Parking, especially parallel parking, is one of the most difficult skills that every new driver must learn and master. Although it may take a while before newbies in driving become really good at parking their cars, it takes a whole lot of courage to be able to do it right.
Parallel parking is one of the most difficult types of parking techniques that one has to learn. Not only does it save a lot of space to make more parking areas available for others, but it is mostly the convenience that it provides whenever you need to go down and park on a busy street.
How do you do parallel parking safely? Here are some tips to help the newbie driver in you:
- Never pull forward into the space. Although this may seem like the most convenient to do, it does put the rear end of your car at risk of being bumped by approaching vehicles. Doing so will endanger your life and the life of the other drivers.
- Practice makes it perfect. The goal is to master the art of parallel parking with little to no accidents. If you want to be really good at it, you have to practice and practice until you get it right. Though it may be intimidating to some drivers, there is no driving skill that you can’t learn through constant practice.
- Stay calm and park on. It doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. Take the time to learn parallel parking. There is no need to feel embarrassed or flustered if you don’t get it right the first time. Stay calm and simply start over if there is a need to.
- Be very careful when exiting the car, because you are at risk of being exposed to immediate traffic. Look at both directions before you decide to step out of the car. The goal is for your actions not to interfere with the flow of traffic. Watch out for passing vehicles, bikers or even pedestrians passing by.
- Get professional help if there is a need for it. Don’t feel embarrassed because it is totally normal to ask for help. Parallel parking, after all, requires utmost precision because you are entering a very limited space. Use your turn signals if necessary to tell other drivers that you are trying to maneuver your car in and out of the parking space. This will ensure that other drivers would be able to consider your blind spot.