How to parallel park, step by step

Pick the space first

Most failed attempts are lost before the car moves. Start with a space about one and a half cars long. Bigger is fine while you learn. Skip spaces next to a driveway, a hydrant or a tall truck until the move feels easy.

Turn on your signal. It tells the driver behind you what you plan to do, so they stop and give you room.

The steps

1. Line up. Pull alongside the car in front of the space. Stay two or three feet away from it. Stop with your back bumper even with theirs. The Colorado Driver Handbook says to stop even with the vehicle ahead.
2. Look. Check your mirrors, then look over your shoulder. Shift to reverse. Keep your foot off the gas and let the car creep on the brake. Slow is the whole trick.
3. First turn. Turn the wheel all the way toward the curb. Back up slowly. The Handbook calls this turning the wheel sharply to the right and backing toward the vehicle behind.
4. Find the angle. Keep backing until your car sits at roughly a 45 degree angle to the curb. Your mirrors will show the car in front sliding out of your way. Reference points differ by car, so find yours in practice.
5. Second turn. Once your front corner is clear of the car ahead, turn the wheel the other way, sharply to the left in the Handbook's words. Keep backing slowly. Your front end swings in behind the car ahead.
6. Straighten and stop. As your car becomes parallel to the curb, straighten the wheel and stop before you touch the car behind you.
7. Center it. Pull forward a little to leave equal room at both ends. Shift to park.

The Handbook also says your car must end up within 12 inches of the curb, or as close as possible. Aim for a few inches. Close is safer for traffic and for your tires.

Mistakes that cost the most

• Going too fast. A fast car leaves no time to correct. Let it creep.
• Starting too far out. If you stop four feet off the front car, the angle never works. Two or three feet.
• Turning back too early or too late. Early, and your rear wheel hits the curb. Late, and you hit the car behind. Practice finding the moment.
• Using only mirrors. Mirrors have blind spots. Look through the windows too.
• Not resetting. A bad angle is not a failure. Pull forward, straighten out and start again. Drivers reset all the time.

What to check every time

• Signal on.
• Mirrors, then over your shoulder.
• People on the sidewalk, bikes and cars coming up behind you.
• Enough room to open your door when you finish.

A drill for a quiet lot

Find an empty lot where you have permission to be. Bring a helper who can stand well off to the side and watch.

1. Build the space. Use two cardboard boxes or cones as the front and back cars. Put them roughly 22 feet apart, about one and a half car lengths. Use a painted line or a strip of tape as the curb.
2. Learn your bumpers. Creep toward a box until you think the bumper is a foot away. Stop and get out to check. Repeat until your guess is close.
3. Run the steps. Do the seven steps above, slowly. Do ten tries.
4. Shrink the gap. After three clean tries in a row, move the boxes one foot closer. Stop when the gap is tight but fair.

Short, frequent sessions work better than one long one. Twenty minutes is enough.

Quick answers

Want a coach in the passenger seat?

The Parking Clinic is 90 minutes in your own car for $150. We work on parallel, angle spots and tight garages. If parking is not the only thing that rattles you, read about coaching for nervous drivers, or see how to merge onto the highway. All prices are here, and the FAQ covers what I need from you.

Based on the Colorado Driver Handbook (DR 2337). Check dmv.colorado.gov for the current edition. This is coaching. It does not count toward a permit or license.