SHE SAYS....

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31006, 11 March 1966, Page 9

SHE SAYS....

... the only successful way to park a car between two others is to reverse into the space. With your car parallel to the first car, and about a foot from it, reverse slowly, turning the tail of your car into the parking space. When the nose of your car is pointing well out from the kerb and is almost level with the rear bumper of the car in front turn the steering wheel to the opposite lock to bring the nose of your car into the space.

It sounds fairly easy, and with a little practice it is. But how many motorists baulk at it, and attempt to park by going in forwards—with the result that the tail of their car is left sticking out untidily into the traffic! To reverse in is safer, quicker and easier. It simply means practice, and this is where many women fall down —they just do not get enough practice.

Find a quiet street where their is a kerb, and mark a

space equal to the length of your car plus five or six feet. Use a couple of boxes or cartons, flags or sticks, to mark the limits of the space and try reversing in. Having accomplished the test successfully several times, make it a little mor/ difficult by shortening the space. Now you may find it takes three stages to get the car in line with the kerb; the first two as before, the third a forward movement to get the vehicle straight. Certainly some cars are more difficult to park than others, often because of the better lock on some models. But once again practice will make the manoeuvre natural and easy. To some motorists, particularly women, control of a car in reverse is difficult. Here again the answer is practice. Some drivers may find it easier with wing mirrors, the left-hand one so positioned that the side of the car is visible.