Do you ever get nervous when driving around the streets looking for a parking spot, knowing that you’ll have to parallel park your car once you find one? While parallel parking comes easy for most car owners and drivers, for others, it’s a source of anxiety—palms get all sweaty, the panic sets in and you wonder if you’ll be able to pull off the maneuver while other cars impatiently wait behind you.
There’s something about a well-done parallel parking that excites car enthusiasts. Proper parallel parking is an easy way to spot a professional and experienced driver. However, the number of people who can accurately parallel park is dwindling in Nigeria as more people choose to learn how to drive through friends and family members instead of going through the grueling process of driving at schools.
Well, you can easily fish those who fall within this category through their parallel parking techniques. Once it’s time to parallel Parke, their anxiety grows and you can see them struggling behind the steering wheels.
The panic over parallel parking the right way is called “performance anxiety,” and to avoid having performance anxiety next time you have to parallel park your car, here is how to master it like a pro in four simple steps.
How to Start Parallel Parking Like a Professional Driver
While parallel parking can produce a lot of anxiety for most drivers, it’s just a matter of doing it right – and not necessarily the first time. Here are the four simple and detailed steps to help you parallel park like a pro:
- Step 1
Find a parking spot. hen looking for a parking spot to stick your car into, it pays to be picky. You shouldn’t park in the first spot that you see, instead, look for one that is roughly 1.5 times the length of your car.
When approaching the spot, pull up next to the car that you’re going to park behind while keeping two to three feet away from it. Also, turn on your right (or left) turn signal to alert any other approaching cars of your intention.
- Step 2
Put the car in reverse. Now that you have found a spot and are ready to park your car, put the car in reverse and back up slowly until the middle of your car lines up with the other car’s rear bumper. If another car approaches, keep still, as your turn signal should give them the hint that you’re parking in that spot.
- Step 3
When the passenger-side mirror lines up with the middle of the rear bumper of the car in front of you, cut the steering wheel to the left and continue reversing.
- Step 4
Straighten the car out. After reversing into the spot, straighten the car out by moving forward making sure that the cars in front and back of you have enough room to get out their spots.
That’s it! Parallel parking isn’t that hard once you get used to it. However, it does take some practice, so don’t worry if you don’t get it perfectly on your first try. Consistent practice will help you get to the pro level.
Have Someone Watch & Direct You While Parallel Parking
If you’re still nervous about parallel parking, then you can always have someone help you out while you practice. Let the person stand outside the car and guide you into the parking space so that you can understand the dimensions of your car and judge the distances better. Also, if your car is equipped with a rearview or 360-degree camera, then be sure to use those to your advantage as well.
Conclusion
Don’t solely rely on the cameras as you should always check your surroundings yourself while parallel parking. However, parallel parking isn’t that hard once you break it down into these four simple steps.
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