Parallel Parking - how it's done

A survey by the RAC recently found that 15 percent of drivers never attempt a parallel parking manoeuvre after passing their driving test. It's no surprise really, because the ability to squeeze your car sideways into a tight space is arguably the ultimate test of driving prowess; of all the measures of spatial awareness, parallel parking is arguably the ultimate and most intimidating.

If you're a confident parallel park-ist, then the chances are that no kerbside gap is too small for you to at least attempt squeezing into. Good for you. But some drivers avoid parallel parking like Lyme disease - usually the same people who are accustomed to hearing the phrase "you could park a bus in there" from irritating, self-righteous back seat drivers. Well, your woes could soon be over, because we're about to tell you, step-by-step, how to do it. Nervous?

Step one: finding the space

Often when a driver sees a kerbside space that he or she knows full well is big enough to accommodate their car, they'll still saunter past it anyway in search of a space that can be driven into forwards. However, that's often a perception issue, because without practicing parallel parking we're not accustomed to what spaces can and can't take our cars.

So, look for a space about twice the length of your car. That way there's plenty of room to straighten the car up during the manoeuvre - and enough to drive out again when you need to. Anything shorter than that and you're not leaving much leeway, which could result in a mounted kerb, a scuffed wheel or worse - two dented cars. Not to worry you, of course.

Step two: be patient

One of the things that prevents people from performing a parallel park, especially on a busy road, is the fear of getting it wrong while holding up traffic. This leads to panic, which in turn stops you from concentrating properly. So, don't worry about the traffic behind; be patient, think about what you're doing, and we can almost guarantee you'll get it right.

Step three: look

Following on from the last tip, clear visibility is key - you need be able to see what's going on to the front, the back and the side of the car. Panic and you'll try to whip the car into the space without looking properly and get your angles wrong.

Step four: positioning

You should position your car about three feet away from the car at the front of the space, with your rear bumper aligned with its. Get this wrong and you're already fighting a losing battle: too far forward and you'll want to turn into the space too early; too far back and you'll find you don't have enough room between you and the car at the back of the space.

Step five: go for it

Techniques differ slightly, but essentially it's about recognising when to begin turning toward the space, and when you should be turning the opposite way to glide the car into the gap. If you've aligned your rear bumper properly, you should be able to turn into the space with full steering lock immediately. Very slowly roll back towards the space until the car is at an approximately 45-degree angle with the kerb, then turn in the opposite direction, again with full lock on and back into the space.

Obviously at this stage visibility is vital: you need to be looking at your bonnet to make sure you won't clip the car in front, and at the kerb so you know when you're in place without venturing onto the path. Once the car is in the space, straighten the wheel at a standstill (not so easy in non-power assisted cars, granted) and fine-tune your position. Job well done.

Step six: cheat

Alternatively, if this hasn't helped, you could buy a VW Tiguan equipped with its ingenious parallel parking system. All you need to do is pull up next to the car you want to park behind, press a button on the dash and watch as it does all the work for you. Who needs skill when we've got technology, eh? Other car makers offer a similar system. If you want to know more about this or other parking systems just ask Staffcars for more information.