The aim of this lesson is for you to legally and safely reverse parallel park between two stationary vehicles. You\u2019ll need to be driving in a 50kph zone on a road where there\u2019s at least 50m of visibility in both directions and with a suitable place to park between two vehicles.<\/p>\n
Before you attempt this the first time, read our article on parking<\/a> as there\u2019s a video explaining parallel parking. You can also practice this in an empty car park using cones.<\/p>\n Parallel parking is a skill that can take quite a lot of practice, so don\u2019t be disheartened if you are not getting it straight away.<\/p>\n Perform the tasks at least twice.<\/p>\n There are situations in real driving where you might leave an unequal gap, especially if the space is either very big, or fairly tight. This won\u2019t apply on your driving test, though.<\/p>\n If there are no marked parallel parking bays, parking equidistance between two vehicles parked some distance apart does not necessarily make the best use of the space. Park a normal distance from one of the vehicles, then when the other one leaves, perhaps two vehicles can fit in the resultant gap.<\/p>\n If a space is particularly small and tight you can judge whether the vehicle in front or behind you has an easier exit, and then leave them slightly less room. For example, if the vehicle in front of you is the first in the queue of parked vehicles, and therefore can simply drive forward out of the parking space without turning, parking closer to it than the vehicle behind reduces your risk of damage from the vehicle behind if it struggles to get out of the parking space. It also gives you more of a buffer because if the vehicle in front leaves and is replaced by another vehicle, that vehicle might park closer to you, thus reducing the tight space even further.<\/p>\n The risk to you is that the vehicle behind might leave before you and be replaced by another vehicle that closes the gap. Therefore you have to use your judgement.<\/p>\n If the vehicle in front has a towbar, it can be a good idea to leave it slightly more room because it is easier for the driver to misjudge the extra length and for the towbar to hit your car.<\/p>\n Previous (19)<\/a> | Next (21)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The aim of this lesson is for you to legally and safely reverse parallel park between two stationary vehicles. You\u2019ll need to be driving in a 50kph zone on a road where there\u2019s at least 50m of visibility in both…<\/span><\/p>\nDriver actions<\/h2>\n
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Large spaces<\/h3>\n
Small spaces<\/h3>\n
Vehicles with towbars<\/h3>\n