Reverse Parking is a Pain in the Rear!

Surprise, surprise – a new survey commissioned by car insurer elephant.co.uk has revealed that most people struggle with parallel and reverse parking.

What is more of a surprise are the extent of the difficulties shown and the levels of stress associated with a seemingly simple task. A fifth of drivers say they never or rarely parallel park.

Almost a quarter of those surveyed get someone else to do the parking for them, and a staggering two thirds just give up altogether and drive somewhere else to park.

It seems that men are more capable parkers, or at least more persistent (or perhaps just less likely to admit fear of parking to a survey), than women who are twice as likely to admit defeat and either drive off or give the keys to someone else.

The survey of 4200 drivers also shows that stress levels really start to rise when parking whilst someone else is watching or while other drivers are waiting for you to execute the move. And nearly 20% see red if someone else steals a parking space they were waiting for, and usually end up getting into an argument!

Reverse parking is shown to be one of the main reasons people fail their driving test, and even after passing, it’s unlikely the skill will improve with time. A recent survey by the AA showed that 34 per cent of drivers would fail on parallel parking if they retook their driving test!

Parking sensors are available on most new car leasing makes and models today.