Bay Parking

The manoeuvre of the reverse bay park is very probably the most used out of the 5, it crops up often.

Reversing into a bay with parked cars on either side of your intended bay is easier to steer into because your movable wheels are your front wheels, so it is easier to accurately steer the rear end in first.  Contrast this with driving in forwards into a tight bay park, inevitably you can’t ‘swing’ the front round enough (due to the parked cars next to you), which often results in some shunts back and forward.  This is the reason why when reversing you get more accuracy in your steering/position, it is why we reverse parallel park rather than trying to go in forwards.  The rear wheels are fixed (don't move) so use the moveable front wheels to get the rear wheels where you want them.

Another bonus of reversing into a bay is that when it comes to driving off again, your vision is so much better – you stand much more chance of spotting a little toddler in a car park when you drive forwards out of a bay, rather than reversing out.  It’s a little bit like parking on the right side of the road, behind a vehicle, and then when you try to move off, you simply can’t see anything, so you have this rather uncomfortable need to very slowly ‘edge’ the front end out hoping that by doing so, other oncoming drivers will see you and not plough into your nearside front (consider also how you affect oncoming cyclists/motorcyclists when you ‘edge’ out like this).

There is one advantage of driving forwards into a bay however, and that is the boot is more accessible.  If you reverse in, and your car is surrounded by vehicles, when it comes to loading up the boot, you may have a job on your hands getting the supermarket trolley near to the boot.

And this would be my first bit of advice to you when it comes to bay parking – choose well your area to park.  It is infuriating when you return to your car to find dents here and scratches there.  Make sure there is enough room each side of your vehicle to open doors and physically get out – when you have little ones in your car, teach them to respect other people’s property and take care when opening the door not to slam it into a nearby car.   Not everyone has the same attitude to their car, I have seen drivers literally shunting a vehicle from behind in order to get into a tight spot when parallel parking.  Likewise with bay parking, some people do not give a hoot about other people’s bodywork, and will bang the door into it without a second thought. 

Another consideration is cctv cameras – they are very commonly found in car parks now days.  Whilst I can’t guarantee it, a cctv camera covering where your car is parked may be the difference between your car and someone else’s getting broken into.  It’s worth a thought, especially if you are leaving your car there a while.

Try to be respectful of parking bays for disabled or families.  Both need more space for buggies and wheel chairs.  It is irresponsible to use their bays simply because they are free.  Maybe not now, but one day, you may well need to use them yourself, and will be grateful for the understanding of others.  How we drive, our attitude to others, speaks volumes about our personality.  

Which brings me on to the next point which is ‘road rage’ in car parks; very common.  Most people want to park as close to the building entrance as possible and will make a direct line for a bay even before it has been vacated.  A common cause of insurance claims (and disputes) is when drivers ‘nip in’ to parking bays, with no regard to other vehicles nearby.  Treating your car like a battering ram to get where you want, come what may, is not just going to increase your insurance claims but when you come across someone with the same attitude one day, then it can lead to some unpleasant scenes.

In multi-storey car parks, having your dipped headlights on is sensible, as they tend to be quite dark.  Take care when you pull up to the ticket machine, it’s a little like a ‘drive through’ at a fast food chain (look at the small gap in this photo at a McDonalds Drive Thru), or the coin box at Toll roads; concrete/metal posts nearby have been put there for a reason – drivers approach too quickly, and as such, lose position which can easily result in a collision.  Actually going up and down these car parks is no small thing, and Learners would do well to practice it on a driving lesson – otherwise you pass your test and then get a rather uncomfortable feeling as you find yourself stopped on an upward ramp, between levels of a multi-storey car park ..... not nice.   

Here is a video from my YouTube channel “2010BIGTOM” about the test standard for this manoeuvre - http://youtu.be/DnS1RyzMF6E.  The method you adopt is a personal thing, but my advice would be to take the time and effort and to find an Instructor who can assist you in really nailing this.  It is a very common manoeuvre that we use daily, and it is sad to hear people saying that they hate bay parking as they never felt like they sussed out how to do it.

Despite the slow speeds used in car parks (most have speed signs up of 5/10/20mph), they are hazardous places.  Parents are very often distracted momentarily loading cars, or getting buggies out or trying to find keys in bags etc, and a little 4 yr old can wander off surprisingly quickly.  It is very important to physically turn and look when reversing in car parks, simply looking in mirrors is never going to be enough – the field of vision (range) in mirrors is restricted (especially with parked cars nearby) and they have ‘blindspots’ remember.  It’s a pain, it’s uncomfortable, it’s awkward but shift yourself round and physically look in the direction you are travelling....... it could save a kids life one day.     
So the guy on the left will not pass his test as he is not looking out the rear windscreen, the guy on the right would.

Hope this is a help to you!  Please do grade this blog, feedback is important to me, let's me know if they are of use.  As ever, any questions you have on this subject, ping it here for not only you to get an answer, but also others reading this blog.