How to Tell If You Turned the Steering Wheel Too Early or Too Late When Reversing into a Parking Space?
2 Answers
Here are the methods to determine if you turned the steering wheel too early or too late when reversing into a parking space: 1. Turning too early: Observe the right rearview mirror. If the distance between the corner of the parking space and the car body is less than 30cm, it means you turned the steering wheel too early. First, turn back half a circle, drive a short distance, then when the distance between the corner and the car body is less than 10cm, turn the steering wheel fully to the right. Once the rear wheel enters the parking space, make a slight adjustment. 2. Turning too late: Observe the right rearview mirror. If the distance between the corner of the parking space and the car body is greater than 30cm, it means you turned the steering wheel too late. First, straighten the steering wheel, then turn half a circle to the right to allow the rear wheel to enter the parking space, followed by turning half a circle to the left for adjustment. Tips for reversing into a parking space: 1. When exiting the parking space: Turn the steering wheel fully to the right as soon as the yellow line disappears from the left mirror. 2. When entering the parking space: Turn the steering wheel fully to the right when the left rear corner of the parking space reaches the middle of the rear window. When the car is 30cm away from the right front corner of the parking space, turn the steering wheel one circle to the left. When the middle of the car handle is seen entering the yellow line in the right mirror, turn the steering wheel fully to the right. Straighten the steering wheel when the bottom corner is seen in the left mirror.
When I was a teaching assistant at the driving school, this was my favorite technique to teach. When reversing, keep an eye on the right rearview mirror to observe the distance between the rear wheel and the corner of the parking space. If the distance is less than 30 centimeters, it means the steering wheel was turned too early, and the rear of the car might sweep the line. In this case, immediately turn the steering wheel back half a turn, and wait until the wheel enters the corner of the parking space before making further adjustments. If the distance exceeds 50 centimeters and the wheel hasn’t entered the corner yet, it means the steering wheel was turned too late, and the front of the car is likely to press against the left line. Quickly turn the steering wheel more to the right to correct it. The key is to control the speed as slow as a snail, and ensure the car body and the parking line in the rearview mirror maintain a parallel distance of two fingers’ width for perfection. Practice a few more times, and you’ll develop the muscle memory for fine-tuning.
