Tools for Parents of Beginning Driver Students (Part 6) From Lloyd Hobbs, Vice-president of Program

From Lloyd Hobbs, Vice-president of Programs, SafetyNL

The contents of these articles are suggestions. Do not attempt any maneuver that you or the student driver are uncomfortable attempting.

By now you and your beginning driver should be starting to feel a little more comfortable with you sitting in the passenger seat and them behind the wheel. I know it is not easy to turn over the control of the vehicle to a new driver, but it is a natural part of them growing up and gaining independence. I often say, “The only thing worse than your child growing up is your child not growing up”. I hope this helps put it in perspective for you.

If you have had several sessions in the vehicle, things should be coming together for the new driver. Today we will continue our lessons by looking at parallel parking. Let’s begin by setting up a parking spot that is 24 feet long and 6.5 feet wide. Try to set it up so that you have a curb on the right side of the space. Again, upright poles will be good markers for outlining the boundaries of the parking spot.

With the parking space on your right, have the driver bring the vehicle up to the space staying three or four feet outside the poles and drive forward until the back bumper of your vehicle is in line with the front poles. Beginners often feel they are closer to an object than they really are, so initially you may have to coax them closer to the poles. Stop and assess what is around the vehicle. Then put the vehicle in reverse, turn the steering wheel hard clockwise and slowly reverse the vehicle until the vehicle is backing on a 45-degree angle into the spot. (Some students have trouble imagining a 45-degree angle but will remember a 90-degree angle from angle parking. Simply describe a 45-degree angle as half a 90- degree angle. This often works.) Stop and have the driver look out the rear window. They should see the rear pole closest to the curb in the passenger side rear corner of the back window. Straighten the wheels and slowly move straight back towards that pole until the rear of the vehicle is within a few feet of the curb. The size of your vehicle may determine how far your vehicle needs to move back before stopping, but you should back until the front passenger side bumper is just past the outside front pole. That rear pole will likely have disappeared from the passenger side mirror as well. The objective now is to turn the steering wheel hard counterclockwise and bring the front of the vehicle into the curb as you continue backing. When the vehicle is completely in, stop before striking anything behind you. The steering wheel can then be straightened, and the vehicle moved forward to be centered in the parking spot. Ideally the vehicle should be within a foot of the curb.

All this will take practice, familiarity with your vehicle and awareness of the space around the vehicle. Don’t let the driver focus on one thing and ignore everything else going on with the vehicle or the environment around you. Always check the vehicle to see where it is in relation to your front and rear bumpers and the front and rear poles, as well as the curb. Turning the passenger side mirror down so the driver can see the pavement will allow them to see how close the vehicle is coming to the curb. It’s a trick some beginning drivers use. But remember to readjust the mirror after parking. Finally, turn your wheels toward the curb because if the vehicle slips out of gear it will roll into the curb. You need to be very comfortable with practicing this with the poles before you attempt it with vehicles in front and behind you.

This is a lot to comprehend, so take it slowly and if you are having trouble, leave parking for another time. However, before returning to try it again, use a pen and paper and draw out what we have just gone over so the driver can picture what they are required to do before attempting it again. Remember, practice makes perfect. Next time we will chat about merging onto highways and some tips for highway driving. Until then, stay safe!