5d – Parking and Backing up
PARKING AND BACKING-UP
Parallel Parking
Parallel parking requires a lot of practice and patience. When beginning, find areas where parking spaces are wide. Use smaller spaces as your teen’s skills improve.
- Slow down well in advance and signal (100 feet ahead).
- Stop parallel to the vehicle you are going to park behind with the rear bumpers in line, and two feet between vehicles.
- Shift to reverse, check traffic, and look to the rear in the direction the vehicle will be moving.
- Back up very slowly, turning the steering wheel in the direction you want to go. Continue to back up until your shoulder is in line with the rear bumper of the vehicle you are parking behind.
- Back slowly while turning the steering wheel back to center steer. Continue to back up until the corner of the front bumper is in line with the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead of you.
- Look to the rear and back up slowly, and turn the steering wheel rapidly as appropriate. Stop before touching the bumper of the vehicle to the rear.
- Shift to drive, adjust the vehicle in the parking space, shift to park, and secure the vehicle.
TIPS:
- Be careful not to cut it too soon or too quickly, as this will result in being too far away from the curb. It is much harder to adjust your position in a space when you are too far away from the curb as opposed to being too close.
- If you are parking in an area with shops, take advantage of the eventual reflection of your car in the shop windows. This is particularly useful to check if your vehicle will fit into the available space or how far you are from parked vehicles.
- When backing up and lining up the cars, look in the driver’s side mirror, and use the sides of the cars to know exactly how far your car has gone in towards the curb (i.e. how closely you’ve aligned them). That view of the sides of the cars (your car and the one behind you) offers a good easy view and check to know that you’ve positioned the car correctly. In particular, the side of your car above the rear wheels offers the best, most accurate view of where exactly your car is.
Angle Parking (Fishbone)
At first, practice parking in empty lots. Park next to other vehicles only as the new driver’s skills improve. Identify an open space in which the new driver should park.
- Position the vehicle well away from this space,
- Signal intention,
- Move forward slowly until the front of the vehicle reaches the near side of the parking space, and then turn left or right as appropriate, looking up the middle of the space,
- Center vehicle in the parking space,
- Move to the front of the parking space, stop, and secure the vehicle.
Parallel Parking
Identify the space in which the new driver should park,
- Position the vehicle well away from this space,
- Signal intention,
- Move forward slowly until the outside mirror is even with the first line of the space, then turn left or right as appropriate, looking up the middle of the space to center the vehicle,
- Move to the front of the parking space, stop, and secure the vehicle.
Perpendicular Parking
If you are the first one there make sure you park according to markings and signs.
Make sure to park within your space and make sure to have enough space to open your door
Be considerate to others, and make sure you do not block them in any way.
Parking on a Hill
When parking on a hill, turn your front tires so that if your vehicle should start to roll, it will move away from traffic or into the curb.
When your vehicle is headed downhill, turn your front tires toward or into the curb or road shoulder.
When headed uphill and there is a curb, turn your front tires away from the curb. When headed uphill and there is no curb, turn your front tires toward the road shoulder.
Always set your parking brake.
Highways and Freeways
This skill should not be practiced in high-traffic areas. Do not stop on a freeway except in an emergency.
- Leave enough space for other vehicles to pass safely,
- Park with all four wheels well off the pavement, if possible,
- The vehicle should be visible from 200 feet in either direction if possible,
- Use your parking lights or 4-way flashers if visibility is poor, or if it is between sunset and sunrise,
- When you have to use emergency parking areas, always use your 4-way flashers or parking lights.
Parking in a School Zone or Other Sensitive Areas
Be courteous to your neighbors when you are dropping off or picking up your children.
You may not park your car in any of the following places:
No Parking Zone
- On a zone protected by a No-Parking road sign,
- In an intersection,
- At a bus stop.
- Wherever parking is prohibited by signs or curb markings (see Lesson #4 – Signs and Markings),
- Within a bicycle lane (unless your vehicle is disabled).
- On a sidewalk,
- In front of a public or private driveway,
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant in a place where parallel parking is permitted or 20 feet of a fire hydrant if angle parking is permitted,
- On a crosswalk or within 20 feet of a crosswalk,
- Within 30 feet of a traffic control signal at the side of a highway,
- Within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad,
- Within 20 feet of a driveway entrance to any fire station and, on the side of a highway opposite the entrance to any fire station, within 75 feet of that entrance,
- Next to or opposite any highway construction zone,
- Next to any vehicle already parked on the side of the highway (double parking),
- On any bridge or other elevated structure or within a highway tunnel,
DO NOT PARK In a space reserved for the handicapped unless you have the special license plate or window placard that entitles you to use the space,
This symbol that appears on reserved parking signs, placards, and license plates is the international symbol of access for persons with disabilities. Parking spaces marked with this symbol may only be used when the person to whom the valid disabled placard or license plate was issued is either operating or being transported in the vehicle. It is illegal for anyone else to park in spaces marked by this symbol. The minimum fine for doing so is $250.
End of Topic 5 d: “Parking and Backing up”
Next Topic: 5 e:”Intersections & Yielding”