How to Tell if the Car Front is Straight When Reversing into a Parking Space?
2 Answers
The following are relevant materials on how to determine if the car front is straight: 1. Turning the steering wheel too early: When the rear of the vehicle has entered the parking space but the front has not yet entered, and the car body is already tilted with the rear leaning to one side, it means the steering wheel was straightened too early or the turning speed was too fast. In other words, you straightened the steering wheel before the middle of the vehicle's rear and the middle of the parking space's bottom line were aligned. 2. Observing the center rearview mirror: During slow reversing, first use the center rearview mirror to check if the middle of the parking space and the middle of the parking space's bottom line remain aligned, with a permissible deviation of up to 10 cm. If the deviation is significant, promptly adjust the steering wheel to keep the car body in the correct position. 3. Turning the steering wheel too late: Conversely, when the rear of the vehicle has entered the parking space but the front has not yet entered, and the rear is already leaning toward the center line, it may be due to the steering wheel being straightened too late or the turning speed being too slow. This means that before the steering wheel was fully straightened, the middle of the vehicle's rear and the middle of the parking space's bottom line were already aligned.
When I reverse into a parking space, I often check if the front of the car is straight. As a beginner who just started learning to drive, I think the most common mistake is getting disoriented. The instructor taught me to first align the side mirrors and rearview mirror to make the car body parallel to the parking lines; if the car body is straight, the front will naturally be aligned. Another method is to observe the angle between the front of the car and the ground markings, but it takes practice to get it right. Every time I reverse, I pay extra attention to the distance difference on both sides and adjust the steering wheel slowly to back in. Safety is the top priority—if I feel it's crooked, I can move forward a bit and try again. After parking, I get out to check the actual position, note the mistakes, and improve next time. The hardest part of reverse parking is angle control, but with more practice in an open area, I’m sure I’ll develop a good feel for it. Don’t rush, take it step by step.
