[nairrk]

Nice information and good write up. The illustration itself is very clear. Many may be wanting this information for long. If learn the technique, this will be easiest way of parking when you find a space like this (parellel).

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by dev_kudle

Hi

Nice information. I was wandering for this information untill now.
I learnt this trick on my own after some practice.
However, felt very irritated when I find that, the rear or front car moved out and another car has been parked on that place, and that too close to my car. It becomes impossible to get your car out in such situation.

DK,

This really is problem even in places where traffic laws are implemented. In UAE for example the fine for crossing over the parking slot is around AED 300.00. Still at times you get boxed in. However, if your slot is clear no matter how close the other chap has parked in his slot, you can still take it out, ususlly in one forward and two reverses.

Originally Posted by longhorn

Another common mistake is reversing by sticking your head out from the driver's side window as if there will never ever be an obstruction on the left side. One should always reverse by looking back through the middle of the two front seats. The left ORVM will come in handy here while parallel parking next to a kerb by switching your view between the two and not forgetting to check where your bonnet line is.

Little bit of info here.

During the drivers training period in developed countries the trainers make sure that you don't stick you head out at all. All they allow is a shoulder check while changing lanes and before reversing.

The whole process of reverse parking is done using your 3 mirrors only (with shoulder check as well).

Even for self taught drivers, with a bit of practice you can reverse using your mirrors only with out turning your head or sticking it out.

Key is setting the wing mirrors properly and watching the back end points of your vehicle in the mirror as to where they are pointed and heading in relation with the reflection of surroundings as you see in the mirror. (The guys who are good in video games/in virtual world should find this easy - no I am too old to be good in video/virtual games)

I know with a Billion + people to cater to, the dreams of proper driving school s with there own road system for training will only be a fond hope, especially when there no reward in it to be trained in such way.

But with proper initiative from private sector as well, some day Hum Honge Kamyap!

Best Regards & Drive Ride safe

Ram

[GordonGekko]

I love driving, hence I love parallel parking.

I'm a self-taught driver and use my mirrors coupled with good judgment.

[GTO]

Nice tips, I'll add another one : If you are about to parallel park on a busy street, put your parking lights on. Blinkers get more attention and will alert the traffic (behind you) well in advance.

Excellent piece of information, r_nairtvm. All along, I was doing the parallel parking the same way but by trial and error. The pictorial depiction is an enlightenment for me.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by GTO

If you are about to parallel park on a busy street, put your parking lights on. Blinkers get more attention and will alert the traffic (behind you) well in advance.

Well there is a certain unwritten rule that is followed abroad for this. On a busy street, with your car slowly moving forward, as soon as you identify a slot to park your car, you flash your left indicator assuming you are parking on the left hand side. From this, the guy behind you understands that you are going to park there and stops his car leaving enough space for you to complete your manouvere. Then you follow the steps as mentioned in the illustration on the first page to park your car. It's only after you have slotted your car in that the guy behind you starts moving again. You try to attempt this in India and you will find that the guy behind you has already shoved his car in with the rear sticking out !

[pjbiju]

A couple of tips based on my experience.

I have seen very few places in Pune, where they enforce parallel parking. So people always tend to park at an angle even if half their vehicle is outside the parking line, jutting onto the road. Most of the places are simply marked as parking areas without specifying what kind of parking should be done. Logically if the parking strip is only wide enough to accodmodate cars parked in parallel, that should be followed. But people do not follow that. As a fallout, if you do parallel parking where not everyone has done parallel parking, chances are that someone (either bikes, or cars) will sandwhich you by parking differently and it may become difficult for you to take the car out.

Given the way people behave in India due to lack of parking spaces and lack of training, most people will try to get into such parking spaces with the nose of their cars first. So if you practise the correct method by moving past the parking space, someone else will nosedive into that parking space.

So what I generally do is that, I have my son or wife get down and "reserve" the parking space while I move ahead to reverse back into the parking slot.

[r_nairtvm]

Hi All

Couple of weeks back this advertisement/anouncement came in the local papers in UAE.

Nothing new but just reminding drivers what the standard is (this is drilled in during driver training) and asking all follow it.

It was interesting that today I saw a cop/parking warden, writing out tickets to those who had parked in voilation. AED 200.00 (Equal of INR 2,500.00) was the fine.

Will these types of standard (extreme?) be ever seen anywhere in India. While hopping not, I really welcome some more standards in driver training stage itself.

Best Regards & drive/ride carefully

All the Best & Seasons Greetings!!

Ram

I remembered a scene in the comedy film 'Pink Panther 2', starring Steve Martin as Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling French Police Inspector, wherein he issues parking ticket to a car driver just because he parked it close to the sidewalk by 9 cm shorter than the officially specified gap!

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

I remembered a scene in the comedy film 'Pink Panther 2', starring Steve Martin as Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling French Police Inspector, wherein he issues parking ticket to a car driver just because he parked it close to the sidewalk by 9 cm shorter than the officially specified gap!

Ravi,

This shows that the old saying -"Art reflects life & Life reflects art" - is so very true, at least in the "Never Never Lands" in the "Gelf"


Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by shiva_cool87

I love to parallel park ! The joy you get after parking the car is unexplainable !

He he... that's quite right! I too enjoy parallel parking Our office parking will be usually full by the time I arrive, so I have to park on a small road side inside the campus, which is a slope as well, were few cars will be already parked. Sometimes I show off my parallel parking there to newbie drivers who will be struggling to park theirs. Mostly there'll be someone who try to park their car by taking numerous reverse and forwards, I come, park my car, lock it and go while still watching them park


The 'H' test in Kerala is really good. My wife appeared for driving test in Bangalore. Guess what, she just had to drive the car straight for about 100 meters to get the license!

Back in the nineties in Kerala, I had to pass the H test first, then drive the car and had to show almost all hand signals and stuff in real scenarios. Then after getting out of the car, he asked few questions as well. I am sure nowadays it is not that strict here too.

[iamswift]

Nice tips pal.
I happen to parallel park at only one place - at a hospital near my home.
I used to do it at will. Sometimes it comes alright at the first move. Sometimes I have to move back and front few times.
The theory part would sure help me next time.

PS: Otherwise, its 45º parking at most of the places in Madras.

[floyd]

@r_nairtvm: Really good pictorial advice. This is the only way to parallel park. I must confess that at times I have tried using the "nose-first" variant of this method (i.e. no reversing, enter the parking space forwards), and it works only if you have extra spaces between the car-1 and car-2.

[vsh]

hi
very helpful information indeed. in addition- while doing step 1 ie while moving towards 2nd car just check that parking space is atleast 1.5 times the size of the car. otherwise it may not be possible to park the car properly.

[r_nairtvm]

Hello All,

This would be good tip for guys who are in the cities mainly.

When you are trying to inch your car between two parked cars or such, if there is any reflective surface nearby like a Window glass of a show room etc, look at the reflection of your vehicle there to get a better idea of the gap between your car and other fixed objects.

It helps a lot in getting in to places which may be "just a bit" longer than your car, without denting/scratching your car or other's.

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram