Parallel parking is the worst thing that will happen in many people’s lives. When you need a parking spot in a city, you need to know how to park in parallel.

One of the easiest ways to learn how to parallel park is before you go park in the real world, go practice with cones. It’s much easier to crash into a cone than it is a person. Also, parallel park slowly. Your foot should always be closer to the brake and not the gas. Check your mirrors frequently – it’s effortless to damage something while you’re parallel parking.

Here’s how to parallel park using the mirror trick, or the S method1, with step-by-step instructions.

  1. Make sure the space is twice as big as your car. If it’s not, then don’t park in it.
  2. Align your side mirror with the mirror of the car you want to park behind, then brake2.
  3. Turn on your signal to let others know you’re about to park.
  4. Turn your steering wheel one full turn to the right.
  5. Put your car in reverse.
  6. Slowly let your foot off the brake.
  7. Back up slowly into the spot behind the car until you are at a 45 degree angle, then brake.
  8. Turn your steering wheel completely to the left.
  9. Back up slowly into the spot.
  10. Adjust until your car is parallel with the curb.

Congratulations! You just learned how to parallel park using the mirror trick. Now you can sleep forever.

How to Exit a Parallel Parking Space Step-By-Step

  1. Back up as far as you can without crashing.
  2. Turn the wheels to the left.
  3. Put your car in drive.
  4. Turn on the signal.
  5. Move forward, ensuring that your fender has cleared the car in front of you.
  6. When you are halfway out of the spot, turn the wheel to the right and enter traffic.

Footnote:

1. You can also align the back bumper of your car with the bumper of the car you want to park behind. This is harder than aligning mirrors, but works just as well and works for smaller cars.

2. The S method – the path you will take in your car resembles an S.

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Author: Daun Thompson

Daun Thompson has spent years acting in both film and theatre which has been paramount in launching her onto the comedy stage (incidentally, without a helmet, resulting in a nasty concussion). Being a funny girl is a full time job. A job that she hopes that one day will come with dental benefits and a 401K. Unlike her work, she is biodegradable, yet flame retardant. And gentle to the touch. Her goal in life??? For strangers to approach her and ask "Didn't you used to be somebody?" In the late 1980's she cut her teeth at the Velveeta Room on 6th Street in Austin, Texas ... the original room with the stripper pole. From there, she moved to northern California and worked with many comedy icons, like Mitch Hedberg, Marc Maron, Colin Quinn, Vic Dunlop, Huck Flyn, Michael Mancini, Doug Ferrari, Shang and Brian Posehn. Daun has been a licensed driver safety instructor and trainer with Comedy Defensive Driving for over 9 years. Her knowledge of driving safety laws keeps her readers informed and engaged with her blog adventures. She still continues to do stand-up comedy, sometimes in a reclining position...just to be different.