Are you about to take your driving test? Are you feeling confident or somewhat nervous? Whatever your feelings, let’s give you insight on how to pass your driving test with the parallel park exercise. In this post, we will discuss the top reasons why people fail their driving test because of the parallel park exercise and what you can do to make sure this does not happen to you on your driving test!
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Number One: Hitting The Curb
Now – this mistake is NOT a full-blown fail! There are a few factors that can determine if you get given a driver error ( a minor fault) or a serious fault: a fail!
If you touch the curb, this error is very different from going up onto the pavement. The examiner will be checking to see how badly you hit the curb. Did you just nudge the curb, touch it, hit it, or mount the pavement. The examiner will also be checking to see if there were any pedestrians nearby.
Touching the curb is a mistake regardless. The learner should ensure that they parallel park with due care and attention for the placement of the vehicle. If you are struggling to see the curb you can:
- Lower the wing mirror
- Buy some blind spot mirrors.
Driving Test Tip: Please check your mirrors during the exercise. If in doubt stop or slow down, just do not touch the curb!
Number Two: Pulling Away With An Approaching Vehicle
When starting the parallel park exercise on your driving test, the examiner will park you up on the left just before the practice car. If you pull out to start the reverse park exercise without first checking properly, and another vehicle is approaching from behind or ahead of you. Then you will indeed have affected another road user who has priority!
Make sure you check your mirrors and blind spots prior to starting this exercise. You must then respond to what you see prior to moving the vehicle. If you miss another vehicle and move away from the side of the road into position to start the manoeuvre, you will fail your driving test as you have affected another road user.
Some learners do see the approaching vehicle but don’t respond positively to the approaching vehicle, by waiting for them to pass. Before starting the exercise, look everywhere, including pavements, side roads, and the road ahead! Wait for the vehicle to pass before you move off from the side of the road.
Driving Test Tip: Check your blind spots prior to moving off into position.
Number Three: Failing To Complete The Manoeuvre
If you fail to complete the manoeuvre, you will gain a serious fault for the exercise. Which in turn, will result in you failing your driving test. As much as the exercise may distress you if things don’t go well during the exercise. you MUST complete it regardless. You never know! Even with a few adjustments, the examiner may award you with just a minor and not a serious fault!
Stay calm and try to remember what you have been taught. One of the common reasons why a learner may fail due to the parallel park exercise is due to waiting for traffic. Learners may become very nervous when traffic is waiting for them to finish the exercise. Make sure you keep a cool head, and not panic!
Remember: The driver will forget you in 20 seconds, you will NEVER forget that driver if you fail your driving test!
Number Four: Reversing Back Too Far
If you reverse back too far, you may fail your driving test. You MUST be able to parallel park within two car lengths of the practice car. Your car is one length, and the gap between your vehicle and the practice car is another length. Or five metres! I don’t like this rule! As an instructor teaching this manoeuvre within two cars and with just the practice car, the learner knows that there is not another vehicle behind them – so, can easily or accidentally forget this rule.
Driving test tip: You must pretend there is another car behind you during this exercise.
Number Five: Waving Pedestrians To Cross The Road
You should avoid waving pedestrians across the road. This could be dangerous if you have not checked the road for approaching traffic. You could lead the pedestrians into danger!
Driving Test Tip: Please remember vulnerable road users such as children, or the elderly, often look to drivers for permission, do not get into the habit of waving anyone to cross the road. But also be aware of pedestrians crossing regardless. If you do not respond by stopping, then you will get a serious fault from the examiner.
Driving Test Tip: Keep your hands to yourself. Allow other people or road users to make their own decisions. Await patiently, and only commence once the situation is safe.
Number Six: Not Checking Blind Spots Before Steering To The Left
It is important to check your blind spots (especially the right one) prior to steering to the left. What if there was another vehicle approaching? What could happen? If your bonnet swings to the right and a vehicle was trying to overtake you, you may have a serious accident on your hands. Please check your blind spots before steering.
Driving test tip: Make sure you check your blind spots prior to any steering. This will ensure correct observation, and please respond to what you see! And check properly. Some learners do the action of checking, but don’t actually look!
Number Seven: Not Stopping For Approaching Traffic During The Exercise
If you miss a vehicle approaching you during the reverse park exercise, you will fail your driving test. The examiner may need to intervene by breaking for you, or giving you verbal commands. If you fail to stop (respond) then clearly, you have not seen the vehicle or looked appropriately.
Very often during this exercise, learner drivers can become very consumed with the technical part of the manoeuvre. And fail to keep on checking around the vehicle. If a vehicle turns up whilst you are mid-way through the exercise, remember: you don’t have priority so you must come to a stop until they give you permission to continue.
Driving test tip: Keep checking around the vehicle at all times. If you see anything coming towards you, just stop and analyze the situation. Do not look in the left-wing mirror too much!
Number Eight: Not Leaving Enough Space To Pull Away!
When doing the parallel park exercise on your driving test, please make sure you have enough space to pull off from the side of the road after you have finished the manoeuvre! If you need to reverse back to get out, you may get a serious fault from the examiner! Their argument: what if someone parks behind you and prevents you from reversing back!
As much as this is a crap reason to fail, the message is quite clear. You need to pretend it is a real-life exercise and you plan on leaving your car. This means, having enough space ahead of you to pull off! You should aim to have a half car length to be able to pull away!
Driving Test Tip: Don’t finish the exercise until you are confident you have enough space to pull off. If you need to make a correction and pull forward, reverse back again if you need to! Take the minor and avoid the serious.
Number Nine: Being Too Wide From The Curb
Yes, you can fail your driving test for being too wide from the curb! The recommended distance is a foot from the curb or 12 inches. Or as the examiner says: reasonably close to the curb! Make sure you are reasonably close to the curb when conducting the parallel park exercise.
Driving Test Tip: If you deem yourself too wide, correct the manoeuvre. The best way to do this is by reversing back and maximizing your two-car allowance and then pulling forward to close the gap leaving half a car length ahead of you! Please recheck your blind spots if you have stopped whilst making a decision prior to reversing back!
Number Ten: Not Putting Your Seatbelt Back On!
If you take off your seatbelt prior to this exercise and forget to put it back on when you drive on, guess what – you will get a serious fault. This is against the law and you should apply your seatbelt when in forwarding gear.
Driving Test Tip: You are permitted to reverse without a seatbelt. This allows you to position yourself without the restraint of the seatbelt. However, please do put it back on once you have finished! Know the laws of the road!
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