How to reverse park flawlessly every time – Jalopnik

We are often accused of doing things backwards. That’s why we check in the mirror every morning to see if our shirt fits properly. But one thing we do backwards on purpose is parking. If you don’t regularly pull into your parking space, you should really give it a try. Once you’ve backed into a parking spot, leaving that spot is a piece of cake. For example, you don’t have to crane your neck behind your shoulder in both directions to make sure no one comes. Oh, do you have a reversing camera? Don’t rely on it when backing out of a spot. The visibility does not extend far enough in either direction to see if a car is approaching. So, as much as it may aggravate the tickle in your neck, look behind you before backing up.

However, you don’t have to worry about that if you are already in the place. You will have a much better view when you leave the spot because you will leave it with your head first. Of course, you have to actually go back to the spot to begin with, but that’s much easier and safer than going backwards.

In our opinion, the easiest way to get back into a parking lot is to start by driving away from the spot. As soon as the nose of your car passes your spot, turn away from it so that your vehicle is pointing away from the spot. Then put your car in reverse and cut your wheel back toward the spot. Once you are aligned with the spot, straighten your wheels. Your Tesla Model Y can damage itself if you reverse into a parking space remotely, but if you reverse into a parking space a few times yourself, it becomes quite easy.

Here’s how to do it. Once you’ve chosen your spot, turn on your turn signal as you approach the spot to let others know what you’re doing. Drive far enough so that the front of your car passes the spot, just far enough so that your side mirror is even with the dividing line of the spot. At this point, make sure that nothing and no one is present at the site. Turn your steering wheel away from the spot while continuing to move forward. Your car should now be pointing away from the spot, probably at about a 45 degree angle. You should be able to see the outside corner of the room in your side mirror.

Now put your car in reverse and turn your wheel the other way, towards the spot. Remember to keep looking back and checking your mirrors. Your car reverses in an arc to the spot. Once your tires are parallel to the parking lot lines, straighten your wheels. Your car will probably barely touch the spot at this point, so now is the time to make corrections if necessary. It will be harder to make corrections once you get to the spot, especially if the spots are tight, unlike the nice big spots in Costco parking lots.

Loading and unloading from the trunk or luggage compartment of your car is a lot easier and safer if you have backed into a curb or walkway. Plus, your doors open to the back of the place, directing passengers away from cross traffic, which is safer, especially if your passengers are children. Of course, not everyone is a fan of reverse parking. Jacksonville, Florida even tried to ban drivers from backing into their own driveway.

There are other common methods of reversing into a spot. But in our experience, some of these techniques require you to make more corrections as you navigate to the spot. In our opinion, cars parked on either side of your spot are also more likely to be clipped.

That said, we know that there are several experienced drivers out there who are convinced that your way of getting to a spot in reverse is much better than ours. We want you to know that we fully respect your opinion, so feel free to share your favorite reverse parking method in the comments.