Driving lesson Parallel Parking Exercise

One of the four maneuvers that your driving instructor will teach you in preparation for the DSA UK driving test is the parallel parking or reverse parking exercise.

Now there are many ways of teaching this skill, so dont be alarmed if your ADI has taught you a different method.

Before I go into the reference points for this test manuever, let me remind you of some very important things first.

1. POM Routine. You must use POM always during all your driving test exercises, as many candidates tend to fail on maneuvers for lack of effective observations after finding the biting point and moving off.



2. Keep your car very slow. You do not impress the DSA examiner by completing the parallel parking exercise or any maneuver for that matter very quickly. Safety should be your priority, and driving fast could easily lead to loss of control of the car, evidenced by hitting or mounting the kerb, being wide or inability to carry out the exercise (parking outside the bays for example).

To begin this parallel parking maneuver, you will usually be asked to perform a normal stop behind your target vehicle, making sure you leave yourself enough room to move off.

Once you have been advised of what exercise you will be carrying out, get the car prepared to move off (select first gear and get biting point in a manual vehicle or drive if taking the test in an automatic car), take effective all round observations (I advice a 6 point check) and if it is safe move off and pull up parallel to the target vehicle leaving about a 2 feet gap. Allow the front of your car to slightly go past the front of the target vehicle and straighten your wheels as you stop.

Now select reverse gear, get the biting point (unless reversing downhill), take effective all round oberservations (making sure cars are not about to pull out of driveways) and if safe reverse straight backwards until the back of your vehicle goes past your target vehicle.

Stop to make it is safe before you steer, as your car will swing out to the right when you do.
When you are ready and it is safe, steer to the left (which is the direction you want the back of the vehicle to go) by one complete revolution of the steering wheel (360 degrees), your hands must move very quickly while keeping the car very slow.

The car now starts to move closer to the kerb and you want to stop when your vehicle is at an angle of 45 degrees to the pavement, the easiest way to know this is your passenger (nearside) mirror will be covering right back light cluster of your target car.

At this point stop, look all around again, if safe steer all the way to the right (full lock) as you continue to reverse backwards, your car will now start to move parallel to the kerb. Stop when your car is completely parallel (the front of the car will be the last part to do this), at this point you should steer one and a half revolutions to the left to get your wheels straight.

The video below should make it all clear.



More DSA driving test tips
How many driving lessons before I learn manuevers?
bay parking video with refrence points.
Multiple lane roundabouts on dual carriageways.
Driving theory test changes 2011.

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