Should I Signal First or Shift Gears First When Parallel Parking?
3 Answers
When parallel parking, you should signal first and then shift gears. Below is an introduction to relevant knowledge about automotive lighting: Functions: Automotive lights are various traffic lights installed on vehicles to ensure safe driving. They are divided into two categories: illumination lights and signal lights. Classification: Headlights, fog lights, reverse lights, license plate lights, dome lights, instrument panel lights, and trunk lights. Precautions: Among all the considerations for new vehicle inspections, checking automotive lights is a relatively simple step. However, since light installation is prone to issues during the overall vehicle assembly process, this inspection step should also be taken seriously.
I always remind everyone that when parallel parking, you must signal first before shifting gears—it's a fundamental rule of driving, especially as we seasoned drivers have experienced. Once, while parking on a city street, I hurriedly shifted gears without signaling, and the car behind nearly hit me, giving me a cold sweat. Since then, I've made it a habit: first flick the turn signal to the right, wait two seconds to let surrounding vehicles see my intention, and then slowly shift from drive to reverse. This not only alerts other drivers, avoiding blind-spot accidents, but also makes the entire maneuver smoother and safer. Especially on rainy days or busy streets at night, that tiny signal light can save lives—I silently repeat this sequence in my mind every time I park.
When learning to drive, the instructor emphasized the sequence for parallel parking: first signal, then shift gears. Back when I was taking my driving test, I often mixed up this step and got scolded multiple times on the driving school grounds. The instructor explained clearly that signaling first alerts others to your intention to park, preventing rear-end collisions or scrapes; only then should you shift gears to move the car. This routine is even more crucial on crowded city streets—for instance, when there's traffic by the curb, failing to activate the turn signal before shifting into reverse can confuse following drivers and lead to a collision. Now that I'm driving, it's become second nature—flash the signal first, then adjust the gear, making the whole process much smoother.
