Hawkwell driving schools: Southend on Sea, Westcliff, Leigh, and surrounding areas.
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The following sections are all
written by Alan:
essentials
new pupil's page
best driving tips
driving test secrets
independent driving
driving on snow and ice
show me tell me
technique
general
control basics
safety drills
using the mirrors
left & right turns
one way streets
junctions
give way priority
giving warnings
zebra crossings
dual carriageways
roundabouts
mini-roundabouts
country lanes
overtaking parked cars
manoeuvres
general
reversing
parallel parking
bay parking
turn in the road
emergency stop
Hawkwell Driving School
Southend
Westcliff
Shoebury
Leigh
© 2011
Parking in a car park bay:
If you take a driving test at a test centre that doesn't have its own car park, the reverse into a bay won't be performed. The reverse into a bay currently isn't done at Clacton, or Brentwood.
The examiner will give you the following instruction as you enter the test centre car park:
Examiner's instruction:
"I now want you reverse park into a car parking bay of your choice. Please treat the manoeuvre as if you are doing it in a busy supermarket car park."
The part about the busy supermarket car park means that your observation must be appropriate to a busy car park full of moving cars and pedestrians - not an empty test centre car park. The manoeuvre will always be done in the test centre car park. If your chosen test centre doesn't have a car park, you won't do this manoeuvre.
How to do it: (Please also see the manoeuvres-general page)
Method #1: In a straight line:
Position your car so that you are facing away from the space, trying to get the space you want directly behind you. Then use the centre point of the rear screen (silver sticker in our car) to line up with the centre of the space, as you look in the interior mirror. Make sure the area is clear, particularly centrally behind, by looking over your left shoulder, check your right hand side too. Then begin to reverse. When you get close to the space - stop & ensure that you have a white line each side in the side mirrors. If so, keep straight and continue reversing. Stop when the car is fully in the space, usually best judged by looking at the line at the front of the parking space next to you.
Method #2: At 45 degrees to the left (photo below):
Drive forwards towards the front of the space you require to reverse into. When your front is level with the space, check your mirrors, and steer away from the space at about 45 degrees. Pull far enough forwards so that you can see the line at the side of the space you want in your left side door mirror. Check over your left shoulder. Check all around. If safe, begin to move back keeping the line you want on your left in view, but close to the side of the car. Ensure that the line is always visible. As the back of your car enters the space, check for a visible line on the right side too. Then straighten the steering to keep parallel to the line, probably only about three quarters of a turn. Move fully back to finish.
Method#3: At 90 degrees to the left (photo below):
Line-up so that you can look along the length of the 3rd line forwards of the space, being at a right angle to it (or kerb in the example below).
Check all around and especially behind over your left shoulder, and your right side for other cars, or pedestrians. As you begin your turn the front will swing out. Commence turning to full lock as soon as you move; use the top-left-side mirror (our car only), or lower your left door mirror, as you curve around towards the space. Make sure that you keep the line on the left side of the parking space, on the left side of your car.
When you are parallel to the lines each side of the space, Stop! Then straighten your wheels (one and a half turns from full-lock to centre). Move back as necessary to get fully into the space to finish. It is better to be tight to the line on the left side when you come in as it is easy to correct by straightening slightly. It is much more difficult if you are tight to or over the line on the other side, because any correction means moving forwards.
All methods:
Remember you can shunt forwards at least twice to correct or re-align if you are unsure. If you do shunt make sure you go far enough forwards to make a difference.
You should be looking over your shoulder – out of the rear window at least half of the time when reversing. Take all round observation at all stop points.
If you reverse into a space on the right side then use the same technique but transpose left with right and vice versa.
To pass your test you can be on the line but not the other side of it, and you may finish at an angle as long as you are within the space.
Note: When you are parallel to the lines each side you will not look completely parallel in the side mirrors. This is because there is a distance perspective effect (like looking down a railway track that looks narrower in the distance). All you need to do to allow for this is to get the angles looking similar each side - your distance from the lines doesn't have to be the same both sides (Photo below):
