How to Determine if the Car Body is Parallel to the Parking Line?
2 Answers
Inaccurate rearview mirror adjustments may lead to significant discrepancies between what you see and the actual situation. Generally, aligning the lower edge of the rearview mirror with the position of the rear door handle is sufficient. You can move your head to the central area inside the car, then adjust the right rearview mirror outward until you can no longer see your right fender in the mirror. Adjusting the steering wheel can be approached in two ways: one is to steer toward the side that appears wider, where 'wider' refers to the rear of the car. Looking at the right rearview mirror, if the rear of the car appears wider, steer to the right. This will make the right rear of the car move closer to the right parking line. This method is generally used to align the car body with the yellow line.
When I reverse into a parking space, I focus on two key things. In the left side mirror, the car body and the parking line should maintain equal width from top to bottom, like two parallel lines moving closely together. In the right mirror, the parking line should stay perpendicular to the rear of the car, ensuring the front door handle aligns perfectly with the corner of the parking space. If you turn the steering wheel too sharply, it's easy to go off course, so just make gentle steering adjustments while reversing. Remember to check both side mirrors carefully—if the parking line appears narrower in the front and wider in the back in the mirror, it means the rear of the car is drifting outward. When you're first learning to reverse, have a friend step out to help you check the angles. After a few tries, you'll start to get the hang of it.
