Preventing Parking Accidents Pt3 - Parallel Parking!

Just the mention of parallel parking seems to strike fear in the heart of many new and experienced drivers. Drivers learning to take their test can spend weeks improving this technique and continue to perfect it once they pass their test.

Its a fact that many people try to avoid parallel parking where ever possible, however if you live in or near a large city, no matter how hard you try, you will eventually find the need to parallel park your car.

Parallel parking is difficult because it requires you to have extremely acute spatial perception of your environment and everything in it within close proximity. You need to be aware at all times, exactly where each corner of your vehicle is in relation to all other objects around the car, be it vehicles, people, traffic signs, etc.

To aid manoeuvrability large trucks have flexible locators situated on their bumpers so the driver knows exactly where the edges of their front bumpers (which are the widest part of the truck), are positioned so he can pass other vehicles and make turns without error.

Misjudging where your bumpers or fenders are can cause you to hit the car in front of you or the car to your rear as you attempt to get comfortably into the parking space. You can also so easily hop on the curb; hit a parking meter or some other object on the pavement or sidewalk.

But the most frustrating is scuffing or damaging the sidewall of your tyre or new alloy wheel by catching it on the curb. Incidentally a serious consequence of a damaged sidewall is a subsequent blow out which is highly dangerous while driving at speed.

You also need to be fully aware if there is any traffic coming up behind you, passing or parking. Since you are backing up, if another driver turns a corner and runs into you, it will be your fault, period!
 
Fortunately, a simple parking sensor can prevent these incidents and problems by pre-warning you when an object is close, so you can react with time to spare.

To find out how a parking sensor can aid, help and assist you with your parallel parking skills, preventing accidents large or small, go to Parking Dynamics

In Part 4 we will discuss a common injury and how we can prevent this.