Thursday, April 25, 2013
Don't go parking up the wrong tree
Road safety charity the IAM is offering weekly motoring tips from Britain's top advanced driver, Peter Rodger. This week he is advising on parking.
- Park on the left-hand side of the road if possible - make it always if it's at night.
- In a car park you should reverse into parking spaces. This will make it safer when you're driving out and more fuel efficient as you'll be manoeuvring with a warm engine. Also, it's easier to steer into a small space backwards rather than forwards - steering effectively with the rear wheels is better for manoeuvring.
- If reversing into a space, try to start by manoeuvring the car so that the space is straight behind you - the less turning you have to do backwards, the easier most people find it to judge.
- Some buildings have signs saying to park nose in, because of where air intakes are for the ventilation and where car exhaust pipes will be when parked backwards - look for the signs so you don't gas the occupants!
- Car sides are often not straight, so watch other things than just the car next to you when lining up in a space.
- A higher seating position inside the car makes it easier to manage knowing where the corners are when in a tight space.
- Use your mirrors as well as looking over your shoulder to check how close to things you are, and how straight your vehicle is. And there's no shame in peering out of an open window to get a better look.
- At the supermarket, try and park away from trolley parks and corners to avoid your car being damaged.
- Think about which bit of the car you need access to when you get back to it - so if you have heavy items to lift into the boot, park so it is easily accessible.
- When reversing in a space, the rear wheels are the point where a car "pivots", so watching where they are relative to the corner of a wall/other car is really useful. Once they are past the corner, the way you steer relative to it to avoid the corner changes.
IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: "Parking is now a staple part of the L-test, and it can be quite surprising to see how often people struggle with it, and see the task as particularly stressful. It's important that you take your time and don't succumb to pressure by other drivers around you when you are parking - it's far better to do it right than to do it quickly. Practice is the real key - if you do it often you should be able to do it well."
DATED: 25.04.13
FEED: HA
