They-have-not-backed-up-long-enough

I disagree strongly with the memorized teachings many instructors use to teach parallel parking or stall parking. Yes, this has some value however it repeatedly misses the main point.

You must learn to backup in order to master all parking maneuvers. This is the main point. Learn to back up.

Line up the lights with their lights, set your back bumper with their bumper, turn the car 45 degrees then… Yes, there are tons of recipes for parallel parking but what’s the main point?

I wanted to find out if reversing would help drivers realize the importance of backing up, and in turn, make their parking easier.

We started in a huge empty parking lot with no obstructions. We place the car in R-reverse gear. We push the driver’s body completely around with their head and eyes looking out the back window. Then we reversed through the parking lot, the entire hour or more, in reverse around and around in various shapes, figure eights, circles, squares, triangles around entire parking lot.

And I timed them. Amazingly most took about one and one-half hours before they gasp out loud, “I GOT IT!” And once they hit that “AHA I GOT IT,” from that moment on, they could park.

I strongly suggest that most people who cannot park or who fear to park simply haven’t reversed long enough.