I used to be amazing at parallel parking. What went wrong?

2 hours ago 1

Katrina Strickland

Each week, Good Weekend’s how-to column shares expert advice on how to navigate some of modern life’s big – and small – challenges. This week: How to parallel park.

Photo: Illustration by Simon Letch

You know those TV shows where they ask contestants to name their hidden skill? I always thought if I was on one I’d say I’m an excellent parallel parker. Or at least I did, until my knack for backing a car into a tight space started eluding me.

“This is proof of the adage, ‘Use it or lose it,’ ” says Julia Sheppard, an instructor of 36 years standing with Victoria’s RACV Drive School. “The more you do it, the better you’ll be.”

I’ve been driving less lately, ergo my parking prowess has declined. Clearly I need to get back in the saddle – in this case, the driver’s seat – more regularly.

Spatial awareness is important, so those adept at ball sports, bike-riding, driving a tractor – anything that requires you to be good at not hitting things in your vicinity – will already be honing some of the skills required.

Safety should always come first, says Sheppard, and some basics bear repeating. Put your indicator on early enough for the car behind you not to be right up your rear end. The last thing you want is an aggro driver behind you who can’t get around you because they’re too close; that rarely ends well. Check your blind spots with a look over both shoulders and in all three mirrors. “Don’t rely on a reversing camera, if you have one,” warns Sheppard.

Actually look for cyclists and pedestrians – people have an annoying habit of walking behind stationary cars – and make sure there’s no one in the parked car beside you who could open their door and whack you. Now you’re at the crucial point: preparing to reverse.

“Drivers can get confused with which way to turn the steering wheel when reversing,” says Sheppard. “A simple way to think of it is, when you’re in reverse, steer the wheel in the same direction you’d like the rear of the car to move.”

Assuming you’re parallel parking to the left, begin to move slowly backwards. As you do, “turn the steering-wheel quickly all the way to the left”. When the car is at a 45-degree angle, or facing 2 o’clock, quickly turn the wheel one-and-a-half turns back towards the right. With the inside back wheel now relatively close to the curb, “quickly turn the steering wheel all the way to the right” to straighten up. Move forward a fraction, leaving at least a metre between you and the cars that are in front and behind you.

Get out, inspect your curb-to-car ratio, then high-five yourself for your technical prowess. You’re back, baby, you’re back!

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