Are the reference points the same for left and right reverse parking?
2 Answers
No, they are different. Below is extended information about left and right reverse parking: Right reverse parking: Observe the positional relationship between the left rearview mirror and the parking line. First turn the steering wheel half a turn to the right and start moving, then turn the steering wheel fully to the right when the left rearview mirror covers the parking line. While reversing with the steering wheel fully turned to the right, look at the right rearview mirror. Observe the distance between the car body and the right front corner of the parking space, keeping this distance at 30 centimeters. Once half of the car body has entered the parking space, observe the relationship between the car body and the side lines through the left and right rearview mirrors. When the car body is parallel to the side lines, straighten the steering wheel. When the left rearview mirror covers the side line, immediately press the clutch and stop. Left reverse parking: Observe the position of the left rearview mirror and the parking line, and turn the steering wheel fully to the left when there is still a small distance between the left rearview mirror and the parking line. Through the left rearview mirror, observe the position of the car body and the left corner of the parking space to predict whether the car body will cross the line. After the car enters the parking space, observe the left and right rearview mirrors, and straighten the steering wheel when the car body is about to be parallel. When the left rearview mirror covers the side line, you can stop the car.
The reference points for the left and right parking spaces are usually different, as I’ve noticed while driving. The position of the parking space causes variations in the reference points. For the left space, since it’s on the left side, it’s better to turn the steering wheel a bit earlier when the car enters; otherwise, it’s easy to scrape the right pillar. The right space is the opposite—turning the wheel a bit later is safer. I remember when I first learned reverse parking, I got used to a certain point in the left space, but when I switched to the right space, I hit the wall. The instructor reminded me to adjust the reference point based on the direction of the parking space. The width of the space, the length of the car, and the steering angle all affect the reference point. The point for the left space might be slightly farther back, while the right space’s point might be slightly farther forward. During practice, I recommend practicing them separately—memorize the points for each space before switching to avoid confusion. It takes multiple practices to remember the differences, after all, safety comes first when driving.
