🚗 Reverse bay parking
Reversing 90° into a marked parking bay: reference points, a step-by-step method, observation and how to fix your alignment.
This is the manoeuvre you'll meet in supermarket and hospital car parks and at the test centre: reversing backwards into a space between two lines. Reversing in is much safer because you drive out forwards — you can see the road and pedestrians clearly as you leave.
The aim
Place the car centred and straight between the lines of the chosen bay. The wheels must not be on the lines and the car must not overhang neighbouring bays.
Step by step (reversing into a bay on the right)
- Position: drive slowly at right angles to the bays, about 1.5–2 metres away from the front of them. Pass the bay you've chosen.
- Stopping point: stop when your driver's seat is level with the line two lines beyond your target bay (this varies with the car and the bay width; find your own reference with your instructor).
- Observation: reverse gear, 360° look — in car parks pedestrians, children, trolleys and other reversing cars are everywhere.
- Full lock: reversing very slowly, turn the wheel fully towards the bay (right). Watch the bay's lines in the right mirror and the rear side window.
- Catch the lines: when the lines appear parallel to your car and equally spaced in both mirrors, straighten the wheel.
- Straight back: continue straight back, checking both mirrors. Make small corrections if needed.
- Finish: stop when the front of the car is level with the front line of the bay (or the wall/line behind gets close). Handbrake, neutral.
Observation
- Car parks are slow but unpredictable: children stepping out between cars, pedestrians on their phones, other drivers reversing.
- Look all round before you start steering and several times during the manoeuvre. Your front swings in a wide arc — watch the parked cars opposite.
- If someone approaches, stop. Even if they wave you on, make sure there's no danger.
Common errors and fixes
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| Car ends up at an angle | Straightened too late or too early; straighten when the lines look equal in both mirrors. If needed, pull forward and correct. |
| Wheel on the line | You started too close to or too far from the bays; keep 1.5–2 m. |
| Going into the wrong bay | Wrong stopping point; fix your own reference during lessons. |
| Too fast | Clutch at biting point, slower than walking. |
| Only using mirrors | Mirrors are for the lines; the shoulder and rear window are for hazards. |
Correcting
If the car is crooked: stop, steer the opposite way and pull forward a little, then reverse back in straight. One or two corrections are accepted; hitting the next car or continuing without looking is not.
And then: driving out
When driving out forwards: gear, observation (especially both sides — pedestrians between parked cars), move off slowly; as you turn, the rear of the car swings out, so watch the cars beside you.
