November 22, 2019

We know that parallel parking is not the top of every driver’s game. You do not need to feel embarrassed or ashamed – lots of drivers struggle with parallel parking. If you are in a rental car you are probably even more stressed out because you do not want to damage the car. At the same time, you are not experienced with driving the rental car, so you are not familiar with the car’s proportions. We have compiled a few tips to help you keep calm and parallel park with ease. If you are going to be travelling around Abu Dhabi, you will need a long-term car rental to get you around.

Avoid Congested Areas

Many people struggle with parallel parking; it is a skill that needs to be developed with practice. If you cannot find any other parking, then you will have to bust out those parking skills; just take it slow. When parallel parking do not attempt to do so in a highly congested area where you can hold up traffic if you make a mistake. This will only place pressure on yourself and you may not have time to correct your mistake.

Make Sure There Is Enough Space

Larger vehicles are more difficult to parallel park with and require more space in the parking lot. Because other people also struggle to park, they might have taken some space in your parking. You do not want to park too tightly, or you might not be able to get out again. You should always leave space for yourself and the other drivers to move in.

It Is All About Positioning

Good parking all starts with good positioning. Follow these steps and you will be parallel parked in no time.

1. Stop a meter away from the car you want to park behind. Parking too near will cause you to hit the pavement.
2. Once a meter away from the other vehicle, turn the steering towards the pavement and reverse slowly into the parking.
3. The back of the car should be near the pavement, so you can now counter-steer and move the front of the car into the parking.
4. All that is left to do is make minor adjustments until you are happy that the car is parked correctly.

Relax

If you start to get anxious about bystanders, simply take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Put your hazards on to indicate that drivers should pass by you and follow the above steps slowly.

Remember: you are not the only one who struggles to parallel park.

Practice till You Get It

The only way to learn a skill is by practicing it over and over again. You might not want to do this while on vacation but make time to do it in your hometown. Once you parallel park enough it will become second nature and you will no longer be afraid. Now all you need to do is find a reputable rent a car Abu Dhabi and you will get all that you need.