Reversing Manoeuvre - Parallel Park

The 4 Reversing Manoeuvres

Whilst on your driving test, you will be asked to perform one of four reversing manoeuvres. The parallel park is not hard at all, it's actually very structured, just a little more to remember than the others.

These instructions are if you are doing this manoeuvre in a 5 door Vauxhall Corsa and may vary slightly if practiced in another vehicle. Please note that most instructors have their own way of doing these manoeuvres.

The examiner will either ask you to to pull up in a reasonably sized space in front of a vehicle or along side a vehicle.

1. Do a normal move off from the side of the road, making sure you do a six-point check and then rechecking your door mirror and blind spot.

2. Extremely slowly, dipping your clutch if you like, bring the car alongside the vehicle you are going to perform the manoeuvre with, getting it approximately front passenger door their rear drivers door as you've been taught.

3. Put the car into reverse gear straight away and find your 2 o'clock, once you've found this, do your six-point check before moving off.

4. Think about which direction you want the front of the vehicle to go first and the steering goes the opposite way. You want the front of the vehicle to go to the right, so turn the steering wheel half a turn to the left. Remember the saying half moon - full moon. The steering goes on in the opposite direction you want the front of the car to go. By only putting half a turn on, the car will move more slowly, giving you a chance to get more observation in and therefore being safer.

5. As you get nearer to your 2 o'clock get ready to take your steering off at that point, once the steering has been taken off (half a turn to the right, so steering wheel should have a T shape on it, T for Tim). Now do another six-point check.

6. When safe to do so, reverse slowly, just using the clutch, reverse towards the kerb, remember if you see any pedestrians on the kerb behind you STOP and let them pass.

7. Reverse back so the front handle is on the side part of the kerb in the large passenger door mirror, when here STOP and do another six-point check.

8. Once you're sure it is safe, you want the front of the car to go to the left, so put one full turn (full moon) on to the right, keep the car moving slowly by just using the clutch. As the side of the car gets nearer to the kerb, slow it down even more, you want the side of the car parallel with the kerb, if you've done a bay park, it's the same principle.

9. Just as the car is parallel with the kerb in the left side door mirror, take the steering off, get a look in behind you and travel back slowly, practicing effective all around observation until you have left enough room for another Corsa to fit in front of you. Remember parking brake on first, then out of gear, always checking it's in neutral.