Can you practice parallel parking at the dmv

Get ready for the permit test with DriversEd. Take our basic traffic school course to keep your record clear. In general, you will use parallel parking next to a curb in the space between two parked cars. Sometimes parallel parking is your only option.

You will need to choose a space that is at least five feet longer than your car. It requires practice to master this maneuver. Always signal first, and then position your vehicle parallel with the vehicle parked rear bumpers of both vehicles are aligned in front of the empty spot. Keep at least two feet away from this vehicle see figure. Move backward slowly and carefully as you straighten the vehicle and get into the spot. Keep your foot over the brake pedal in case you need to stop quickly.

Stop when you get close to the parked vehicle behind you. You don't want to tap bumpers, and you also don't want to park so close that getting out later will be hard. A little wiggle room is always nice. If nothing has gone horribly wrong, you should be in the parking space at this point. You will be fairly close to the vehicle behind you and have several feet of clear space in front of you. You do NOT want to accidentally drive in reverse and hit the car behind you.

Pull forward and turn your steering wheel to straighten out your wheels and get centered in the parking spot.

Leave several inches of space in front of your car. Park and throw that parking brake into action! Your wheels should be inches away from the curb. A couple of feet is too far. Need to practice for your upcoming exam? Take our free sample driving test - no registration required!

Note: If you are practicing in a simulated parking space or an empty parking lot, assume that you are maneuvering around two other cars. Be fully prepared in days, not weeks with Premium. Follow these steps to proper parallel parking. Slowly steer your car so that it is parallel to the car parked in front of the empty space. Your car should be feet from the side of the parked car. Check your rear-view mirror , as well as your left and right side mirrors for other traffic. Once you are certain that there are no other vehicles in your blind spot, shift your car into reverse.

Slowly begin to reverse your vehicle along the side of the parked car. Begin to turn your steering wheel to the right. Once you get your permit, you can practice driving and backing up skills as long as there is another person over 25 years of age who has a valid California driver's license in the car with you.

Customer Support. Log In. Select State. In-Car Driving Lessons. Traffic School. Practice Permit Test. DMV Information. The test examiner will be looking at whether you : Pull up to and away from the curb at a safe speed.

Look over your right shoulder while backing. Back up at a smooth speed. Maintain control of your car while backing up. Types of Mistakes You Can Make When Parallel Parking There are several critical driving errors that could happen while you are completing the backing up portion of the test that could cause you to immediately fail your driving test. You will fail the California driving test if you: Hit another car, object, bicyclist, person, or animal.