Parallel Parking
The object is to park alongside a car and reverse back into a parking
position behind it. When you have finished, there should be no more than
roughly a car length from your bonnet to the back of the car you have reversed
around.
Pull in about a bus length from a suitably positioned vehicle, check all around then pull forwards leaving approx: ⅔ metre clearance from the side of the car, and with your car bonnet slightly forward of the end of the stationary vehicle. As you stop check your mirror, if there’s a car behind you then signal left as you start to stop. When you have made the stop select reverse gear so as to show drivers behind what you intend to do (reversing lights come on at rear of car).
See diagrams below
Check round at point A. Then pull forwards to point B. Check mirror
At point B after selecting reverse gear check around over both shoulders making sure the road is clear before starting to reverse back. Keep the clutch controlled and reverse back at a very slow creep. On the nearside rear window there is a pink dot, you need to reverse back until this dot has just passed the back of the car you are reversing round.
At this point turn the steering wheel 1 complete left turn and at the same time check around over your right shoulder give way to passing vehicles.
Reverse back slowly at a gradual angle towards the kerb. As you near the kerb, keep a careful eye on the nearside mirror where you can see the door handle. At a point where it appears that the door handle touches the kerb keep at a very slow creep and turn the steering 2 turns right within the length of a sheet of A4. At this point look forwards to check that the front nearside of your car doesn’t catch the back corner of the stationary car. Reverse back slowly until your car looks in line with the stationary car then straighten up the steering by turning 1 turn left quickly. You may have to practice this a few times before it works out ok.
Bay Parking
The object is to
reverse back into a parking bay such as you would do at a supermarket etc. You
need to end up with all 4 wheels in the bay. You don’t have to be perfectly
straight and it also doesn’t matter if you are nearer to one line than the
other.
Below is a diagram of the car park in use at Bolton Test Centre, the gap at the top left is where the gate is and the lined area at the bottom right-hand corner is a shrub area. It’s normal to come back off your driving test, the examiner then asks you to stop at the gate then pull into a parking position in the car park and reverse back into one of the bays. Alternatively you may be asked to do this manoeuvre at the beginning of your test.
You can reverse into any bay in any fashion you like, for example you could run forward into bays A then reverse back into bays B or visa versa. ( bay to bay)
You could do a U turn and then reverse back.
Check all round. Then
reverse back slowly
