Parallel parking, unparalleled problems: motorists will drive 100m to avoid manoeuvre

MOTORISTS will drive an average of 100m to avoid parallel parking, a survey has found.

A study of 2,000 UK motorists also found that 47 per cent had attempted a parallel park that went so disastrously wrong they simply gave up and drove away halfway through the attempt. Meanwhile, one in four drivers admitted that when they struggled to reverse into a space they asked someone else to finish the operation.

The research, commissioned by Accident Advice Helpline, also found that 15 per cent of respondents said having to parallel park left them anxious. One in 10 said that a difficult manoeuvre made them stressed or nervous.

David Carter, a spokesman, said: “Parallel parking has been a thorn in drivers’ sides since the invention of the motor car. We’ve all felt the pressure of getting into a tight parking space on a busy street when there are others watching.

“So it’s no surprise that twice as many people said they dread parallel parking as the next most difficult manoeuvre.”

Reversing into a parking bay and reversing around a corner also scored high on motorists’ lists of discomforts, proving to be the next most difficult manoeuvres to navigate after parallel parking. Other actions that cause consternation included pulling up on the right-hand side of the road, pulling forward into a parking bay or simply reversing in a straight line.

Just under a third of the population have failed a driving test when being asked to perform a certain manoeuvre.

The study also found that a quarter of drivers would love to always have someone on standby to get out and help guide them into a tight spot.

Mr Carter added: “The cliché of women being less confident drivers than men seems to have been borne out by this study, presuming that men answered honestly. Our results found this was particularly true when it comes to manoeuvres, with 56 per cent of women saying they struggled with them more than anything else, compared to 31 per cent of men.

“A low speed bump when parking might not cause serious harm, accidents at roundabouts or when reversing around corners can be more dangerous”.