Reverse Parallel Parking: How to fix being too far away

This is a follow up to my guide on how to reverse parallel park properly (which you can read here). Before you start you should read over that guide.

 There are two main mistakes when parking, ending either too far out or too close. The easiest to fix is too far out, yet this is the one people struggle with the most. So in this post I outline what to do if you're too far out.

How to recognise it

If you have road between the car and the gutter, then it's too far out. For the test (and in general) you need to be within half a meter of the kerb. The gutter is about half a meter wide. So you must be one gutter from the kerb, preferably inside the gutter. 

 Even if you're just on the gutter line itself, as long as there is no road between the car and the gutter.
What NOT to do

The most common mistake

The most common issue people have when too far out is they don't know what to do. The vast majority of people will drive forward towards the kerb and other car, trying to get closer that way. In most cases this will not work, they will get stuck at a funny angle, then go forward and back over and over in a panic.

 I've found most people are scared of reversing, as they simply don't understand what it is, they think of it as 'driving backwards'. Reversing is not the same as driving! Reversing confuses people, they are scared of it and avoid it.

 Reversing is not like driving, you're steering from the front and swinging with the back. Which gives you such accuracy when maneuvering. And you can use the wing mirrors to see exactly where the back tyres are and where they're going.

 This method to fix being too far out takes full advantage of these facts, and is an amazing way to teach this to beginners.

Step 1: Swinging Out 

The first step is to reverse backwards, swinging out towards the traffic. Stop when the back passenger tyre is just inside the gutter. This will be when you finish parking, so make sure the tyre is correct now.

 Remember, blind spot check to the right BEFORE you swing out towards traffic. Just like you would if you were going to drive away.

Step 2: Swinging In

With fixing reversing mistakes many will just go back and forth, but you need to change something on the second move to fix the issue. If you go back and forth to where you were, nothing will be fixed.

 The second move in this guide is the secret move and solves this issue, by reversing again and swinging in. Stop when one of two things happens:

 1. The back tyre is going to hit the kerb. Obviously, do NOT hit the kerb, so stop before you hit it.
2. The front passenger corner gets to the middle of the car in front. The reason for this, you cannot go too far back on the test. You can't simply reverse down the road and straighten up. Plus, you want to know how to reverse in tight spaces as a life skill. This will let you go far enough back, but not too far. 

Step 3: Driving Forward
The final step, move forward towards the kerb into the space. The trick here, do NOT straighten the wheels as you move forward until you're in the space. Don't think of it as driving towards the other car, instead drive diagonally forward towards the kerb. If you straighten the wheels too soon you will bring the car back out a bit again.

That's It!

This is way too far, but even this is fixable with my method.
Image source.
If you followed this and my guide on parking properly (which you can read here) then you will be at six moves total and in the space. So that's it, you're done.

 If you follow this guide and still have issues, then get professional lessons. A couple of lessons from a competent driving instructor and anyone will be able to park on their own. They might not park perfectly, or park well, but with practice it will improve. A driving teacher can explain parking, and customise the lessons for each student to help with their particular needs.

What Causes This & How to Prevent It

The causes of parking too far out can vary, but generally it is because:
  • Swinging in too early: This is the most common cause, the student will swing in towards the kerb too soon. Resulting in being too far from the kerb.
  • Not reversing far enough back: Some students on stage three of my guide for parking will not reverse far enough back. So when they swing in they're too far out.
  • Too far away when starting: This one is rare, but sometimes when pulling up for the first step students will be too far from the other parked car. My method is mostly self-correcting, so this mistake is usually fixed without realising. But rarely it causes the student to also be too far at the end.
  • Focusing on what went wrong: A lot of mistakes with reverse parallel parking are simply because the student focused on what went wrong rather than the next step, or how to fix it. If you focus on the mistake you will repeat the mistake, or make new ones. If a mistake is made think only what the next step will be.

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