How to Drive Forward into a Bay - Driving Test Manoeuvre

Drive Forward into a Bay Manoeuvre. The New Driving Test came into force in December 2017 and this was one of the exercises that was added. Don't forget to look at our follow up video on how to reverse back out. As always there may be information helpful to anyone.

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[luluw]

I used this technique today and it's the first time I've parked in a bay without someone helping me. Thank you 😊

[personface]

Driving forward into a space is way more difficult! Thanks Ashley

[fazeridge]

I passed my test but I still watch your videos thank you!

[shabnamhussain]

Thanks, nobody has explained it this way before, that's really helpful.

[nosycatUK]

Been driving for 3 years now and just come back here to brush up on parking skills. Thank you. Use to watch your videos before I passed my test. Im from Liverpool btw/I can see Ashley Neal driving school cars very often on the way to work.

[rdu]

Love this sir. very important skill when you are approaching a road that has a narrow gate or if you are parking your vehicle inside your garage

[nosycatUK]

OMG finnaly a great techinc how to drive forward into a parking bay.

[two-countiesdashcam]

WOW. I'm amazed that driving forward into a parking bay is going to part of the test... When I was taught to drive (1980) I was taught to always reverse into a parking bay. How times have changed.

[TheLondonCyclist]

Very good instructions and tricks. My instructor tells me to get my window to the middle of the first box, then turn into the next.

[mrskhan]

I hv my test in November, its really helping thanku so much

[jackcolwell]

Thank you so much it works every time:)

[jillp]

I was watching this the other day, and having been driving for 30 plus years, am probably a little complacent, so I thought I would try this. Blow me, if I couldn't find the white line in my mirror. Couldn't work out what I was doing wrong for about 30 seconds ... then I realised I'd automatically gone into reversing into a parking bay! D'oh! Will try forward parking a la Neal later on today.

[El_Smeghead]

I work at an airport car park where drivers are encouraged to park forwards into the bays, so they have easy access to their suitcases in the boot and therefore don't scratch cars by pulling their cases down the length of adjacent cars if they were to reverse in.

Every day I see hundreds of drivers getting this manoeuvre wrong. Some result in hitting the farthest car with their own nearside bumper. Others hit their own offside rear wheelarch against the nearest car's bumper. Others just flatly refuse saying they don't know how to park forwards into a bay which I find absolutely crazy!

There is a better way which reduces the possibility of incurring damage to nil, and this technique is used by parking staff at most airports that park your car for you...
Take your clip at 02:40..

1. The driver keeps left and then turns in LATER so the front of his car is pulled up to the front of the farthest car (in your video, the front of the silver car that's reversed into the bay)

2. Full left lock is applied and you reverse a couple of feet until your vehicle is lined up straight with the empty bay.

3. Straighten the wheel and then pull forwards to align yourself perfectly between the 2 parked cars.

This technique is ideal for longer vehicles such as BMWs, Vauxhall Insignias, Estates etc, but the practice is used for every vehicle to ensure every car is parked an equal distance between the lines.

This parking technique above has reduced Valet Parking damage to practically zero over the last few years. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

[paulrichardson]

As an ADI this is how I have been teaching these manoeuvres, great!

[herculeholmes]

Using the mirrors as a distance gauge is a good trick - I learned I something there today, but no one has ever been able to explain to me (a) how do you _know_ where the front of your car is, or (b) how do you _know_ your car is within the white lines?

Guess wrong by just 6 inches, and you could hit something.

[miicharm]

Excellent thanks so straight forward 🚘🚗 the new test ain't bad apart from the stop on the right of the road on a busy road crazy

[orbitingdecay]

I've had some bad angle nose parking lately and have to straighten up. I do reverse park a lot since working in my job as it is mandatory but recently have lost the art of forward parking . Thanks for the tips.

[pineapplepenumbra]

I've got a little circular mirror on my wing mirror (technically it's a door mirror, but everyone seems to call them wing mirrors, harking back to the days when we really did have wing mirrors), that shows, when we're most of the way into the bay, whether we're in the correct position or not.


Students to have to remember to go in slowly enough that they've got time to look, and then correct if they need to, though, as they're almost all the way in before the line is visible.

[camcab]

Oh, now between two parked cars I prefer to reverse in. For some reason, this is easier for me than driving in forwards (unless it's directly in front of me).

[palco]

In my world (Wife, three adult children, in laws e.t.c.) it is against my rules to park a vehicle forward under any circumstance ! Always reverse into a parking position ! When you arrive you are (should be) aware of the immediate surroundings so parking forward should never be a problem (At the shopping mall, big box stores and in one's driveway (Canada) drive (UK) but the problem is when you want to leave: 1) At a shopping center, big box store you are sure to be surrounded by vehicles on all sides and blind in all directions and on top of this, you have to turn your head around to face the back ! If you just look over your shoulder, the cars next to you will block everything, if you use your side mirrors you are forced to reverse without knowing what is coming or an approaching car (That person is likely concentrated on spotting a free bay and can't see you in your car) or someone on foot (Good chance of not paying attention either) No surprises there after all you parked forward ! At home, when was the last time you walked around your vehicle to check if all is clear (tricycles, bicycles, push scooters, toys e.t.c.) before even starting the car ? If anyone answers "I do" that's an all out lie ! Then you are forced to reverse onto the road way and maybe completely cross the entire road to head out. Now that wouldn't create any worries, would it ? I could go into more details but my fingers are getting sore and I'm sure you understand !
I too was a licensed driving instructor years back ! The courses I gave where the most costly at the time (2 and 3 times the prices of the other driving schools) I meant business.