Parking your car in the relatively tight spot between two vehicles is easily one of the most intimidating tasks, especially for beginners. 

However, gaining such a skill is always rewarding and can be incredibly beneficial in a wide range of situations!

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If you want to know how to parallel park, you’ve come to the right place! Today, we’ll provide you with a simple guide that walks you through the entire process. Let’s hop in!

A Step By Step Guide on How To Parallel Park

Before you go ahead and start your parking maneuver, make sure that the spot you’re planning to park in is suitable and spacious enough to house your car with a room to spare.

As a rule of thumb, you need to park your car at a spot that is 1.5 times larger, which typically translates to about 6 feet (2 meters) longer than your car.

Always make sure that the spot is also legal with no signs that prohibit parking there. Check the curb and ensure that it’s not too high that it can damage your car if you back into it.

Step 1: Pick a Suitable Spot to Park

Now that you’re sure about the suitability of the spot, it’s time to start your parking maneuver. Check for any cars behind you in the rear-view mirrors before you start slowing down. Make sure to light your hazard lights (indicators) to let other cars know that you’re parking.

Start pulling up parallel to the car right in front of the space suitable for parking, leaving anywhere between 2 to 3 feet between the two cars. 

For tight spots, you might want to get closer to the other car, but you shouldn’t try that on your first few times.

Step 2: Put Your Car in the Right Position

After making sure that no cars are behind you, put your car in reverse and get ready to start backing up slow and steady.

Once your backseat is even with the rear spot of the car right next to you, turn your steering wheel evenly but swiftly towards the right (assuming you’re driving on the right side of the road, of course).

Continue to gradually get the rear of your car into the parking spot until your car is at 45 degrees from the curb.

Step 3: Start Reversing towards the Parking Spot

Once the front seats of your car are on the same level as the same rear spot of the car next to you, steer the wheel back to the left to straighten out your vehicle, then continue backing in towards the parking spot

You should keep going slowly until the back of your car is about 1 foot away from the curb (or exactly on the same level as the car parking behind the empty space).

If you’ve gone far enough that your rear tire touched the curb, simply shift your car to move forward and move slowly without steering left or right, then try again.

Remember to check all mirrors and sides to make sure that you’re not hitting or scraping your or someone else’s vehicles along the way.

Step 4: Continue Backing into the Spot

Once your car is in the right spot, keep your foot on the brake and rotate the steering wheel all the way to the left (towards the road). 

This will allow you to straighten the car back so that it’s parallel to the curb, hence the name of the parking maneuver.

Keep in mind that you’ll be straightening the car while you’re already close to the back vehicle, so make sure that you proceed carefully and slowly.

Step 5: Straighten the Vehicle

Now that the majority of the car is inside the parking spot, you’ll need to keep your feet on the brakes once again and steer the right to the right again (towards the curb). 

As you take your feet off the brakes, shift forward, and proceed slowly, the rest of the car should be inside the parking spot.

If you’re unsatisfied with how the car is angled, or you feel that you’re too far off the curb, you can “wiggle” your way in closer by shifting between moving forward and backward inside carefully. 

If it’s not working for you, you can always go out and restart the process to get better results. Once you’re done, you want to make the distance between both cars at the front and back equal, so you can come out of the parking spot easily when you’re ready to go.

When everything is in place, put your car in parking mode. Before leaving the car, give it a quick check to make sure that it’s not skewed towards the road.

Step 6: Adjust and Realign the Vehicle

Use traffic cones in an empty spot to practice parking safely and improve your speed and angle awareness

There’s no shame in asking for external help either from your passenger or someone else down the road. They can easily guide you and warn you as you get too close to other cars or the curb

Make sure to regularly check the mirrors and adjust them to keep yourself familiar with the car angles and its blind spot.

New technologies help in improving your parallel parking skills. You can install a rearview camera to guide you while parking

Always assess the situation before and during parking. If the parking maneuver feels unsuitable for your car, it would be safer and wiser to look for a more suitable one instead of risking your or other’s cars.

Make sure that you allow enough space for the cars in the front and back to go out of the parking spot easily to avoid scratches or any unprecedented inconveniences.

Important Tips to Help You Improve Your Parallel Parking Skills

With that said, you now know how to parallel park without sticking out of the road or hitting stationary cars. 

Of course, such a driving skill may take some time to master. But with persistent practice, it’ll easily become second nature to you, and your muscle memory will perform it without any problems!

How to Parallel Park in 6 Easy Steps

A Step By Step Guide on How To Parallel Park

Step 1: Pick a Suitable Spot to Park

Step 2: Put Your Car in the Right Position

Step 3: Start Reversing towards the Parking Spot

Step 4: Continue Backing into the Spot

Step 5: Straighten the Vehicle

Step 6: Adjust and Realign the Vehicle

Important Tips to Help You Improve Your Parallel Parking Skills

Conclusion

How to Parallel Park in 6 Easy Steps

A Step By Step Guide on How To Parallel Park

Step 1: Pick a Suitable Spot to Park

Step 2: Put Your Car in the Right Position

Step 3: Start Reversing towards the Parking Spot

Step 4: Continue Backing into the Spot

Step 5: Straighten the Vehicle

Step 6: Adjust and Realign the Vehicle

Important Tips to Help You Improve Your Parallel Parking Skills

Conclusion

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