Reverse Parallel Parking: How to fix being too close

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.

 Being too close to the kerb is the most common, and feared, mistake students can make while reverse parallel parking. I've had parents/guardians refuse to teach their kid reverse parking because they don't want to hit the kerb. 

 However, you should be able to prevent hitting the kerb by glancing at the passenger wing-mirror as you reverse. If you do hit the kerb, this is fine as it shouldn't damage the car and on the test just loses one point each time.
The issue is most students who hit the kerb then panic, and go forward and back, repeatedly hitting the kerb and going over the six maneuver limit. Follow this guide if you hit the kerb (or go close to it) and you will fix it up nicely.

How to recognise it


This is very easy to recognise. When the car is either about to hit the kerb, or has hit the kerb, then it's too close. 

Step 1: Swinging Out 

The first step is to swing out towards traffic and away from the kerb. Stop when the front passenger pillar is roughly past the rear driver-side corner of the other car.

 This will give the car a nice soft angle, resulting in a more shallow turn later.

 As always, remember to check the right blind spot BEFORE you swing out towards traffic.

Step 2: Going Forward

This is the most important and tricky step, yet the simplest. Just drive forward in a stright line towards the traffic, away from the kerb. Stop when the back tyre has some room between it and the kerb.

 The tricky part is working out how much room is needed, which varies depending on how close the car was to the kerb to start and the angle of the car now. If you don't go far enough you will be too close to the kerb later, if you go too far then you won't be close enough to the kerb later.

 When too close many go forward correctly, but they then reverse back to where they were, hitting the kerb again. This step is designed to prevent this problem. So it doesn't need to be perfect, as long as it's good enough.

Step 3: Swinging In

The final step is to reverse into the space, if everything went well the car should end nicely into the spot. It might not be perfect, but it should be better than how it started.

What Causes This & How to Prevent It

The causes of parking too close can vary, but generally it is because:
  • Reversing too far: This is the most common cause of being too close. Some students on stage three of my guide for parking will reverse too far and bring the car into the gutter (or even hit the kerb). 
  • Swinging in too late: This is a simple mistake, students will swing in for the kerb too too late, bringing the car against the kerb.
  • 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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