The aim of this lesson is for you to safely park and reverse out of an angle parking space. You’ll need to find a road with marked angle parks. It can help to read our guide on parking first.
Driver actions
To park:
- Find an appropriate parking space and position your car before it. When you are practicing it’s a good idea to choose one where the vehicles on either side are parked considerately, i.e. not over the line
- Scan for hazards, including in your blind spot (for example, for cyclists coming up the inside, or pedestrians walking in your desired parking space)
- Indicate for at least three seconds before turning
- When it’s safe to go move forward slowly and then turn into the parking space
- Position your car in the centre of the parking space
- Move to the front of the parking space and stop. Be careful here for tall kerbs that might damage your front bumper.
To reverse out of the park:
- Check all your mirrors and blind spots for traffic and pedestrians in all directions. If your car has a system such as Rear Cross Traffic Alert, this will warn you if it detects approaching vehicles that you might not be able to see. If your car has a reversing camera, use it as a backup, not as the sole means of visibility while reversing out.
- Put the car in reverse and find the clutch bite point (manual), or be ready to accelerate gently (automatic)
- Release the handbrake/park brake
- Gently and smoothly reverse your car, keeping the speed slow. Turn your wheels to the left to bring the front of the car around, taking care not to hit the car next to you.
- Stop and check all mirrors and blind spots for hazards.
- Select a forward gear and drive smoothly away if it’s safe to do so.
Perform the tasks at least three times.
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