Practical Driving Test Tips - Reverse Parking
| Problem | Reason | Solution |
| At the point of turn you didn’t check / take effective observation | Because you were concentrating too much on controlling the car | Check ahead, over your right shoulder and left shoulder, before the car starts to turn |
| At the point of turn you didn’t check / take effective observation | Because, although you looked, you didn’t act on what you saw / heard | Act sensibly on the information you receive |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking over the wrong shoulder | Look, through the middle of the rear window over your left shoulder, when reversing in a straight line |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking through the rear side window / ahead | Look through the middle of the rear window when you’re going backwards |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were staring in the door / interior mirrors | Use the door mirrors as part of your overall observation strategy, for no more than a count of, say, 1 - 2 seconds |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking forward (too much) | Look the way the cars going, through the middle of the rear window |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you didn’t turn sideways in your seat | Turn sideways in your seat so that you can look squarely through the middle of the rear window |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you didn’t check forward (enough) | Check forward, with quick glances, every half car length |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking through / over the head-rest | Look clearly between the headrests - this will give you the best view to the rear |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you didn’t open the windows | Open the windows before starting this manoeuvre and actively listen for hazards |
| You (almost) hit the kerb | Because you steered too much | Turn a specific amount (advise for gap) and then keep the wheel still: ‘steer and still’ |
| You (almost) hit the kerb | Because you didn’t take off the steering early enough | Start to steer the other way when the door mirror is level with the corner of the stationary car |
| You (almost) hit the kerb | Because you over steered and kept turning the wheel | Use the ‘steer and still’ method (explain) and allow the steering time to take effect |
| You didn’t check properly during the manoeuvre | Because you didn’t check sufficiently over your right shoulder | Check your right blind spot with frequent glances as you position the car in the gap |
| You didn’t look properly /take effective observation before moving off | Because you didn’t check blind spots all around the car | Check ahead, over your right shoulder and left shoulder before the car moves back |
| You didn’t look properly /take effective observation before moving off | Because, although you looked, you didn’t act on what you saw / heard | Act sensibly on the information that you receive |
| You didn’t look properly /take effective observation before moving off | Because you glanced too quickly to take everything in | Take a longer look, say, two seconds |
| You didn’t park centrally within the marked lines / parked at an angle | Because you didn’t line up correctly before starting the exercise | Position the car squarely in front of the bay, if possible, so that it goes in centrally |
| You didn’t park centrally within the marked lines / parked at an angle | Because you looked mainly in the mirrors | Use three reference points to help you position properly:1. To the rear - look mainly through the middle of the rear window. 2. To the front - quick glances forward. 3. To the sides - quick glances in the door mirrors |
| You didn’t park centrally within the marked lines / parked at an angle | Because you rushed the exercise, not giving yourself enough time to steer | Reduce your speed by, say, half, to give you time to steer and take effective observation. Half the speed, twice as safe |
| You didn’t position the vehicle correctly before starting to reverse | Because you’ve parked too far / close / at an angle from the car | Stop parallel and alongside the car, approx 30 - 60cm from it. The narrower the gap the further out you need to be |
| You didn’t position the vehicle correctly before starting to reverse | Because you’ve stopped too far back / too far forward of the car | Pull .up with the two bonnets ‘level, or slightly further forward, say, no more than a bonnet length |
| You dry-steered | Because you turned the wheel before the car moved | Turn the wheel only when the car is moving |
| You finished too far back from / too close to the car: | Because you weren’t aware how much space you should leave | Look at the gap and leave no more than a car length - a good guidelines ‘tyres and tarmac’ (advise) |
| You got too close to the parked car | Because you steered too early | Turn later, when the back of the car is level with the end of the vehicle you’re reversing behind |
| You reversed too quickly | Because the clutch came up too quickly / too far | Bring the clutch up slowly and smoothly, say, in the time it takes you to say ‘clutch up slowly’ and then keep the clutch at, or about, the biting point |
| You reversed too quickly | Because you had too much gas | Set the gas about the thickness of two one-pound coins |
| You reversed too quickly | Because you didn’t assess the start correctly | Look at the road and decide whether it’s level, uphill or downhill |
| You reversed too slowly | Because you didn’t bring the clutch up high enough | Keep the clutch at or around the biting point, using movements .of about the thickness of a pound coin up or down |
| You reversed too slowly | Because you didn’t have enough gas | Set the gas about the thickness of two one-pound coins, more for uphill starts |
| You shunted backwards and forwards unnecessarily | Because you didn’t control the car sufficiently precisely | Drive slowly, say, walking pace and turn the wheel briskly. |
| You stalled | Because you didn’t release the handbrake | Release the handbrake before the car moves |
| You stalled | Because your foot came off the clutch too quickly | Keep your left foot still as the car starts to move |
| You stalled | Because your foot came off the gas as the clutch came up | Keep the gas set about the thickness of two one-pound coins |
| You stalled | Because you didn’t assess the start correctly | Look at the road and decide whether it’s level, uphill or downhill and then use the appropriate technique |
| You steered the wrong way | Because you got confused about which way to steer | Steer in, to the left, to go towards the kerb, and vice-versa |
| You veered away from the kerb | Because you-weren’t looking through the middle of the rear window | Look mainly through the middle of the rear window |
| You veered in and out | Because you were steering too far one way and then too far the other way | Steer no more than 5 or 10 minutes in either direction, when reversing in a straight line |
| You veered towards the kerb | Because you were staring at the kerb and got drawn towards it... | Look further down the road, say, 20 - 30m, and use other reference points to monitor your position: door mirrors / checking forward |
| You went too far back before turning | Because you steered too late | Turn earlier, when the back of the car is level with the end of the vehicle you’re reversing behind |
| You went too far back before turning | Because you didn’t steer enough | Steer more (advise the pupil). The narrower the gap the more you need to steer |
| You went too far back before turning | Because you were going too fast | Keep your speed to a walking pace. This will give you the time to look and steer |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because your left heel was off the floor | Keep your left heel on the floor -this will give you more precise control |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because your right heel was off the floor | Keep your right heel on the floor - this will give you more precise control |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because your right foot was going on and off the brake / gas pedal too quickly /harshly | Use smooth, gentle pressure on the gas and brake |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because the clutch pedal travelled too far up and down | Keep the clutch pedal at or about the biting point. Move it about the thickness of a one-pound coin either side of the biting point, as a general guideline |
| Your steering was erratic | Because you only used one hand on the wheel | Use two hands on the wheel, where possible, to maintain full control (advise pupil on hand positioning) |
| You’ve finished the exercise with the wheels turned | Because you didn’t appreciate the effect it could have on others | Park pretty - all road wheels straight and parallel to the kerb and with the steering wheel straight |
| You’ve finished the exercise, too close to /too far from the kerb / at an angle | Because you’re unaware of the ‘correct distance | Park about 15 - 20cm from the kerb, and parallel to it |
| You’ve finished the exercise, too close to /too far from the kerb / at an angle | Because you didn’t turn sufficiently / turned too much | Steer according to the size of the gap / turning circle of car (advise) |