Many of us have been there before: you’re driving along, looking for a parking spot, and you see the perfect place on the side of the road. Perfect, except for the fact that it means you’d have to parallel park, and you never learned how. We at your local Mazda dealer are here to provide some key bits of advice on parallel parking that are sure to make you a more confident, comfortable parker in no time! Read on for our best tips on parking like a pro.
1. Find a Spot That’s the Right Size for Your Car
While it might go without saying that the spot you’re parking in needs to be big enough for your car, it’s important to note that you should make sure you’re parking somewhere that feels big enough to comfortably get into. Some drivers may start with larger spots, until they get comfortable with parking, then go for smaller ones. Make sure the spot you’re parking in works for you.
2. Set Yourself Up for a Comfortable Parking Experience
By “comfortable”, we mean that you’ve got room on the street and no one is too close behind you while you’re attempting to park. Signaling and coming to a stop to indicate that you want to parallel park can let drivers behind you know what you’re doing, and checking your rear view mirror can confirm that you’ve got space.
3. Get Close to the Vehicle You Are Parking Behind
Now that you’re ready to start parking, pull up alongside the car that is in front of the place you’re going to park in. Try to get as close and parallel to them as possible to set yourself up for an easy park. Lining up the back of your car with the back of the car behind you is a good rule of thumb for setting yourself up for success in the next steps to come.
4. Turn Your Steering Wheel Completely to the Right Before You Start Reversing
Start by turning your wheel all the way to the right without moving. Once your wheel is turned all the way to the right, you can begin to reverse into the spot.There are lots of guides on the steps to properly reversing your vehicle at this stage in the process, but one thing many drivers forget to do is to start with a fully right-turned wheel.
5. Make Lots of Use of Your Mirrors
Parking parallel makes a lot of drivers nervous that they will hit one of the cars near them, but this isn’t really a risk as long as you’re careful about checking the mirrors and keeping an eye on what’s happening around your vehicle as you’re reversing. Make sure to use your rear view mirror and door mirrors, and to check over your shoulder, when reversing.
6. Practice!
The most important tip you can get for parking parallel on the street is to practice! Grab a friend, head to a quiet part of town, and try it out until you feel confident doing it on your own.
With a little practice and a few good tips, parking parallel on the street can be a cinch, no matter what vehicle you’re parking! If you’re looking for a new set of wheels to practice parking with, come on down and visit us at Flood Mazda today and check out our selection of new and used vehicles.
Image by Hong Dang from Pixabay
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