
Touching the line with the car body means the car body is out of line, which results in a deduction of 100 points, making the test unsuccessful. Crossing the line, not parking in the designated area, stopping midway, not following the prescribed route, not following the sequence, or exceeding the time limit will also result in a deduction of 100 points. The full score for Subject 2 is 100 points, with evaluation criteria set for failure, deduction of 20 points, deduction of 10 points, and deduction of 5 points. The rules for the Subject 2 test of the motor vehicle driver's license application state that stopping midway, rolling back, or not following the voice prompts during the test will result in failure. Wheels or the car body touching the line will also result in failure. Many students encounter the issue of touching the line during Subject 2 learning, and the most common mistake leading to failure is "touching the line." The main reason for wheels touching the line is that students fail to master the correct timing for steering. Besides missing the right timing, another reason could be that the steering speed does not match the car speed. Subject 2 deduction standards: Not wearing a seatbelt: deduct 100 points. Starting the engine without the gear in neutral: deduct 100 points. Not using the turn signal (including starting, changing lanes, overtaking, turning, and parking); using the turn signal for less than three seconds (note that this is easily overlooked!); forgetting to turn off the turn signal or using it incorrectly: deduct 10 points. Stalling once: deduct 10 points. Reverse parking: Not following the prescribed route sequence: deduct 100 points. Car body out of line: deduct 100 points. Not completing the parking: deduct 100 points. Before reversing, if the two front wheels do not pass the control line: deduct 100 points. Exceeding 210 seconds to complete the task: deduct 100 points. Stopping for more than 2 seconds midway: deduct 5 points each time. Slope parking and starting: After stopping, if the front bumper is not on the pole line and exceeds 50 cm forward or backward: deduct 100 points. After stopping, if the front bumper is not on the pole line but does not exceed 50 cm forward or backward: deduct 10 points. After stopping, if the starting time exceeds 30 seconds: deduct 100 points. Wheels touching the road edge while driving: deduct 100 points. Rolling back more than 30 cm when starting: deduct 100 points. After stopping, if the car body is more than 50 cm away from the road edge: deduct 100 points. After parking, if the parking brake is not tightened: deduct 10 points each time. After stopping, if the car body is more than 30 cm but not more than 50 cm away from the road edge: deduct 10 points each time. Rolling back more than 10 cm but less than 30 cm when starting: deduct 5 points each time. Parallel parking: After parking, if the car body is out of line: deduct 100 points. Not using or incorrectly using the turn signal when parking: deduct 10 points. Exceeding 90 seconds to complete the task: deduct 100 points. Touching the parking space edge with the car body while driving: deduct 10 points each time. Wheels touching the lane edge while driving: deduct 10 points each time. Stopping for more than 2 seconds midway: deduct 5 points each time. 90-degree turn: Wheels touching the road edge: deduct 100 points. Not using or incorrectly using the turn signal during the turn, or not turning off the turn signal after the turn: deduct 10 points. Stopping for more than 2 seconds midway: deduct 5 points each time. Curve driving: Wheels touching the road edge: deduct 100 points. Stopping for more than 2 seconds midway: deduct 100 points. Not driving in second gear or above: deduct 5 points.

Back when I was getting my driver's license, the instructor kept nagging about the key points of parallel parking - avoiding touching the lines at all costs, which would result in an immediate 100-point deduction and failing the test. I learned this the hard way during practice when my rear wheels accidentally touched the line and that was it. During the actual test, there's zero room for error - any part of the vehicle including mirrors or bumpers touching the ground markings counts as line contact. That's why you need to constantly check mirrors and control speed carefully. It's better to turn the steering wheel slightly early than late - even half a second of delay could cause the rear wheels to cross the line. Now after seven or eight years of driving, I still instinctively check the rear wheel position when seeing beginners reverse. Ultimately, the strict testing standards exist to cultivate driving safety awareness - daily parking scratches are far more frustrating than test deductions.

Just took my daughter for her driving test on Subject 2 a couple of days ago, and reversing into the parking space was definitely the most common failure point. The instructor clearly stated that if the car body touches the line, it's an immediate 100-point deduction and the test ends; the same goes for the wheels crossing the line. My daughter practiced by taking photos of the garage angles with her and memorizing the reference points at home. The test parking space and the training ground markings were exactly the same width—just go slow enough to clearly see the garage corner in the rearview mirror. Back when I got my license twenty years ago, there was no electronic monitoring, but now the infrared sensors are so sensitive that even the shadow of the car light touching the line counts. During practice, don’t always rely on the instructor’s reminders. Memorize how many degrees to turn the steering wheel when the car body is 30 centimeters from the garage line to build muscle memory—that’s the safest way.

A friend who has been a driving instructor for ten years said that 70% of the failures in Subject 2 are due to reverse parking. The marking line deduction rules are extremely strict—touching the parking space lines with tires or the car body immediately deducts all 100 points. A common mistake is turning the steering wheel too late, causing the rear wheels to press the line. The correct method is to turn the steering wheel back half a turn as soon as the corner of the parking space is seen in the rearview mirror, keeping the rear wheels at a safe distance of 20 centimeters. Reflective ground surfaces in the test area can interfere with judgment, so it’s recommended to clean the rearview mirrors with a wet cloth before the test. Wearing dark sunglasses may make it easier to miss the corner position. If a mistake happens, don’t panic—practice steering wheel turns more before the next test. After all, parking incorrectly in real life might just earn a honk, but failing the test wastes money and affects your mindset.

After the new driving test standards were implemented, I practiced reverse parking with my younger brother. The instructor repeatedly emphasized that touching the line would result in a 100-point deduction. The key is to ensure the wheel trajectory doesn’t touch any solid line edges. Initially, my brother kept scraping the right rear wheel against the line during left-side reverse parking. Later, we found that turning the steering wheel half a turn earlier perfectly avoided it. Now, I teach him to use the wiper’s raised point to align with the parking space line for distance judgment, which is more intuitive than memorizing the rearview mirror angle. The test car’s rearview mirror has a narrower field of view compared to the training car, so it’s advisable to adjust the seat angle to match before the test. The speed during reverse parking should be kept below 5 km/h, ideally at a snail’s pace. Although reverse cameras are common now, the test still relies on fundamental skills—otherwise, parking in a multi-story garage would be a challenge later on.

My cousin failed the reverse parking test last week due to crossing the line. The rules are quite clear: whether the front or rear wheels touch the boundary line of the parking space, it's considered the vehicle exceeding the line, resulting in a full deduction of points for that item and immediate disqualification. The practical strategy is to turn the steering wheel in three steps: first, turn it all the way to reverse, then turn it back halfway when the corner of the parking space appears in the side mirror, and finally straighten it when the car body is parallel. The biggest fear during the test is getting nervous and turning the steering wheel too slowly, causing the left side mirror to cross the line and be detected by the infrared. During daily practice, special attention should be paid to the asymmetry between the left and right sides—the left corner of the parking space appears closer in the left side mirror, so an extra ten centimeters of margin should be left. Now, when practicing with him, we use a laser pointer to simulate the marking lines, which is much more precise than using chalk to draw lines for memorizing the points.


