How to properly park your car close to the curb
Predetermining a fixed position on the dashboard relative to the curb helps the driver to measure the distance when parking close to the sidewalk, limiting parking too far or too close.
Aligning the wheel tracks to the right for the wheel tracks close to the curb is one of the skills that most new drivers are confused about. Parking too far from the curb can result in a fine, and parking too close can result in scratching the wheel rims.
Experienced drivers say the standard way to park close to the curb is as follows:
Slow down and find a parking spot
That is the first thing we need to do.
Through the rearview mirror, we need to observe the vehicles behind and on both sides, especially on the right. Because on the right side there will often be motorbikes moving inside and close to your vehicle. This is also a way to help you identify blind spots when driving.
If you do not reduce speed, parking will be very dangerous for other road users or yourself because you will not be able to handle the situation in time.
In addition, when pulling over, you need to make sure that the area allows parking or not because we are only allowed to park in the right place, so parking in the wrong place will cause traffic obstruction and even be fined.
Look carefully and turn on your turn signals.
The next step is that we need to carefully observe the surroundings as well as behind by observing directly, observing the rearview mirror and the installed camera to identify obstacles or running vehicles, to ensure the safest way to pull over.
After observing and seeing that the conditions are suitable for parking, the next step is to turn on the right turn signal to let other vehicles, especially motorbikes, know your direction of travel.
This helps the vehicles behind know and have appropriate handling such as turning left to overtake or slowing down to give way.
In general, the turn signal is an extremely important step in how to pull over because it is what signals all other vehicles to know your purpose and direction of movement, so you must definitely pay attention to this and not forget it.
Steer gradually to the right
Continuing with the way to pull the car over to the curb, we turn the steering wheel to the right, then need to pay attention to adjust the car's nose and the curb to form an angle of 30 - 45°.
Next, slowly drive the car into the predetermined area. When the front of the car is about 15 - 20 cm from the curb, quickly turn the steering wheel to the left and drive the car until it is parallel to the curb, keeping a distance of 25 cm from the small curb according to the regulations of road traffic laws.
If you use a high-chassis car, when driving, you can let the front wheels climb up to the curb, then turn the steering wheel to the left to lower the front wheels, then adjust the steering wheel so that the car is parked close to the curb.
This method will help the car pull over faster and is very suitable for use in narrow parking spaces. However, this method should only be applied when the sidewalk does not have sharp square edges and the car's chassis is not too low to avoid causing damage to the car.
Conduct a final check before parking
Once you have pulled over, you need to check one last time to see if the wheel clearance is correct. If the wheel is too far from the curb, you need to back up and turn the steering wheel to bring the car closer to the curb.
This will help your vehicle stop properly to avoid causing congestion due to improper parking. At the same time, it also avoids damage to the vehicle when the far curbs can easily cause collisions with other vehicles and make it difficult for vehicles to move.
These are ways to pull over that you need to pay attention to and remember when participating in traffic to ensure safety.
Some tips for safely pulling over
Here are some tips to keep in mind on how to pull over safely and quickly:
Do not pull over suddenly: one of the experiences of how to pull over safely is not to pull over suddenly, whether the area is empty or crowded. Because this is extremely dangerous, causing the cars behind to not be able to handle it in time and can crash into the back of the car and can cause an accident.
Use convex mirrors for better observation and alignment: sometimes we will have difficulty in observing, so equipping a small convex mirror will help your vision and observation space become wider, making it easier to pull over and park safely.
You can also choose a place with a clear sidewalk to practice parking, this will help you get more familiar and handle it easier.