Parallel parking was a necessity to pass your drivers exam when you took it all those years ago, but if you live in an area where there is ample parking (such as the suburbs), you may be a little rusty when it comes to this skill. In New York, it is very important to be able to parallel park your NYC discount car rental unless you plan on valet parking the whole time you are here!
Have confidence
You’ve probably parallel parked in the past, and you can do it again! When you are here with your NYC discount car rental it is best to have confidence when you are parallel parking. You may need a few tries to get into the spot, but don’t worry about it! And if you just can’t get into the spot you want, go a bit further down the road and find a better spot to parallel park. Maybe the cars wont be quite as close together. The trick is not to hurry and think about whether the car will fit into the space available. You also need to indicate to the car behind you that you plan to park by using the signal in that direction.
The steps
In order to park your NYC discount car rental like a pro, there are seven easy steps that you can do to get into the spot. The first step is to get as close to the car that will be parked in front of you as possible and straighten your front tires so that the two cars are parallel. Don’t be shy to reverse and move forward until you are in the correct position! Next, look to the right (you can hold your right arm at the back of the front passenger seat) and reverse so that your front tires are close to the rear tires of the car that will be parked in from of you. Stop and turn the wheels fully to the right and continue reversing. But do this slowly and carefully to make sure there is a safe distance between you and the car next to you. You may also want to make sure there are no cars that are trying to pass you on the left.
Almost there
When the front door of your NYC discount car rental is near the bumper of the other car, stop again and turn the wheels fully to the left. At this point, it is important to keep a safe distance from the other car because you don’t want to scratch it! Reverse to the car behind you. If you are not very confident in the distance to the end of the car, you may want to have a passenger get out and guide you at this point from the sidewalk. You don’t want to bump into the car behind you at this point! Next, turn the wheels straight and move forward a bit so that you are in the middle of the two cars (in front and behind). You don’t want to be too close to either because you want to make sure you have space to get out in case someone else parks after you. You want to be as close to the curb as possible without being on it. About half a foot is an ok distance to be.
When you are here with your NYC discount car rental, you will find you will likely have to parallel park your car at least once. It is a good idea to get some practice before you are here if it’s possible, but if not, try not to worry when you are parking. It may take a few tries, but you can do it.