) At this point stop and straighten out your steering wheel 6) Continue going into reverse in a straight line until your left front wheel is in line with the outer edge of the parking lane (if its not marked you can always visualize) 7) Now turn your steering wheel all the way to the left 8) Keep moving in reverse 9) Voila - at this point you are perfectly alligned. Not that I couldn't park in parallel before I learnt this, but it has made it a lot simpler. Hope this helps.
	(8) Thanks

11th June 2005, 01:02	#2
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,992 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	hey dude thanx a lot. hahaha i actually went and tried this out and its pretty good.its an excellent tip for beginners who have just started driving and find parking a problem. rev
	() Thanks

11th June 2005, 11:40	#3
srasania BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Orlando, FL, USA Posts: 321 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Nice Vivek..thanks a lot dude..gonna try it out..and yeah..seriously,parallel parking is a pain in the a**. Well,just thought of typing in the Indian car setting for parallel parking- (your same post,but modified according to Indian right drivers side type of setting). Now say you have a car ahead and one behind the parking spot you intend to occupy (on the left side of the road)... 1) Get your car exactly parallel and three feet to the side of the car in front of your parking spot(the rear bumpers of your car and the parked car should be in a line). 2) Shift to reverse 3) Turn your steering all the way to the left. 4) Start moving in reverse and continue to do so until you see the left headlight of the car behind your spot in your right rear-view mirror. 5) At this point stop and straighten out your steering wheel 6) Continue going into reverse in a straight line until your right front wheel is in line with the outer edge of the parking lane (if its not marked you can always visualize) 7) Now turn your steering wheel all the way to the right. 8) Keep moving in reverse 9) Voila - at this point you are perfectly alligned.
	(6) Thanks

11th June 2005, 14:56	#4
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,752 Times	Parallel Parking should be a mandatory test in our licensing process, but then thats an utopian dream since the only thing you're expected to know before a license is issued is how to use the horn...
	(2) Thanks

11th June 2005, 19:46	#5
Vivek BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 40 Thanked: 8 Times	Thanks all for the kind words..... And thanks to you srasania for modifying this. @Steeroid: I agree completely. Over here, as most of you would know, they always have you drive on the Freeway , In the City, In a residential area etc... and yup, you have to park in parallel and do some other stuff even before you can hit the road for the test. Wish our Indian tests were as stiff. Heck, I never even had to take a test for my Indian License.
	() Thanks

11th June 2005, 20:15	#6
srasania BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Orlando, FL, USA Posts: 321 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Same here Vivek..I didn't have to take a test,even though I went to RTO,Tardeo..!..this was like 4 years back..but I guess things have changed "a little"..they atleast make everyone sit behind the wheel now,and tell them to drive in the RTO complex only..it's like driving around 1/4th km,and that's it !..my sister had to do this recently in Jan..even she went through same Driving School,where I had enrolled.. Suraj
	() Thanks

28th April 2006, 16:35	#7
venkatrx BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 453 Thanked: 4 Times	Parallel parking : How good are you Check out this site where you can test your parallel parking on your PC http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pparkgame.html Please search before starting a new thread. Thread merged. Last edited by Rudra Sen : 28th April 2006 at 16:58.
	() Thanks

30th April 2006, 03:53	#9
speed0mania BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: new delhi Posts: 463 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	hey guys , this is something i learnt from a friend too !! really helps!! its things like these that makes you think that formal training should be mandatory !! i mean i dont know even one female driver ( no offence im not against female drivers!!but..)who can parallel park in fact there aren't many male drivers who can do it either forget do it in one go!! our licensing tests should be stiffened up!! i mean i have i remember my test was taken by a learning school teacher as the officer was too tiered !! so he told him to take the test !! the guy asked me if i had driven down there and i said yes he next asked me how long i had been driving for , and i sadi that i had learnt when i was in class 8!! and he just smiled and told me to sit in his car which he started , and moved to the passenger seat and then he put it into gear and clutched it from a parallel clutch he had !! i tried to adjust the seat as i was too cramped up but i realised there was an lpg cylinder behind the seat and it was jammed !! and the guy told me to press the accelerator as i did he let go the clutch and the car barely moved for 1 meter and he said that was good enough!! and thats how i got my license!! no wonder we've got the craziest people on our roads!!
	() Thanks

30th April 2006, 17:41	#10
shrivz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, MH12 Posts: 604 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	why dont driving schools in india teach things like this... i fail to understand!!!
	() Thanks

30th April 2006, 19:39	#11
cheatingdeath BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 275 Thanked: 10 Times	well wen i learnt driving my dad and my driver ... made me do it again and again.. till i got it in one attempt...... so not bad at it
	() Thanks

30th April 2006, 19:44	#12
cheatingdeath BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 275 Thanked: 10 Times	i did it in 10 secs flat...lol
	() Thanks

1st May 2006, 11:58	#13
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,922 Thanked: 2,703 Times	Procuring a DL may be easy in India... but that is a generic scene but not essentially so bad everywhere. Here in Hyderabad they do have some serious tests and I have seen people fail left right and center... sometimes even before the tests begin Lol. In fact even the LL requires candidates to pass a test which is completely online, nonetheless with computer graphics of lot many everyday road scenarios, followed by questions on them. The Nagole RTO, where everyone goes for the final DL has two tracks where they ask the candidates to drive. It has tracks where the candidate has to form H by forwarding and reversing the vehicle. The edges of the H track has hedges and bricks to form side-line. Anyone whose car gets on one is immediate disqualified. The other test is to make an 8... Again I have seen people get on the hedges and get disqualified. The best test though is a narrow lane kind of a thing where one has to go in and then reverse and forward the car without touching the sideline and then again come out of it the same way he/she entered. This 180 degrees of about turn has to be done in 5 forward and reverses. I have seen people falter at this one regularly. In fact the last time I went there with my friend for his DL a guy who came for his DL in his scorpio and started doing the tests confidently. He was sailing through until he got into that narrow stretch. No matter how badly he tried the scorpio could not turn course 180 degrees in 5 attempts and in frustration that guy simply got on the ledge and turned the vehicle on his 5th forward. He was promptly disqualified. In fact that made me wonder whether the test is not unfair for the drivers of bigger vehicles!
	() Thanks

25th November 2014, 19:32	#14
D C BHPian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Chennai Posts: 152 Thanked: 334 Times View My Garage	Re: Fail-proof Parallel Parking... Just thought adding some images would help! I found these on the internet Source: http://imgur.com/4LTABkH Attached Thumbnails
	(12) Thanks

25th November 2014, 23:30	#15
Sherlocked BHPian Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jaipur Posts: 688 Thanked: 1,815 Times	Re: Fail-proof Parallel Parking... A good thing just for the sake of giving a newbie driver some driving tips. But I think this can always be done better with the best of our judgement. While parking like this I will only consider the size of the gap and length of my car's bonnet and voila I'm parked.
	() Thanks