What to do if a beginner doesn't know how to park?

[OAlaina]

When parking on the roadside, ensure there is a certain angle between the tires and the curb to prevent scraping when turning the steering wheel. Before checking the rearview mirror, adjust it downward to see the curb clearly. When parallel parking, maintain sufficient distance from the curb.

[DiKatherine]

When I first started driving, I was also terrified of parking—my whole body would tense up. Later, I found a weekend and asked a friend to accompany me to practice for two full days in an abandoned factory lot in the suburbs. First, I practiced the simplest straight-in-and-out parking, with the front of the car facing outward, just to ensure I could park in a three-meter-wide space. Then, I practiced 45-degree angle parking, which is the most beginner-friendly. Finally, I challenged myself with reverse parking. Each time, I focused on correcting just one mistake—today, it was how much to turn the steering wheel; tomorrow, it was which reference points to check in the mirrors. After two months of this, I can now parallel park in one go. The key is not to be afraid of embarrassment—just stick a ‘Beginner Driver’ sign on the back of your car, and everyone will understand.

[LeJocelyn]

I've figured out a foolproof parking method: Mount your phone on the steering wheel to record a panoramic video. After parking, review the footage to memorize exactly which floor tile your tires should align with before turning the wheel completely. The best practice time is during quiet evenings in residential parking lots—use traffic cones as markers. First, create a mock lane for precision parking drills. Master stopping steadily within 30cm of obstacles before practicing reversing. When backing up, roll down windows to listen for tire sounds on speed bumps—stop when tires hit the third bump with 30cm clearance from walls. If all else fails, opt for an older Toyota model with auto-parking—used ones cost just 50-60k.

[DelTaylor]

Last week while teaching my cousin to park, I discovered a few tricks: Adjust the seat higher to see the front edge of the hood, and align the wiper protrusion with the curb to indicate a half-meter distance. When reversing, focus on the door handle of the neighboring car in the rearview mirror—once it disappears behind the C-pillar, it's time to straighten the wheel. For parallel parking, turn the wheel fully when the taillights of the front car align with your shoulder. Rolling down the window lets you hear the tire rubbing against the curb. Find three consecutive empty spots in the parking lot to practice repeatedly; 15 minutes daily is better than a weekend crash course.

[McEliana]

I remember after scraping the wall while parking at the mall for the first time, I specifically researched size tricks for different cars. For SUVs, don't trust the 360-degree camera—tilting your head to see the rear wheels is most accurate. For hatchbacks, remember to stop when the lower edge of the rear windshield aligns with the front license plate. For sedans, you need to see the parking line covered by the lower edge of the side mirror. During practice, I always had a decibel-testing app open on my phone—the ambient noise changes most noticeably when the tires are 60cm from the wall. After breaking the bad habit of turning the steering wheel while stationary, the tire friction noise reduced significantly. Now, I don’t panic even when passing through narrow alleys.

[SanSimon]

Our driving school instructor has a set of down-to-earth yet highly effective parking techniques: Place a water bottle as a marker at the corner of the parking spot—when you see the bottle body in the rearview mirror, the position is just right; align the corner of the front windshield with the headlight of the neighboring car to indicate a half-meter gap. Beginners are advised to drive a domestic car equipped with a four-way dashcam, which costs just over 100,000 yuan and allows you to see the tire tracks. When practicing reverse parking, choose a parking spot with a slope first—the car will naturally align itself as it rolls down, and you can also practice hill starts. Go practice at the supermarket right when it opens at 8 AM on Sundays—there are plenty of empty spots, and the security guards won’t mind.