Can you park between the lines?

Yep, certainly can.. and I always reverse into a space. It never makes sense to me people driving forward into a space because they then have to reverse into traffic...

I don't even have reversing cameras... like most have now.. but I've always been an excellent reverse parker. better than my husband until he got reversing cameras...
 

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Yesterday while waiting in an almost empty parking lot, we watched a woman park beside the only car in 8 empty spaces. She pulled in and out repeatedly and then settled on that spot . She was so on top of the line that the other driver wouldn’t be able to open their door. Maybe there was an ulterior motive. Very strange.
 
Yes I can easily park our car in a shopping parking lot. People that can’t usually take up two parking lots. It doesn’t bother me but drives my husband crazy.
 
More and more people are now driving 4-door pickup trucks that just don't fit in all parking spots. When Bubba takes up 1 1/2 in width and 1 1/4 in length with his lifted four-wheel drive with oversized tires and extra wide mirrors everyone loses.
 
I've owned a pickup truck most of my life, and I just wouldn't want to live without one. I've hauled lumber, building materials, compost, dirt, gravel, green waste, and a host of other things. Many parking spaces are made for small cars, and I don't own a body and paint shop, so I prefer to park away from others, and walk a bit further. It works for me.
 
TennVet said:
More and more people are now driving 4-door pickup trucks that just don't fit in all parking spots. When Bubba takes up 1 1/2 in width and 1 1/4 in length with his lifted four-wheel drive with oversized tires and extra wide mirrors everyone loses.
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I managed to take up four spaces w my land yacht the other day. "Freedom is scary, deal with it."
 
I can parallel park & back into parking spaces without using a back up camera in my F-150 extended cab pickup with an 8' bed.

@Jules I think I've seen that person, or at least one of her relatives, trying out multiple parking spots before.

@bobcat, I park out in the lot like you. It seems like no matter how far out I am, sometimes when I come back I still find someone who will park next to me.

My SIL had to retake her driving test a couple of years ago after she let her license expire past the renewal date. To get them back, she had to take the written test, road driving test & the maneuverability test in her Chevy Sonic. The maneuverability course is comprised of 5 cones total (see diagram). The box portion is 9 foot wide & 20 foot long. The single cone out front is 20 foot away from the box.

Hubby, who has the patience of a saint, helped her practice both driving tests. She kept running into & over them along with not lining up parallel with the cones. She kept telling him the cones were too close together & couldn't be done. I got so irked at her complaining at him that I showed her it could be & did it the first time in the truck.

Neither of us ever thought she would pass, let alone do it the first time. We are still trying to figure out how that ever happened 😵‍💫😲. And yes, she still shouldn't be out there driving IMO 😱.

maneuverability_test-565176342.jpg
 
Lilac said:
I can parallel park & back into parking spaces without using a back up camera in my F-150 extended cab pickup with an 8' bed.

@Jules I think I've seen that person, or at least one of her relatives, trying out multiple parking spots before.

@bobcat, I park out in the lot like you. It seems like no matter how far out I am, sometimes when I come back I still find someone who will park next to me.

My SIL had to retake her driving test a couple of years ago after she let her license expire past the renewal date. To get them back, she had to take the written test, road driving test & the maneuverability test in her Chevy Sonic. The maneuverability course is comprised of 5 cones total (see diagram). The box portion is 9 foot wide & 20 foot long. The single cone out front is 20 foot away from the box.

Hubby, who has the patience of a saint, helped her practice both driving tests. She kept running into & over them along with not lining up parallel with the cones. She kept telling him the cones were too close together & couldn't be done. I got so irked at her complaining at him that I showed her it could be & did it the first time in the truck.

Neither of us ever thought she would pass, let alone do it the first time. We are still trying to figure out how that ever happened 😵‍💫😲. And yes, she still shouldn't be out there driving IMO 😱.

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Driving a vehicle ( of any size ) is a learned SKILL. People who "can't park " were not TRAINED how to do it. Too many people laugh it off as "not important to know ". I was an Ontario Provincial driver examiner when I was employed by Metropolitan Toronto Department of Ambulance Services from 1977 to 1987. Every one who was hired by the DAS who was going to drive a department vehicle had to pass my driver testing course.

My test location was a disused runway at Downsview Airport. The standard van ambulance was the test vehicle. One of the most common accident incidents at that time was when Ambulances were backing up. That was one of the tests I put every one through, but the route that they were backing up was a curve. Most of the new hires hit the cones time after time, because they had to use the outside mirrors, because you could not see through the van interior to the rear. Training is the key, repeating the fundamentals until it becomes natural. I failed a number of people over the years, because after a full 2 weeks of daily training, they still couldn't could not drive properly.
 
I saw a lady in St Augustine Florida trying very unsuccessfully to parallel park a mini van. She drew quite a crowd. Eventually a guy offered to do it for her, and did it very well. I dont think most people under 30 can parallel park anymore, even with backup cameras.
 
Jules said:
Yesterday while waiting in an almost empty parking lot, we watched a woman park beside the only car in 8 empty spaces. She pulled in and out repeatedly and then settled on that spot . She was so on top of the line that the other driver wouldn’t be able to open their door. Maybe there was an ulterior motive. Very strange.
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I had the same thing a few days ago. In a BIG car park... I'm in the 2nd space alone from the Trolley (cart) coral

look here similar to this photo...we'll say my car is the black car..only I've reversed in... .. remember my driver side is on the right of the car

csm_Freistation_70afbad2ea.jpg

The matey has a choice of spaces to park in opposite the coral... . I come back to my car which is back to back with the white car for the sake of this picture ..and this guy is forward/ back/forward/back trying to get into the space between me and the coral..

I toot him through my open window from outside because I know he's going to prevent me getting into my car, .. but nope he's determined he's going in that space.. and does.. eventually.

I said, Excuse me I can't get my door open to get in... and his passenger says she couldn't open the door to get out.... well excuse me this was obvious to a blind man.. yet he was determined to get into that space rather than just out it in a more accessible space... It was only when his wife said she couldn't get out, that he drove forward opposite the coral and parked it in a few seconds in one of the spaces there.. but honestly it never ceases to amaze me the way some drivers are...
 
Just to be boring ..this is the exact car park....where I was parked. On the right on the second space from the coral is a black car...that is where I was parked . On the left where the blue and white cars are.. it was almost empty. loads of spaces.. but he insisted on struggling to get into that space between me and the Coral... blocking both our entries and exits from and into ours cars..
5963526_dafae809_1024x1024.jpg
 
jimintoronto said:
Driving a vehicle ( of any size ) is a learned SKILL. People who "can't park " were not TRAINED how to do it. Too many people laugh it off as "not important to know ". I was an Ontario Provincial driver examiner when I was employed by Metropolitan Toronto Department of Ambulance Services from 1977 to 1987. Every one who was hired by the DAS who was going to drive a department vehicle had to pass my driver testing course.

My test location was a disused runway at Downsview Airport. The standard van ambulance was the test vehicle. One of the most common accident incidents at that time was when Ambulances were backing up. That was one of the tests I put every one through, but the route that they were backing up was a curve. Most of the new hires hit the cones time after time, because they had to use the outside mirrors, because you could not see through the van interior to the rear. Training is the key, repeating the fundamentals until it becomes natural. I failed a number of people over the years, because after a full 2 weeks of daily training, they still couldn't could not drive properly.
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I agree that it's a learned skill. Sadly too many people either don't, won't or can't learn to do it & they are out there on the road.

My MIL got her license in her mid 40's after my FIL passed away because she didn't have a choice. He drove & she was happy to let him do it. She wasn't comfortable driving, but she was a good driver. She knew her limitations & didn't push it. Very rarely did she drive on the interstates or high traffic areas.
 
GrandPaul said:
I saw a lady in St Augustine Florida trying very unsuccessfully to parallel park a mini van. She drew quite a crowd. Eventually a guy offered to do it for her, and did it very well. I dont think most people under 30 can parallel park anymore, even with backup came ras.
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:oops: Creepy. The time I saw a spectacle with parking was in St. Augustine, too... it was on the island at the lighthouse and a quite elderly lady... back and forth, back and forth... open the door, look for the line she was trying to park inside of. Back up, pull forward... People watched and finally a guy asked if he could help. The old gal got a little snippy and said "I've been driving for longer than you've been alive, kid... I don't need help!" 🤭
 
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