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Driving lessons - struggling to learn the parking

mickey

Hello

I have been diagnosed with Asperger's and I am learning to drive. I have had over 100 hours worth of driving tuition with an instructor but I'm still struggling with the manouvres, particularly the parallel parking and reversing around a corner. I can reverse in a straight line but when it comes to reversing into a gap or reversing around a corner, I tend to get confused about 

1. when to steer

2. which way to steer

3. how much to steer

I can do it when being prompted but as soon as the instructor leaves me to do it independently, I feel unsure.

If I practice parking into a particular gap 4 times under instruction, I might be able to do it by myself the 5th time, but as soon as we move to a different type of road, I suddenly can't do it independently. For example, I might be able to do it on a flat and very wide road, but when I try to do it on a narrow road which is on a hill, everything seems different. Or when I return to the same road a few weeks later and the weather conditions are different, it's like I've never done it before.

I wondered if anybody on this forum has any tips for me that might help me learn? I think one of the problems I have with the parallel parking is that I find it hard to judge the angle between the car and the kerb. It's supposed to be between 35 and 45 degrees when you need to straighten the wheels out, and if I straighten the wheels out when it's 50 degrees, this will affect how much steering I will need to do, but I can't remember how I'm supposed to compensate the 'incorrect' angle (am I supposed to steer at a different point compared to when it's 35, and do I steer more than usual or less than usual)?). The best thing would be if I could always straighten the wheels out at the same point, but how can I tell if it is the right moment to straighten the wheels out?

  • I took my test a long time ago, I can't remember in all honesty.  They might do it differently now to how it was when I took my test.

  • Hi. Did you manage to use the method described on the infographic on your practical test? The thing with the practical test is that there won't be a car behind the space you want to reverse into. The examinor will choose a gap that would be big enough to drive forward into and ask us to reverse park into that gap.

  • IntenseWorld said:

    I mean of the car's body and in relation to each other.  Ignore the kerb and everything else.

    If there is no car behind then you would have to use whatever else is there as a guide and if that is nothing, then you shouldn't have a problem.

    Sorry but I still don't understand what you mean by "inside" and "outside" when you say "when your outside rear corner is perfectly lined up with the inside front corner of the car behind the space". Inside/outside what? Which of the two rear corners on my car should be lined up with which corner of the other car/skip that is behind me? It would be easier to understand if you said 'the rear corner on your car that is nearest to the kerb needs to be lined up with the front corner of the car behind which is also nearest to the kerb' - is that what you meant?

    "If there is no car behind then you would have to use whatever else is there as a guide and if that is nothing, then you shouldn't have a problem." But, if you use something as a guide and that guide is removed, then how would you not have a problem? Not sure I'm following you here. How can you use the car behind you as a guide when that isn't going to be the case on the driving test? On the practical test, they are supposed to choose a much larger gap where there isn't a car immediately behind the space you want to park into.

    If you ignored "the kerb and everything else", you would most certainly fail the test because you're supposed to be checking all around for pedestrians, cyclists and traffic.

  • I mean of the car's body and in relation to each other.  Ignore the kerb and everything else.

    If there is no car behind then you would have to use whatever else is there as a guide and if that is nothing, then you shouldn't have a problem.

  • IntenseWorld said:

    I can give you a secret tip for parking (reversing into a parking space).

    When you are parallel to the car in front of the space, start turning the wheel as you reverse in slowly (you'll soon know if it's the wrong direction!) and when your outside rear corner is perfectly lined up with the inside front corner of the car behind the space, you can slowly start straightening up as you roll into the space.

    I can't park on my right side for some reason, it always goes wrong.

    Concentrate on the car behind the empty space, not the road or the pavement or anything else.  You will get a feel for how much to steer when you see you have gone in at the wrong angle, and you can pull back out and try again.

    I've seen quite a few people mess up parking, especially when they see someone behind waiting to drive through they get stressed and drive off in the end as they are embarrassed at holding everyone up.  Don't feel so anxious if you can because that will always impact what you are doing as you sort of go into a blind panic and can't concentrate once you are stressed.

    Hi

    Thanks. When you say "inside" and "outside" corner, what does that mean? Do you mean the corners that are nearest to the kerb and farthest from the kerb, but which is which? I find driving instructors use a lot of vague terminology that I'm not sure what it really means.

    When you say "Concentrate on the car behind the empty space", what would you do if there wasn't a car behind you, or that car is really far away?

  • I can give you a secret tip for parking (reversing into a parking space).

    When you are parallel to the car in front of the space, start turning the wheel as you reverse in slowly (you'll soon know if it's the wrong direction!) and when your outside rear corner is perfectly lined up with the inside front corner of the car behind the space, you can slowly start straightening up as you roll into the space.

    I can't park on my right side for some reason, it always goes wrong.

    Concentrate on the car behind the empty space, not the road or the pavement or anything else.  You will get a feel for how much to steer when you see you have gone in at the wrong angle, and you can pull back out and try again.

    I've seen quite a few people mess up parking, especially when they see someone behind waiting to drive through they get stressed and drive off in the end as they are embarrassed at holding everyone up.  Don't feel so anxious if you can because that will always impact what you are doing as you sort of go into a blind panic and can't concentrate once you are stressed.