Parallel parking or how to park correctly

Not all drivers know how to park, although everyone has a license. Why is this happening? There are many reasons: the insufficient quality of training in a driving school, and the lack of effort on the part of the student, and the belief that parallel parking is an optional skill that can be easily dispensed with (perhaps this is true in a small city, but in a metropolis, where the number of free parking spaces are limited, being able to park your car in all possible ways is a very useful skill).

Many car enthusiasts believe that anyone who has been driving for more than a couple of months simply has to cope with parking their car, even in a situation where hitting the bumper of a neighboring car seems inevitable.

Parallel parking has recently become a mandatory exercise when passing an exam in a driving school.: not so long ago, when trying to put a car in line with other cars, there were no increased requirements for accuracy. This innovation is dictated by the trends of the time: every day, despite the financial crisis, there are more and more cars, but the free area on the streets of the city is not increasing.

How to learn how to park? This question is asked not only by beginners who have recently taken to the streets of the city without an instructor, but even by experienced drivers.

The ability to feel the dimensions is the basis of competent parking

You can often hear from many drivers, what is the most main while driving - feel the dimensions. Moreover, this skill is important both when parking and when driving in a dense stream of vehicles.

But how to master this skill: it's not about intuition, is it? Feeling the dimensions means with a minimum error to determine the distance to the obstacle in front and behind the car. Don't be ashamed to get out of the car(especially at first, when there is still no confidence in one's own actions) and see how far the neighboring cars are at every stage of the parking lot. With experience, the need to leave the wheel will disappear: parking will be carried out "on the machine." Learn to drive well and you can park quickly and correctly if you practice regularly.

Facilitate the task of parking sensors: if 10 years ago this option was very rare, now many cars are equipped with this element, which greatly simplifies parking, but also increases the cost of the car. It would not be superfluous to install parking sensors on the side of the front bumper, since it can be difficult for novice drivers to understand how far it is to the vehicle ahead. If the decision to install sensors is made, it is better not to save on them: the benefit from buying an outdated or cheap model will be much less than paying for repairs in the event of an accident.

Premium cars are equipped with external cameras that provide all-round visibility. But, even if your car is equipped with the latest technology, eye training will obviously not be superfluous.

What is the best way to park: backwards or forwards?

In most driving schools, parking backwards is presented as an axiom. But why, after all, the car enters the usual turns in front, and the steered wheels are front and not rear? Maybe there is no difference how to park properly?

In fact, reverse parking- not a whim of an auto-instructor, but the best option. Why so?

1. When driving backwards, the car reacts extremely sensitively to a change in the position of the steering wheel: it is not difficult to check this by turning the steering wheel while moving forward and then back. Parking in the back allows you to "squeeze" the car into the space between two other cars much faster.
2. Moving backwards, it becomes possible to make the most of the side mirrors: for example, if you lower them down, the edge of the curb will become visible, which will allow you to get up from it at the minimum possible distance. On wide roads, this is not particularly relevant, but on narrow streets, the correct use of mirrors will avoid scratches left by cars trying to squeeze through.

Steering wheel rotation

For many years, disputes have not subsided, is it possible to turn the steering wheel while standing still? If earlier cars were produced without power steering, and turning the steering wheel during a stop required the application of physical force, now this problem has disappeared, and even a child can turn the steering wheel.

Let's try to figure it out. From the course of physics it is known that the friction force that occurs between the road surface and the tire, provided that the car is not moving, will be much greater than if the vehicle was not standing still. Friction increases the load on the steering rack and drive, which accelerates the wear of parts. The hydraulic booster makes turning the steering wheel simple for the driver, but it is not capable of negating physical laws.

If the car has driven less than 100,000 kilometers, there is nothing to be afraid of: it is unlikely that anything will change from turning the steering wheel while standing still, but if the car is old, then you should be careful. This also applies to expensive cars: repair of steering elements on a number of BMW models will cost a pretty penny.

The output is the following: if the driver is experienced enough to correct the position of the car during parking while driving, it is better to do just that. But if the situation is hopeless, you should not worry about the fact that you had to turn the steering wheel while standing still. By the way, It is not recommended to completely unscrew the steering wheel both while driving and when parking.

Parking scheme

So, there was a need to park the car, and there is a gap on the side of the road between two standing cars. When starting the parking process, you should drive a little further from the vehicle in front, while there is no need to press close to it: a lateral interval of half a meter is considered normal. Of course, you will have to determine the distance “by eye”.

After making sure that there are no obstacles behind, you need to start slowly moving back, at the same time turning the steering wheel to the right. In the right side mirror, the car standing behind should become fully visible, after which the wheels must be aligned and continue to drive back.

We must not forget to control the situation through the windshield: when the bumper of the car is flush with the bumper of the car in front, the steering wheel can be turned in the opposite direction. Next, you need to correct the position of the car, focusing on the edge of the road.

It's simple - it just takes practice.

Non-standard parking methods

The classic method was described above, which is taught in all driving schools. But there are other options:

1. You can start parking in front, if there is enough free space to make a maneuver.
2. It is allowed to start parking by placing the car at a large angle to the curb. In such a situation, you will have to turn the steering wheel less. The movement starts with straight wheels, then the steering wheel is turned to the left. This method is appropriate if the traffic on the road is loose.

"Vehicle valet" - friend or foe?

Both on expensive cars and on cars of the middle price category (for example, Ford Focus), appeared auto parking function. Is it worth paying extra for it?

Despite the advantages of a device that helps a novice driver to master the skill of parking, it has disadvantages:

1. The sensor, focusing on its settings, will not always park in a place that is too narrow, in its opinion, where even a novice driver could park the car.
2. The controller often does not notice the spaces available for parking. In a tense traffic situation, this can be infuriating.
3. "Autoparking" does not always correctly determine the position of the vehicle relative to other cars. For example, if the car in front is almost pressed close to the curb, and the driver of the car behind, deciding to save time, parks the car a meter from the edge of the road, then the device will “think” for a long time on whom to focus on.

Conclusion

It may well be that in 10-20 years, autopiloting cars will be a common feature, like free Wi-Fi in crowded places that seemed like a miracle not so long ago. But until these times have come, it is better to learn how to park correctly once and for all, which will save your nerves, time and money. The ability to park is necessary for every driver moving in a big city.

Video how to park parallel to the curb