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We are quickly becoming a nation of drivers who would rather drive around for 5 minutes looking for a pull-in space, than chance parking on the street between two parallel facing vehicles. In the future, this may all be done for us via assisted parking, but until such a day, it is good practice to be able to park your vehicle in any situation.
There are lots of little things we can do to save the planet, and parallel parking can be a small emissions reducing tactic when dealing with busy city streets with few parking lots to choose from. Yeah, we know that you should be using public transportation while in the city, but there always seems to be occasions when we have no other choice. This is our Parallel Parking 101 for those very moments.
How to Parallel Park:
- Seek out a convenient space you can safely fit your car into. This range can differ quite a bit depending on what you are driving. For example, a Smart Car could practically parallel park between the tires of an H1 Hummer.
- When you find that spot, Turn your directional signal on, indicating that you are going to be turning into that space. Check your mirrors for approaching vehicles, then line your own vehicle's back bumper with the vehicle's bumper directly in front of the space you are planning to park between. A good rule of thumb is to allow at least two to three feet of room between your passenger door and the other vehicle's driver's door.
- Once in position, put your vehicle in reverse, check the mirrors once more to make sure you are clear to back up. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right as far as it will go, and gently begin to back into the space. Once your vehicle is situated at a 45 degree angle from the curb, you can straighten the wheels and continue backing for a few more inches.
- Keep an eye on both the curb and the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of you, as you do not want to run into either of them. If your rear tire does hit the curb, you'll know you've gone too far. Just pull forward several inches and continue to step 5. If you hit the vehicle in front, get your insurance card ready and consider finding a pull-in space instead!
- Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left once the rear of your vehicle is within several inches of the curb. At this point your goal is to begin to straighten your vehicle into the space.
- Once you sense the front bumper of the rear vehicle getting close, take the vehicle out of reverse, straighten the front wheels and pull forward several inches so that both vehicles in front and back of you will have plenty of room to exit once they return.
- Get out and survey your parking job. If the vehicle is either sticking out too far into the road or too close to one of the vehicles, simply get back in and make the necessary adjustments.
Congratulations! You are one of the few people who is willing to take the plunge into a parallel parking space. This forgotten art will indeed come in handy one day when you are searching for a spot on a crowded street. The popular catch phrase, which urges us to reduce our excess idling should also take into consideration the time it takes you to find a parking space and pull into it!
Every small effort on your behalf counts in large ways folks...
More on greening your drive:
Get Better Gas Mileage When You Drive
Top Green Gas Tips
Top Green Commuting Tips
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