What happens if you steer too early when reversing into the left parking space?
4 Answers
Steering too early will cause the car to press against the left edge line of the parking space, and if done too early, the car won't be able to enter the garage. Here are the relevant details: 1. Failure: Not following the prescribed route or sequence results in failure; the car body crossing the line results in failure; failing to reverse into the garage results in failure; stopping midway results in failure. 2. Tips: Start reversing by turning the steering wheel one and a half turns to the right, observe the upper part of the wheel in the right rearview mirror, which should be about 40 centimeters away from the right line of the garage to ensure the right side doesn't press against the line when reversing into the garage. Observe the left rearview mirror, and when the left line of the garage becomes visible, immediately turn the steering wheel half a turn to the left and continue reversing. Observe both left and right rearview mirrors, and when the solid lines of the garage appear on both sides with roughly equal distance, immediately turn the steering wheel one full turn to the left and continue reversing.
If you turn the steering wheel to the left too early, the car body will swing to the left prematurely, bringing the left rear wheel dangerously close to the corner of the parking space, risking running over the line. I've seen many trainees fail their tests this way, which is truly a pity. Because the front right corner of the car is still sticking out of the parking space, the entire car is tilted like a crooked caterpillar. At this point, don't panic—quickly turn the steering wheel half a turn to the right, and wait until the left rear wheel safely passes the corner before readjusting the direction. Keep a close eye on the left rearview mirror throughout the process, and make slight corrections if the distance seems too close. The worst mistake in reverse parking is turning the steering wheel all the way and then letting go—the angle of the car body is constantly changing, so dynamic adjustments are necessary. A slower speed actually makes it easier to control; slamming the brakes or rushing the operation will only lead to chaos.
Last time I practiced driving, I learned this lesson the hard way. I turned the steering wheel to the left too early, causing the rear of the car to swing sharply toward the left, leaving a huge gap on the right. The instructor shook his head beside me, saying the wheel was only two fingers' width away from the corner of the parking space. My palms were sweaty at that moment, so I quickly turned the wheel half a turn to the right. Once I saw in the rearview mirror that the wheel safely cleared the corner, I turned the wheel fully left again to continue backing in. The lesson here is that it's better to turn late than early—turning late might just mean an extra reverse, but turning early risks hitting the line in seconds. The rearview mirror is more reliable than the front of the car; always observe the changing distance between the wheels and the boundary line. When reversing, precision in steering is more important than speed—match your hand movements with the car's speed and take it slow.
Turning the steering wheel too sharply to the left caused the car to jerk violently towards the left. As a result, the front of the car was still swaying outside the parking space, while the left rear wheel was almost scraping against the corner of the space. At this point, the car's angle was particularly awkward—packed tightly on the left side but with plenty of space on the right. The correction method is to immediately turn the steering wheel back to the right to create more space on the left. Once the car body is almost parallel to the parking lines, adjust to straighten it out. Reversing into a parking space is essentially about coordinating with the steering wheel—turning too early or too late will cause problems. Each parking space has different dimensions, and the reference points on the ground vary, so the key is to learn how to observe the position of the tires in the rearview mirrors.
