Parking: uphill

Tip:
When parking always turn on your signal. Check mirrors for oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Park 8 inches away from the curb. Turn the wheels toward the curb. Shift into park or first gear for manual transmissions and pull on emergency brake.

Parking: downhill

Parking: downhill

Tip:
Turn on your signal. Check mirrors for traffic and pedestrians. Park 8 inches away from the curb. Turn the wheels away from the curb. Let the car slowly roll back to until a front tire touches the curb. If there is no curb, turn the wheels toward the edge of the road.Shift into park or first gear for manual transmissions.

Parking: angle parking

Tip:
When entering angle parking always use turn signal. Go forward until your cat takes up the whole parking space you are trying to occupy. Try to turn in leaving same distance on both sides of your car. Pull in until you car is completely in the space.

When exiting check mirror for oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Slowly start backing out in straight line.

When you start turning the wheel make sure the front end of your car clears other cars around you. Pull out completely, shift to drive, straighten the wheel and stay in your lane.

Parallel Parking - entering

Tip:
When entering parallel parking space always tun on your signal first to let other drivers know what you are about to do. Check the mirrors to make sure that the traffic behind you is slowing. Line up your steering wheel with the steering wheel of the car in the front of your parking space.

Shift to reverse, begin moving the car and turning the wheel toward the curb.

Use my technique – slow speed of the car and fast wheel turning. That means go very slow but move the steering wheel fast.

When you car is at 45 degree angle, start turning your steering wheel to the opposite side.

When you get close to the car behind yours, stop, shift to drive and straighten the wheel while pulling up.

Parking: parallel parking – exiting

Parallel parking - exit

Tip:
Turn on you signal. Check the mirror for oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Back up close to the car behind yours. Check around again for cars and pedestrians.

Shift to drive, turn the wheel while slowly pulling out. After you leave the parking spot, make sure you stay in your lane.

90 degree parkinge - entering

Tip:
When entering 90 degree parking always use turn signal. Go forward until your cat takes up the whole parking space you are trying to occupy. Try to turn in leaving same distance on both sides of your car. Pull in until you car is completely in the space.

Parking: 90 degree parking – exiting

90 degree parking - exiting

Tip:
When exiting 90 degree parking always back out straight before you begin turning. Start slowly, looking at all directions for oncoming traffic as well as pedestrians. Watch the front end of your car and make sure it is clear of all surrounding vehicles.

1. Fun Roads Index is a blog is dedicated to UK’s driving roads. It is set up as an index to set of country roads with the road number, plenty of images and comments.

My favorite road featured here is A817 – Loch Lomond to Garelochhead (Glen Fruin Road). It is a winding road with up an down hill sections ans a very beautiful scenery.

Here’s the link:

Loch Lomond to Garelochhead (Glen Fruin Road)

A817 - Loch Lomond to Garelochhead (Glen Fruin Road)

You can access Fun roads index here.

2. Another fun site to check out is Top Gear’s videos posted on YouTube. I love this video titled “Top Gear – The world’s best driving road 4 of 4″ which can be seen also on Streetfire.net

3. For a sample of US roads check out this video titled North Dakota Road Trip

Also, in 2007 scientists were able to scientifically measure the level of the driving pleasure and connect it directly to the level of safety a driver feels. In other words, the more skillful you are the more pleasure your driving will give you. For a detailed report on this interesting research, please click here.

Most of us think we are good drivers and we do not need to improve our driving skills. We feel we are the ones who should be telling others what to do on the road. The truth is most of us could use a decent polish on our driving skills.

It is accepted and unspoken rule that adult new drivers do not learn driving through certified driving school. They learn it from family, relatives and friends from whom they tend to pick up bad driving habits. And, the perpetual bad driving behavior we all can observe on the road continues.

BMW website titled relearntodrive.com asks “Who Taught You To Drive” and has a point:

BMW - Who Taught You To Drive

Too many people actually start learning to drive after they get their driving license. The general attitude is “Just let me get my license, and I’ll learn to parallel-park later.”

This is where the trouble begins.

It seems that we should start by examining our road testing system and improving on it.
Road tests should be more complex in structure. For example, a few components could be added to the testing of the basic closed course driving we have in place right now. Some of the skills listed should be part of a mandatory road test:
Real road driving test which includes all the intricacies of being behind the wheel:
Night driving
Driving up/down hill
Driving in reverse
Parking in all situations
Highway driving

In conclusion, more demanding driving tests would produce drivers with better driving skills, which in turn would bring more safety on the road.

Before you leave this post, check out some really good videos from BMW Routes – Driving Pleasure.