The words “parallel parking” are enough to strike fear into the hearts of potential driver-license seekers.
These simple tips from Jim Cronin at Missouri Driving School will help you ace the most stressful section of the driving exam.
- Pull up to the space fairly close. You will usually enter the parallel parking section of the test from a left turn. Finish the turn “high”-that means make sure when you come out of the turn, you are fairly close and in a straight line on the way to the space.
- Pull forward an entire car length. Drive forward slowly parallel to the space until you can see the stick of the cone over your right shoulder in your rear window.
- Put the car in reverse and begin to turn right into the space. Put your blinker on, shift to reverse, and back very slowly backwards until you see the stick of the cone in the lower right corner of your rear right passenger window. Once you do, cut the wheels all of the way right and back slowly.
- Begin to turn the other way. Stop backing in turned to the right when the stick of the front cone appears at the halfway point of your passenger front window. Once you see that, cut the wheels left and finish backing into the space.
- Center yourself. Depending on how you ended up in the space, either pull forward or roll slightly backwards. Ideally, you’d like to be parked in the very middle of the space but not being perfectly aligned won’t cost you your license. Park the car.
- Prepare to leave the spot.When you have the ok to leave the spot, put the car in reverse and roll backwards just a couple of inches. This will ensure that you won’t knock over the front cones when you’re leaving the spot. That willcost you your license. Then, put the car in drive, put on your left blinker, and get ready to leave. But wait! The instructor will be watching very carefully for a traffic check, another major source of point loss. Glance quickly in your rearview mirror, side mirror, and over your left shoulder. If you’re good, slowly leave the parking spot and collect your driver’s license!
And remember-it’s not a race. Don’t attempt to parallel park in one smooth movement. Do every step smoothly and slowly, look around and think about your actions, and remember…breathe.
