How to Avoid Hitting the Front Car When Exiting a Parallel Parking Space?
2 Answers
When the upper edge of your vehicle's front hood aligns with the upper edge of the front car's bumper, they are approximately in the same position. By paying attention to this alignment, you can avoid hitting the front car when exiting a parallel parking space. Below are some related introductions about parallel parking: 1. Traditional parallel parking: Four poles were placed on the ground to symbolize the four corners of the parking space. One of the criteria for successful parking was whether the vehicle could enter the space without touching these four poles. 2. After the implementation of new traffic regulations: Parallel parking no longer uses poles; instead, ground markings are used to define the boundaries of the parking space. For students learning to drive with a C1 license, the length of the parallel parking space is 1.5 times the length of the vehicle plus 1 meter. Drive the vehicle to a position parallel to the parking space, then reverse into the space without any pauses. As long as the vehicle is parked within the boundaries without crossing the lines, it is considered a pass.
I remember when I was first learning to drive, I was always nervous about pulling out of parallel parking, afraid of scraping the car in front. The method I used was to first observe the distance and angle of the car ahead before exiting, checking the gap width using the rearview and side mirrors. If the space was tight, I would turn the steering wheel all the way to the right, slowly reversing a bit to let the front of the car veer right, then straighten the wheel before gently moving forward. Never rush to hit the gas—keep the speed slow enough to stop at any moment. Sometimes, I’d ask a friend to step out and help watch the distance, and after a few practices, it got much better. Later, I realized the key is to anticipate the turning trajectory of the front end. For example, if the car ahead is close, the front of the car needs to turn at least 30 degrees or so to be safe. Regularly checking and adjusting the mirrors also helped me avoid many close calls. Now, exiting is much steadier, and with practice, it’s become second nature.
