When straightening the wheel during right reverse parking, should you look at the right rearview mirror?
3 Answers
When straightening the wheel during right reverse parking, you should look at the right rearview mirror. Once you see the car body parallel to the parking line in the right rearview mirror, you need to immediately straighten the wheel. Before right reverse parking, you need to adjust the position of the rearview mirrors. Generally, when adjusting the vertical angle of the left rearview mirror, the sky and ground should each occupy half of the mirror. To better understand the road conditions on the side of the car, more space should be allocated to the road, so adjust the left and right angles to make the car body occupy one-fourth of the mirror. For the right rearview mirror, the sky should occupy one-fourth of the vertical angle, and the car body should also occupy one-fourth of the horizontal angle. For right reverse parking, you need to align the car 1.5-1.8 meters from the line before reversing, stop, and shift into reverse gear. When the lower edge of the left rearview mirror aligns with the stop line, you can turn the steering wheel fully to the right and continue reversing. Next, observe the distance between the rear wheel and the parking corner in the right rearview mirror. When there is a two-finger width in the mirror, you can turn the steering wheel back one full turn and continue reversing. Then, use both rearview mirrors to check if the car body is parallel to the parking lines. Finally, when the lower edge of the left rearview mirror aligns with the parking entrance line, you can press the brake and clutch to stop.
When reversing into a parking space, it's common to use the right rearview mirror to adjust the position while straightening the wheels. When I first started learning to drive, I followed the instructor's steps: first observing the distance between the car body and the parking line through the right mirror, ensuring the tires were parallel to the side line before slowly straightening the steering wheel. Sometimes, I also checked the overall angle with the left mirror or rearview mirror to avoid scraping obstacles. Remember not to rush the steering, keep the speed slow, and practice a few times to get the hang of it—the key is developing spatial awareness. For beginners, it's recommended to repeatedly practice in an empty area to gradually familiarize yourself with the vehicle's movement patterns and reduce collision risks.
Having driven for over a decade, I'm accustomed to using the right-side mirror for reverse parking alignment. The right mirror provides a clear view of the positional relationship between the rear of the car and the corner of the parking space. Once the vehicle begins entering the spot, I focus on the tire movement in the mirror to make slight steering adjustments for parallel alignment. In practical operation, don't rely solely on one eye—glancing at the interior rearview mirror or turning your head to confirm the overall environment is more reliable, as real-world scenarios often have blind spots. With accumulated experience, this maneuver becomes fluid and natural. For beginners, it's safer to first master simple parking space dimensions before tackling more complex positions.
