How terrible are you at...parking?

[Matthew_T]

Whilst out with the father this evening on a trip to Sainsbury's. When we got there we saw a car mount a kerb next to a disabled parking bay. He was having trouble getting off the kerb and going forwards and backwards.
Me and my dad got out of the car and just stood and watched him as he got bored with trying to park properly (which isnt difficult) and park within 4 spaces. The guy then got out and went into the shop.

When we left the shop, his car was still there and another car had been trying to park in one of the 4 spaces, but decided against it and left the shop car park all together (not sure why).


Has anyone else had any nincompoops like this who have failed to park entirely?

 

[gaz]

It's standard, some people just don't know how to park. It's fairly simple, good spacial awareness and knowing how the turning cycle of your car works.
I would like to say i'm a professional at it.

 

[snorri]

Parking? oh what the heck, I find it a bit of a chore myself when my chauffeur is on his day off.

 

[Aperitif]

I last parked a vehicle in October 2009 and it was easy. 0/10 for terribleness.

 

[col]

Im brill at parking, I always shout "Like a gulove" when Im done

 

[XmisterIS]

Typical scenario with me driving ... "Ah there's a space! ... Drive up ... Swing round ... Back up ... Job done".

Typical scenario with my Mother driving ...

"Can you see a space? Can you? Oh, every bugger is here with their Aunty, we'll never get a space, we should have come out earlier, why didn't we get out earlier? Now what are we going to do, we can't go to any other shops, we ..."
"There's a space mum".
"we ... we ... Oh. Well, I can't get into that one, it's too small!"
"What do you mean you can't get into that one it's too small? It's the size of a large car and your car is the size of a small car, given that it is in fact a small car".
"Oh dear, oh damn it! Damn these people and their big cars! Why does anyone need a big car anyway? You'll have to tell me if I'm going to hit anything!"
"Ok, left hand down a lot ... I said left hand down ... no mum, LEFT hand down ... LEFT!!!"
"Oh God, oh God, which way are the wheels going??!! Oh God! Is there anything behind us? Oh God, it's that man's fault in his bloody big car ... " (etc).
"Would you like me to park the tiny car in the huge space?"
"Yes please". (meekly)

 

[MossCommuter]

In 25 years of driving I have successfully parallel parked in reverse once.

 

[Night Train]

Parking is my forte.
I can parallel park my car in a space that is about a foot longer then the car or reverse in a gap that is the width of the car plus 2". I then have to climb out the window though.
It was even easier in the Land Rover to do that as the sides are so flat.

I can also parallel park a trailer into two parking bays.

It is often one of those things that you can either do easily or you can't and have to work really hard at. It took me a long time to teach my ex wife how to park for her driving test. I don't think she has bothered with parking since then prefering to abandon the car near the kerb somewhere legal and walk the rest of the way.

 

[Piemaster]

I can park ok but its annoying having to overlap bays because someone else has parked so badly you can't actually get into a bay properly. Then coming back to find other car has gone and it makes my parking look bad.
One of the older multi-stories we use is a complete pain to park in as the bays (mostly spaced as 3 between concrete pillars) may have been ok when the place was built but as cars are now a lot wider its not so much the parking as getting out once you have.
Or worse, parking nicely in the centre of 3 empty bays then coming back to find a car either side and not able to get in.

As for parallel parking we had a couple of Rover 600 in succession. One Mrs.Pm and I could park easily, the 2nd one was never as easy for either of us. Odd.

 

[vernon]

I can parallel park with a trailer.

 

[dalewheeler]

Pretty good. though I have to lean out of the window to do it (can't use mirrors)

 

[col]

Hours of entertaining parking fails on you tube, thought the following just sums up the community spirit often associated with this vehicle type

Whats wrong with that?

 

[gavroche]

I pride myself in doing parking in the tighttest space between two cars and succeed most of the time. Get a good feeling when I get out of the car and think: many drivers couldn't do that.

 

[Keith Oates]

It's a good job those two cars had their hand brakes on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[slowmotion]

It's strange though.... Sometimes you can slot into the very tightest spaces, and sometimes I screw up a space three times longer than the van. What's that all about? I blame Bhuddism or something.