Revealed: Just How Scared Are We of Parking?

By Blind Spot DriveBlog

Revealed: Just How Scared Are We of Parking?

While arguably rudimentary, parking is probably among the most daunting driving skills. A recent study by online car website Auto Trader simply puts into perspective how intimidating such a maneuver might be to drivers in the UK. For the study, participants were fitted with heart rate monitors and had their physiological reactions observed while executing three common parking scenarios: parallel park, reverse bay parking, and driving into the bay.

The Heart of the Matter

Some surprising figures emerged from this study: 57% of drivers showed a significant rise in heart rate while performing a parallel park, and 46% when performing a reverse bay park. Even driving forward into a bay saw the heart rate rise by 41% in many of the participants. That works out at an average of 48% of drivers who have a heart rate increase for activities involving park, and underlines the fact that for nearly half of us, parking is stressful.

Incidentally, there was a slight gender difference in findings: The generally held view that women are easily upset and flustered is not borne out by these findings, since, compared with a total of 50% of men suffering from increased heartbeats, only 46% of women do.

These results beg the question:

Why does parking provoke such anxiety, and more importantly, what can we do to overcome it?

The Adverse Effects of Parking Stress To a vast number of drivers, park represents a mix of precision, spatial awareness, and the fear of public scrutiny, especially when park in an area of a city. Mistakes made while parking are always overtly visible, and the prospect of delaying traffic flow or risking dents on another vehicle makes all the difference in plunging a driver into a stressed state.

One related survey showed that 26% of drivers admit to finding parallel park or bay park particularly stressful. Fortunately, though, these levels of stress do tend to decrease with age and experience.

The percentages were divided accordingly: 37% of 17-24-year-olds reported feelings of stress about parking; meanwhile, only 21% of drivers aged 55 and above reported the same. This does mean, hence, that practice and familiarity with parking does indeed help reduce anxiety over time.

For others, the stress associated with park is overwhelming, and they do everything in their power to avoid it. In this respect, the survey revealed some very extreme measures drivers take to avoid parking altogether:

Driving past an available space if it looks too tricky to maneuver into. Asking a passenger to park the car. This can be a little risky unless that person is also insured. These range from illegally parking on double yellow lines to mounting pavements and leaving the car in a permit holder space without permission. It is understandable that these evasion tactics may be performed in panic situations, but fines and accidents can easily arise, so the real solution is practicing it by proper instruction. Furthermore, The Extreme Lengths Drivers Will Go To Avoid Parking.

How far would people go to get around parking?

As part of its study, Auto Trader highlighted some surprising results. Give a group of drivers a list of potentially nasty or stressful tasks, and many said they’d rather do these activities than parallel park. Here are the top activities that people would rather endure:

Catching a spider – 19.2%
Watching a horror movie – 19.1%
Visiting the dentist – 18.7%
Visiting for blood testing/vaccination – 17.7%
Riding a roller coaster – 14.8%
Being in a small room for 60 seconds – 14.2%
Going on a blind date – 13.2%
Visiting a haunted house – 12.7%
Giving a public speech, such as a wedding toast – 11.6%
Standing atop the world’s tallest building – 11.5%

It really says something about how much stress is involved in parking that so many drivers would prefer activities that are generally known to instill fear or anxiety. Still, one must remember that parking is an art that is learned, and as with all other arts, it can be mastered over time with practice.

Overcoming the Fear of Park

The secret formula to overcome a fear of parking is simple-practice. The more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you are going to be in handling different parking movements. If the thought of parki seems daunting to you, the best thing is to talk to your driving instructor about it. Instructors are trained to help you develop the skills necessary to tackle parking challenges calmly and effectively.

Here are a few tips that could help you build your confidence:

Start with simple parking situations – Just start off with parking in areas where there is very little traffic and plenty of space. Get comfortable with the basic movements of parking before progressing to more challenging scenarios.

Break the maneuver down into smaller, easier-to-manage steps. For example, when parallel parking, get your positioning right before you make your turn. Once each step has been mastered individually, the whole process is less daunting.

Use reference points: Many drivers have problems with parking because they do not know when to start turning or how close they are from other cars. Learn the use of reference points on your car, such as mirrors or windows, and on the road like lines or position of other vehicles.

Practice under different conditions: As you get more confident, practice parking on busy streets, in shopping centres, and in multi-storey car parks. The greater the variation in your experience, the more prepared you are likely to be when you encounter most situations that occur when driving in the real world.

Get feedback: If you’re having lessons, ask your instructor to make some specific comments on what you’re doing right and wrong and how you might improve.

Do it slowly, and don’t rush it. Nervous? Take deep breaths, slow down, and make a careful execution. Before you know it, you’ll be parking efficiently without giving in to stress.

Top Tips on Parking for the Beginner
To help you with news driving skills, below are some top tips for two of the most challenging parking scenarios: parallel parking and reverse bay parking. They will help instill confidence and avoid some of the common pitfalls.

Parallel Park Tips

Step 1: Find a space that is at least one and a half times the length of your car.
Step 2: Pull up parallel to the vehicle in front of the parking space, leaving about one metre between the cars.
Step 3: Reverse slowly with your steering wheel turned left when attempting right-hand parking.
Step 4: When your rear wheel is aligned with the bumper of the car in front, turn your wheel right and proceed to reverse into the space.
Step 5: Centre your wheels after you are in the space and make adjustments where necessary.

Reverse Bay Parking Tips

Step 1: Align your vehicle to be at 45 degrees to the park bay
Step 2: Reverse slowly, turning the steering wheel full to the right, or left-whichever angle.
Step 3: Through your side mirrors, you can view the guidelines for parking lines; this is a good way to ensure that you’re reversing straight into the bay.
Step 4: When your car is fully within the lines, straighten your wheels and make any necessary adjustments.

Forward Bay Parking Tips

Step 1: Approach the bay at a wide angle to give yourself plenty of space.
Step 2: Continuing forward into the bay, the steering wheel goes full right-or rather, full left.
Step 3: Check your mirrors to ensure that you are within the lines of the bay.
Step 4: Where necessary, readjust and straighten your wheels.

Conclusion: Overcoming the Nightmare of Park
While for many motorists it is a source of anxiety, park does not need to be that way. With regular practice, tips from above, and-if needed-with the help of a qualified driving instructor, your fear of park will be overcome. Remember: park is a skill like any other. And over time, and with persistence, it will be possible to handle confidently.

So, the next time you find yourself with a parallel park challenge or a reverse bay, take in that deep breath and know that with practice, you shall master this like any other part of driving.

Image by Freepik