SuperDriver Learning Centre - Parking on the Right
Manoeuvres - Park on the Right and then Reverse 2 car lengths
On your driving test you will be expected to carry out 1 manoeuvre. We don't know which manoeuvre out of the 4 potential manoeuvres you will be asked to do. So you need to be perfect at all 4 of them... just in case. Here we give you a method to complete the Park on the Right manoeuvre.
Regardless that this manoeuvre is a test manoeuvre, you need to know it anyway. Learning how and if you can park on the right is a necessity. In life you will probably need to park on the right. If you do you must not park on the right when it is dark unless you are on a one way street or you are parking into designated parking bays.
What do you have to do on test?
Whilst on the move, your examiner will ask you to pull over on the right. They will then ask you to reverse for 2 car lengths and then set off re-joining traffic.
Image 1 shows you driving along the road as normal. Its day light. You want to pull over on the right. Check your interior and offside mirror and the road ahead. If it is clear and there is time to pull over on the right gradually steer right, you won't need more than an inch of steering to the right. You are aiming to park around a foot from the kerb, because you are sat on the right you should be able to do this. It is like keeping just left of the centre line when you are turning right at a junction. When you have parked, you must secure the car. This is stage 1 complete.
But what if it is not clear and there are cars approaching you? Well, you should indicate to the right, and position the car just left of the centre line and slow down even to a stop if you have to. When it is clear, check no one is over taking you (interior and offside mirrors) and then gradually steer to the right and park on the right.
ENSURE YOU PARK STRAIGHT, DRIVE FURTHER FORWARD AND STRAIGHTEN IF YOU NEED TO. VERY IMPORTANT!
Image 2 and 3 show that you are parked behind a vehicle and if you were to set off you cannot see oncoming cars and that makes it unsafe.
On test there will not be a car in front of you. But you are going to carry out a reverse manoeuvre as if there was a car in front of you.
The examiner will now ask you to reverse 2 car lengths and then re-join traffic. Now you can see why it was important to park straight. If you are straight you should need to do almost no work with the steering wheel.
Firstly, you will need to do your POM (Prepare, Observe, Move Off) routine making sure you are in Reverse gear. Your observations will also be different. You need to check the pavement to the road and final road (Right shoulder to left and final left). Remember the danger now comes from in front and your left shoulder.
If it is clear reverse in a straight line for 2 car lengths. Don't worry if you cannot guess 2 car lengths, the examiner won't get a tape measure out! Your observations at all mirrors and over shoulders can be difficult, so go slowly and stop if you need to.
If it is not clear on the right hand side of the road, do not set off. If a car comes on the right hand side of the road as you are reversing, you must stop, and set off when it is clear.
If a car comes from behind you on the left you must decide if that car is going to be close to you. If it is, do not set off or stop if you are part way through your reverse. If there is lots of room, you can continue. The width of the road or parked cars are possible reasons that cars approaching from behind you may get close.
Having reversed back 2 car lengths there is no need to secure the car unless you are going to be waiting a long time to set off due to a lot of traffic.
Start your POM routine again completing the observations from right shoulder to left. Make sure you are in 1st gear (or D). Set off when it is safe. Signal left if someone will benefit. Steer gently again over to the left, there is no rush to get back to the left hand side of the road so you don't need to apply lots of steering.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOMATIC CARS AND MANUALS
