Knowing how to safely park in a parking stall between two other vehicles is a must-have skill,
especially if you're about to take your driving test. so let's look at an easy way to learn how to
do this. we're going to practice first in an empty parking lot, and i've marked our spot up ahead on
the left. now when you're driving down a parking lane and you see an open spot up ahead that you
want to park in, get over to the far side of the parking lane away from your spot. in this case,
the right side. then put on your turn signal. and why should you approach your spot from this
side of the lane instead of from over here? if i approached my spot from the left side of the lane,
then when i got to the actual parking spot and i tried to turn into it, i wouldn't be able to
turn sharp enough to get myself straight in that parking spot, and i'd probably stray into the
parking spot next to mine, hitting the vehicle that's already parked there. that's a fail on a
driving test and in real life! so don't approach on the side closest to your spot; move over and
give yourself more maneuvering room. as you move towards your parking space, you're going to be
looking for a reference point to use that lets you know when to turn your steering wheel to get
you safely into your spot. for this vehicle, my reference point is when i can look to the side and
my body lines up with the middle of the parking spot just before mine. here's my view as i look
left. my body's lined up with that cone that's in the middle of that parking spot that's just before
mine. that's my reference point, and that lets me know that i can start turning my wheel all the way
to the left to get into that parking spot. this reference point works for this car and it could
work for your vehicle too, but if you're driving something that is longer or shorter than this,
or has a different turning radius and can turn sharper or it turns wider, then you might need
to try a different reference point. such as lining up the bottom of your side mirror with the nearest
line of your parking spot, or line up your door lock with the first line of the spot before yours.
if using the middle of the parking spot right before your spot doesn't work good as a reference
point for your vehicle try something else, experiment until you find the reference point
that works for you. with your parking spot on the left, as soon as you reach your reference point,
turn your steering wheel all the way to the left until it locks, and hold it there as you drive
slowly into the parking stall. as you continue to hold the steering wheel all the way to the left,
your vehicle will pull into the parking spot and the front end will start to come around to
where it's beginning to straighten out and line up between the parking lines. as it does that,
gradually turn your steering wheel back to the right until you're centered in the stall,
and then come to a stop when you're fully pulled in. and if you're not sure you're in far enough,
you can use the other vehicles on either side as a guide, and if they are parked properly,
you can align your front bumper with their bumper. let's see it again in one continuous shot. with
our turn signals on, we approach, giving ourselves plenty of distance out from the front of our spot.
get to our reference point and turn the steering wheel fully left. make our turn into the stall.
straighten our vehicle out, and come to a full stop.
once you get this down in practice, you're ready to take it out in the real world and park between
two actual cars. and that gives you a feeling of accomplishment. but now let's see what you need to
do if you're going to park in a spot that's on the right side of your vehicle. first of all, put on
your right turn signal. then since we're driving on the right side of the lane, we need to get over
to the left side in order to get the maneuvering room we need to turn into a space on the right.
because we'll be moving over into the other side of the lane, we'll need to watch out for oncoming
traffic. if nothing is coming, swing over to the left and continue driving toward the spot.
we again need a reference point for when to make our turn. the question is,
will it be a different reference point than what we use when we're parking on the left?
and the answer is, no, at least not for my vehicle. again this is something you may need
to experiment with your vehicle, but with this car, the reference point is still the middle
of the parking spot that's right before mine. in this case, as i come up towards my parking spot,
i look to the right and when i'm centered in the middle of the parking spot before mine,
that's when i start my turn. i look to the right and my right shoulder is in the middle of that
parking spot before mine. so you're parked in your parking space but now you want to leave.
so how do you go about backing out safely when you're parked between two other vehicles,
especially when those vehicles are bigger than yours and they're blocking your view from either
side? i'm parked between two other vehicles, with a car on that side and an suv on this side.
so my vision is blocked on that right side, and i can't see real well on this side either,
so i'm going to have to back out slowly and carefully. and before i back out, i need to check
all around me for pedestrians and other vehicles that might be coming. i check back to my left,
check my side mirrors, check the front, rear view mirror, right side mirror, and back to my right,
and out straight behind me. so be sure everything's very clear before you start
to back out. and if it looks clear then, put on your turn signal. and yes, you should use signals
when you're backing out of your parking spot. it lets others know which way you're going to be
turning. when you're backing out of a parking spot though, it can be a little confusing about which
turn signal you put on and which way you turn your steering wheel to back out. here's how that works:
if you're backing out, and the rear end of your vehicle is going to be turning to your right,
then you put on your right turn signal and you turn your steering wheel to the right.
if you're backing out, and the rear end of your vehicle is going to be going to your left.
then you put on the left turn signal and you turn your steering wheel to the left.
so you've checked to see if the area is clear of moving vehicles and pedestrians, and you've put
the correct signal on, so now put your foot on the brake pedal, and shift into reverse. begin
to back out slowly, leaving your foot on the brake to control your speed. unless you're backing out
at a steep uphill angle, never use the gas pedal when backing. using the brake pedal gives you more
control and is a lot safer. it's important to back up slowly, continuing to check all around you,
because you can't completely see the whole parking lane as you pull out. you can gradually steer in
the direction you want to go, but do so carefully and only turn the wheel slightly so you don't
scrape the vehicles beside you. ease out gradually until you can see it's clear for you to fully
back out. when the front end of your vehicle is past the bumpers of those beside you, turn your
steering wheel all the way in the direction that you want the rear end of your car to go, and then
finish backing. so thanks for watching, and i hope this helps somebody. take care and drive safe.