Judging left side of the car

dazftw

So iv'e been driving almost a week now and so far have been really enjoying it. One thing iv'e had a little problem with is judging the left side of the car when driving along side other parked cars and parking itself..

I presume I will get better over time but does anyone have any tips for this?

Thanks guys!

Faith+1

dazftw wrote: »

So iv'e been driving almost a week now and so far have been really enjoying it. One thing iv'e had a little problem with is judging the left side of the car when driving along side other parked cars and parking itself..

I presume I will get better over time but does anyone have any tips for this?

Thanks guys!

Try and keep a doors lenght as you drive past parked cars.

dazftw

Faith+1 wrote: »

Try and keep a doors lenght as you drive past parked cars.

A doors length! Didn't think about that thanks! Iv'e been using the left wing mirror to tell the distance as well!? Is this a good or bad thing?

Faith+1

dazftw wrote: »

A doors length! Didn't think about that thanks! Iv'e been using the left wing mirror to tell the distance as well!? Is this a good or bad thing?

Well obviously use your mirrors at all times but a doors length is the best

af_thefragile

Way I do is to take "halfway up my dashboard" as the reference point.
As long as the white line/kerb/other car's border is to the left of the halfway point on my windscreen (at the bottom where the windscreen meets the dashboard), its safe. If the line/kerb/car passes the halfway point in the windscreen towards to my side (driver's side) you're too close and you need to move out away to the right.

So when you're driving along or passing cars, look at the bottom on the windscreen, where it meets the dashboard, take the midpoint and make sure the cars always stays to the left of that.
That way you'll always keep a safe distance from obstacles to the left of the lane.

Another thing useful, not necessarily while passing, but while parking and stopping behind other cars is to make sure you can always see the top of the rear bumper of the car. If the rear bumper of the car in front starts to disappear under your windscreen, then you're too close to the car in front and you should stop and not go any further. You could maybe push a little further while parking but when stopping at lights or stopping behind another car, make sure you can see the top of the rear bumper of the car in front.

ha-ya-said-what

I wouldn't follow the bit about seeing the top of the bumper if your stopping behind another car in traffic, if there is something up your butt behind you and more traffic & the car infront breaks down your gonna be stuck in place cos haven't enough room to get out, also if you get hit from behind your more than likely gonna hit the car infront of you.

TOT - Tyres on Tarmac is the general one people follow for stopping behind cars in traffic, but I always leave more that if anything was to happen I have room to exit.

I park behind my neighbours car & if I followed that rule with seeing the top of the bumper & another car was parked behind me there is noooo way I'd be able to get my car out nor would my OH who's driving years.

dazftw

Thanks guys ill be sure to try these things out in the morning when I finish work.

I have been stopping behind cars so I can see there back wheels.

daveharnett

dazftw wrote: »

Thanks guys ill be sure to try these things out in the morning when I finish work.

I have been stopping behind cars so I can see there back wheels.

You are correct. As to the other thing, there's no substitute for practice. As you spend more time behind the wheel, you will learn the dimensions of the car.

When you're planning to pass an obstacle, move out well in advance- it helps with visability, makes it easy for everybody to read your intentions, and gives you time to choose your line. If it's prudent, move well out to the centre - treat it like an overtake. If space is tighter (ie less than a door length) and you are confident you can still make progress safely, do so slowly and with caution.

af_thefragile

ha-ya-said-what wrote: »

I wouldn't follow the bit about seeing the top of the bumper if your stopping behind another car in traffic, if there is something up your butt behind you and more traffic & the car infront breaks down your gonna be stuck in place cos haven't enough room to get out, also if you get hit from behind your more than likely gonna hit the car infront of you.

TOT - Tyres on Tarmac is the general one people follow for stopping behind cars in traffic, but I always leave more that if anything was to happen I have room to exit.

I park behind my neighbours car & if I followed that rule with seeing the top of the bumper & another car was parked behind me there is noooo way I'd be able to get my car out nor would my OH who's driving years.

Yeah but in reality no one stops as far back as to be able to see the tyres on tarmac of the car in front. Or maybe its just that I can't see it cuz I'm kinda short!

For me the top of the bumper works best. And I don't stop my car that close to the car in front all the time. I stop so that I can see the whole or most of the rear bumper of the car in front.

Its only while parking that I keep the top of the bumper as a reference point to the closest I can get to the car. The moment the bumper disappears I know I've gotten too close and I back out.

cosmic

dazftw wrote: »

I have been stopping behind cars so I can see there back wheels.

Yep, my ADI is very particular about tire distance. Basically it's best to keep one car's length. I got beeped at by some ignorant woman last week for not moving more forward but I ignored her, I'm just being safe.

ha-ya-said-what

cosmic wrote: »

Yep, my ADI is very particular about tire distance. Basically it's best to keep one car's length. I got beeped at by some ignorant woman last week for not moving more forward but I ignored her, I'm just being safe.

As was my ADI. I get beeped at as well the very odd time for keeping back from the car infront of me first at the lights, the car infront of me generally tends to over shoot the line & most of them just reverses back, car behind me don't see so think I'm just stopping where I am for the craic of it!

Turpentine

cosmic wrote: »

Yep, my ADI is very particular about tire distance. Basically it's best to keep one car's length. I got beeped at by some ignorant woman last week for not moving more forward but I ignored her, I'm just being safe.

A car's length is way too big of gap to leave between cars stopped in traffic, tailbacks would stretch forever if everyone did the same thing. Ideally you should be aiming for about 4ft max.

cosmic

Turpentine wrote: »

A car's length is way too big of gap to leave between cars stopped in traffic, tailbacks would stretch forever if everyone did the same thing. Ideally you should be aiming for about 4ft max.

That's just what my ADI told me. My car's tiny anyway, so the length of it is the perfect gap.

Faith+1

cosmic wrote: »

That's just what my ADI told me. My car's tiny anyway, so the length of it is the perfect gap.

Cosmic, Just ensure that when you stop you can see the back wheels of the car in front. My instructor told me that and I flew the test! Got no marks for position.

sonicthebadger*

Turpentine wrote: »

A car's length is way too big of gap to leave between cars stopped in traffic, tailbacks would stretch forever if everyone did the same thing. Ideally you should be aiming for about 4ft max.

Not at all, you should be able to see Tyres and Tarmac. If anything happens to the car in front you can drive around them and if you get hit from behind you're unlikely to hit the vehicle you've stopped behind.

If everyone left the correct distance there would be fewer tailbacks because less junctions would be blocked accidentally by inattentive drivers.

InquiringMind

If I am on a main road and it's quite, I will try driving with my left wheels as close as possible to the yellow line so that if I move my steering wheel to the left at all I am instantly on the line/cats eyes.

Good for learning exactly how wide your vehicle is. Please note, I don't take my eyes off the road and use audio cues to tell me when I am on the line.

Turpentine

sonicthebadger* wrote: »

Not at all, you should be able to see Tyres and Tarmac. If anything happens to the car in front you can drive around them and if you get hit from behind you're unlikely to hit the vehicle you've stopped behind.

If everyone left the correct distance there would be fewer tailbacks because less junctions would be blocked accidentally by inattentive drivers.

I'm not dismissing the tyres and tarmac rule at all.

The tyres and tarmac rule (for me anyway) generally leaves a gap of about 4ft between the nose of my car and the back of the car in front, which is plenty of space to pull around the car in front should the need arise. I merely meant that a gap of a car's-length (for argument's sake say 12-15ft) between two cars stopped at traffic lights is way too much.

If everyone left a gap of 12ft (as opposed to 4ft) between stopped cars there would be fewer cars between each set of traffic lights, yet the rate of take off from a standstill for each car would probably remain roughly the same, as each car waits for the one in front to move off when the lights turn green. That means it'd take longer to cover the same journey. The longer a line of traffic is on a route the more chance of new cars joining the queue, hence the bigger tailbacks.

If I'm second in line at the traffic lights I'd always leave extra-extra space for the car in front to reverse if they've overshot the junction or the pedestrian crossing. There's no excuse for clogging up junctions for other drivers.

daveharnett

Turpentine wrote: »

I'm not dismissing the tyres and tarmac rule at all.

The tyres and tarmac rule (for me anyway) generally leaves a gap of about 4ft between the nose of my car and the back of the car in front, which is plenty of space to pull around the car in front should the need arise. I merely meant that a gap of a car's-length (for argument's sake say 12-15ft) between two cars stopped at traffic lights is way too much.

Agreed, four feet sounds about right for a family hatch (bigger cars = bigger turning circle). I think the full car length dictum comes from protection driving where kidnap/ambush is a concern - it allows overtaking the car in front (and clearing an open offside door) quickly and without hard steering. Probably not a major concern on the M50!