Reverse Bay Park

Reverse Bay Park

You might have to reverse bay park on your driving test which would take place at your local test centre if they have a car park, if they don’t have a car park then you will not be asked to complete this manoeuvre.

There are several different methods of achieving a reverse bay park, but at 4front Driving School we want our students to find a technique that suits them. Most students will choose the 45 degree method as it will work in almost all situations. Here is the 4front Driving School guide to the 45 degree technique.

Reversing into a bay has always been described as being the safer option than driving forward into one as you’ll have a better view when driving forward out of it, especially if you have vehicles either side of you. 

There’s not much room for error when parking in between cars but in your driving test you’ll probably  be able to do this with empty bays either side. Once you have passed your test you may also want to choose spaces that have a space either side to reverse into until you feel that you can do this without any mistakes.

What to do

To choose a space on your left keep the car positioned to the left. When choosing a space on the right then keep the car positioned on the right. This will give you a wider space to turn the vehicle so that it is approximately 45 degrees so that you can then complete the reversing part of the exercise.  Before you start turning the vehicle, check your mirrors and over your shoulders and respond to anything that may impact on you completing the manoeuvre safely. As with all of the manoevres it’s important to drive slowly by just achieving the biting point in a manual and keeping the car speed to around 2 mph. If in an automatic you control your speed with the brake pedal. In either car the right foot should hover over the brake encase you need to use it at any point. There can be lots of hazards in car parks including pedestrians, children, shopping trolleys cyclists and other drivers. Drive past the target bay slightly until the white line to the left or right (depending on the space you have chosen) of you appears to travel through a reference point such as the inside door handle.

Stop the vehicle and look all around you again checking over your shoulder and in all the mirrors. If the space is on the left steer quickly to the right to achieve a full lock. After turning right, the back of the car will then be pointing towards the target bay. (You should see this in your left mirror) It should be lined up with the outer front door handle. You need at least 45 degrees so I suggest you then edge a bit further forward to maximise your angle and over compensate slightly to avoid S-shaping.

Stop the vehicle once you have lined the car up at 45 degrees. Look around once again, put the car into reverse and start moving slowly back unwinding the wheel as you go, control the steering to match the speed of the car and how it is lining up with the lines of the bay. You will eventually get a full lock to the left which needs to be held until the vehicle is almost straight. If you have a parking camera then you can judge how much steering is needed to get into the bay. On this VW ID3 you can turn the wheel to match the yellow lines with the bay.

Too much steering and the car will overhang the space on the left, not enough steering and the car will overhang the space on the right. You don’t have a lost of room to play with. When the car is almost straight you should see the lines for the space appear in your right mirror too. Your want to achieve an equal distance either side of the car if you can.

You Can Correct Mistakes

If you’re not in the bay then you can drive forward to re-adjust and then reverse back in as long as it’s safe and you’re observing for others before and as you do it. You may want to say what you are abut to do to the examiner and takes some control. Don’t ask him if you can correct it – take responsibility and say “I am just going to correct that”. This avoids any uncertainty or confusion. If the examiner says don’t worry about it, he may be referring to the fact that it is a bit wonky but still in the lines which is acceptable to pass so no adjustment is required.

If you decide to correct the manoeuvre and you do this safely, You might get a driving fault for this or a minor as they’re commonly called. This is better than a fail. How you correct your parking depends on which line you’ve parked over. 

Driving Test Centre Layout - Loughborough

These are diagrams that show the driving test centre layout in Loughborough and what you should do if you are asked to do the reverse bay at the start or end of your test.

Manoeuvres in your Driving Test

As part of your driving test you’ll be asked to do one of 4 possible manoeuvres:

1. A parallel park at the side of the road,

2. A forward bay park in a bay in a public car park,

3. A reverse bay park at the test centre car park

4. A pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for 2 car lengths and rejoin the traffic.

   
   

The emergency stop is not classed as a manoeuvre but is an additional task that could take place in one in 3 tests.If you are interested in learning to drive then please call Simon at 4front Driving School on 07905657229 Or visit our website on http://www.4frontdrivingschool.co.uk

You can email 4frontdrivingschool@gmail.com Or visit our Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/4frontdrivingschool

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