parallel parking a prius

practice, practice, and more practice

 

I parallel park less than 20 times a year I would say, but I did have a part time job doing local deliveries in a panel van, so I got really used to backing into tight places.

In my relatively little experience I don't think it is any different than any other car. Nora wrote turn and look, but I always think the mirrors are the easiest way for me personally.

 

I've always referred to it as "park by feel"... when you feel the bumpers hit... you stop...

 

You're assuming that the guy behind me is actually paying attention- not texting, talking on his cell, girl watching, eating, or otherwise being distracted. And, many here actually think they can make you go faster by tailgating so they drive incredibly close with no margin for error. Have you ever taken a look at the cars in NYC? Every single one without exception has battle scars because of the way they drive here....

 

Yes indeedy. We don't just have oversized houses, we generally have generous parking spaces.

I've always been bad at reverse park and fortunately on my 2nd test I just had to do reversing round a corner instead (in June 1996 in the UK it was one or the other, don't know about now.)

I rarely have to parallel park into tiny spaces, and but when I do parallel park in the Prius, I use the following principles:
- Skip the straight bit: I find the straight bit just causes me to hit the curb so it's lock right, lock left
- Feel like I'm surely going to hit the curb: guarantees that I'll be within an couple of inches.

Then when I have to leave, despite the obvious physics of it all, I'm often uncertain that I'll be able to pull out easily.

 

Park by feel/ear/touch, whatevs... You're parking and swapping paint, NYC-style, which explains the rash of "Bumper Buddy" guards flapping in trail behind cars driven around town..

 

(might be because you drive on the wrong side of the road )

 

Pull up even with the car you're about to park behind. Reverse with the wheel turned all the way to the right and proceed until you are at a 45 degree angle to the parking space. When the front of your car is even with the rear of the car you're parking behind, turn the wheel all the way to the left and park the car.

Usually works with a couple of adjustments.

 

To be fair I didn't really read through them lol.
Personally I tend only to overlap the car in front by an amount that leaves me being able to swing into the gap as soon as I start to reverse. Now I know I said use the auto park and I often do but the main problem with auto park is that it is sooooo slow to initiate and most times I've tried it in a busy street I have someone glued to my bumper before I start to reverse. The same often applies when parking manually in very busy streets, so on occasion I have resorted to dropping the nose in first and then having to jiggle back and forth.
I realise that you are probably going to tell me to indicate in plenty of time to let the people behind know that I have claimed the parking space and hence allow room for the manoeuvre. However in some cities such behaviour is a seen as a potential weakness leaving an opening for the car behind to jump, headfirst, into the gap you tried to claim

Remember a shop window is your best friend when parallel parking

 

Really? lol

 

The picture is exaggerated. The vehicle would not be positioned like that as it wouldn't normally be able to turn that sharply while moving slowly in reverse.

Try the suggestion and you may find that it works. And maybe not. I've only been driving for about 50 years so I may not have the technique down.

 

It was a joke really but I suspect that you're not parking in exactly the way you describe as if you reverse in at 45 degrees until the point you suggest it doesn't work. If however you use 25 degrees instead it looks like it should.




Here is a method however that does use 45 degrees.

Pull up three feet away from the car you want to park behind. Make sure to align your back tyres with the other car’s back bumper.

Start reversing and turn your wheels all the way to the left.

Very slowly back up until you are at a 45-degree angle, then stop.

Turn the wheels all the way to the right.

Back up very slowly until you are parallel with the curb.

If done correctly, you should be less then twelve inches from the curb.

 

Anyone know if the Bumper Buddy fits/works on the Prius?

 

The ones that hang out of the trunk lid? I see them all the time on Prii.

 

Yeah, like one of these, I heard they don't fit on all cars and I've never seen one on a Prius.




Thinking about getting one...

 

They may not sit flush, due to the width of bumper protrusion, but they are adjustable within limits and would certainly do the job, even if they look, well, unattractive.

 

Thanks, the only thing that concerns me about it is that people might think it's okay to ram the bumper if they see one of those on my car.

 

That's my take -- they are a target of convenience. Don't be that guy.

 

My god I thought you folks were making that up! Son of a gun. Is it a heavy foam?
Are there armour-plated versions to protect against tailgaters who start shooting?

Grumpy Cabbie: Unlike the UK and certainly unlike Germany, here in Virginia we do not require official driver training of any kind now. Parents simply have to sign off a form stating they have given their offspring X hours if driving instruction. So lack of skills like parallel parking and bad habits like tailgating are being passed down in undiluted form to the next generation of drivers.