Reverse bay parking

By the end of this topic you can

• You can position the car well before you start reversing.
• You can use reference points to know when to start steering.
• You can reverse slowly with full observation, watching for people walking behind.
• You can correct your position by pulling forward and trying again.
• You can finish inside the lines and drive out forwards safely.

What you need to know and understand

• Parking in a bay is one of the reversing exercises on the current driving test; the examiner says whether you reverse in or drive in.
• Car parks are full of pedestrians, including children, who may walk behind you without looking.
• Look mainly through the rear window and check all around before and while reversing.
• Use off-street parking areas or marked bays wherever possible.
• It is acceptable to stop and correct your position, as long as you stay safe and in control.
• Parking sensors and cameras help, but they do not replace looking all around.

Setting up and steering in

1. Drive slowly past the bay you want, keeping a good distance from the bays on that side, and stop when your reference point lines up with a chosen line, often about two bays past your target.
2. Select reverse and look all around, including both blind spots.
3. Move back very slowly and steer briskly to full lock towards the bay.
4. Keep looking out of the rear window and check both door mirrors to see the bay lines appear on each side.
5. When the car is straight and the lines are equal on both sides, straighten the wheel.
6. Reverse straight back until the car is fully in the bay, using the line in front or a reference point to judge when to stop.

Putting it right

If one side gets too close to a line, stop. Steer away from that side, drive forward a little to straighten up, then reverse back in again. Correcting like this is part of normal driving and is far better than finishing crooked or across two bays.

A good guide is that if you are more than a little out of line, a short forward shuffle is quicker than trying to fix it in reverse.

Car park safety

• Watch for pedestrians walking between cars, people loading boots and children who may not be visible over the bonnet.
• Look out for other cars reversing out of bays at the same time.
• Keep your speed very low, even on the way to the bay.
• If anyone comes near, stop until they are clear, then check all round again.

Common mistakes

• Starting to steer too early or too late. Find and use your reference point consistently.
• Reversing too quickly to correct mistakes. Go at a crawl.
• Relying only on the mirrors or camera. Look over your shoulder too.
• Ending up across the lines and not correcting. Pull forward and try again.
• Forgetting pedestrians walking behind. Look all around every few seconds.

Test yourself: Reverse bay parking

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Driving Test Manoeuvres in GB