Which is more difficult, reverse parking or parallel parking?
2 Answers
Parallel parking is more difficult. Here are the relevant details: Parallel parking: Parallel parking must be done in reverse. This is especially true when there is limited space in front and behind. The reason is that if you enter head-first, the rear of the car will still be outside the parking space, making it nearly impossible to adjust the rear into the spot by reversing. You can try parallel parking with a bicycle to understand this, but keep in mind that a bicycle has much greater steering flexibility than a car. If you reverse in tail-first, the front of the car will initially be outside the parking space. However, since the front wheels are steering wheels, you can adjust their angle and move the car back and forth to bring the front end into the space. Essentially, the rear wheels act as a pivot point, allowing the front wheels to swing the car into position. Reverse parking (backing into a bay): Whether you enter head-first or tail-first makes little difference in reverse parking. Entering head-first makes it harder to adjust the position of the rear when entering (as in the previous example), while entering tail-first makes it easier to adjust the rear when exiting.
I've been driving an automatic transmission car for five years and have gone through quite a few rounds of reverse parking and parallel parking. Reverse parking may seem simple, but the hardest part is getting the rhythm of how many turns to make and when to straighten the wheel, especially in tight spots—almost scraping the wall with the left rear while worrying about hitting a pillar with the right front, requiring constant adjustments. The challenge with parallel parking lies in judging the space; street parking spots are just that small, and you have to accurately gauge the distance between the cars in front and behind. Turn the wheel too slowly, and you won't fit in. Once, it took me four attempts to parallel park in a mall space, with the driver behind honking like crazy. Honestly, with more practice, finding reference points in the rearview mirror makes reverse parking much easier. Now, I can usually reverse park in one go, but parallel parking still depends on the day's form.
