Reverse Parallel Parking | 2021 UK Driving Test Manoeuvres

[Music] traverse parallel parking is a really useful skill for any driver as it will often be needed in urban areas in addition the UK driving test includes the option of the reverse parallel parking maneuver so it's worth taking the time to perfect our technique in this video we'll show an overview of the maneuver from outside the car a more detailed view from inside the car and a few extra tips to help while you're learning if you have any questions about the video then please leave a comment and we will do our best to reply if the examiner wants you to do this maneuver they will ask you to pull over a few car lengths behind a parked car they will then say this is the reverse parking exercise would you drive forward and stop alongside the car ahead then reverse in and pop reasonably close to and parallel with the kerb try to complete the exercise within about two car lengths when we are attempting to parallel park we may become a hazard to other drivers or pedestrians so we must observe all around the car before starting and throughout the maneuver if we spot any danger we should wait until we are sure it's safe to continue there are several different techniques for this maneuver but the one we like the best we call the one-to-one method first we drive slowly forward and stop slightly ahead of the other car with a doors width gap we select reverse gear look around and slowly reverse once the car is level with the other car we stand one full turn to the left and check for danger again when our car is about 45 degrees to the curb we steer to full turns to the right we then use the left door mirror to check our position and once the car is parallel to the curb we steer one full turn left to straighten the steering so as you can see we call this the one-to-one method as it refers to the amount of steering required one turn left two turns right and then one turn left to finish the manoeuvre knowing exactly when to steer to the right is key to a good parallel park as the timing of this turn will dictate how close we finish to the curb an experienced driver will be able to guess when to steer but whilst learning a reliable reference point is good to use the reference point we use is to look in the left door mirror for when the curb disappears and then quickly steer to the right different cars and seating positions may need slightly different turn points so if needed experiment until you find your favorite time to steer it is rare for a parallel park to finish absolutely perfectly as there are several variables that can affect the finishing position we often find that we will need to adjust the steering angle slightly to ensure the car finishes reasonably close to the curb we suggest stopping the car just after steering right to give more time to check how the car is positioned then we can adjust the steering and continue to finish the maneuver if we can't get the car straight after the initial reverse we can tidy up our position by moving forward and backwards within our two car lengths gap behind the other car if we realize that we have got the car into a position that we won't be able to correct we can just restart the maneuver just drive forward to the start position and try the parallel park again if we abandon the maneuver we won't pass the driving test but if we park correctly on the second try we will still have a chance of passing when parking between two cars in real life the first thing to do is choose a suitable space we look for a space that is at least one and a half times the length of our car as we need a safe margin to maneuver into we must ensure that we don't damage the other cars so we drive really slowly and if needed we can ask a passenger to guide us in in really tight spots steering the car while stationary can help this is much easier in modern cars that have power steering fitted so remember stop beside the other car and check for danger steer one turn left when level with the other car steer two turns right when our car is 45 degrees from the curve and steer one turn left once our car is straight if you found this video interesting then please click our logo to subscribe to our channel as it really helps other people find our videos if you would like to help support this channel then please click the patreon link to find out about our crowdfunding campaign thanks for watching [Music]