Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Driver's Ed Deja Vu

By the time I'd taken Driver's Ed my sophomore year of high school, I'd had my learner's permit for 1.5 years and, given that I was a teenager, I was pretty sure I already knew everything, so I didn't think I got much out of the class. Plus, I thought the instructor was a little bit crazy - when I didn't slow down and look both ways before a set of railroad tracks, she smacked her 3-ring binder against the dash and informed that I'd just killed her niece...

That crazy teacher did teach me how to effectively parallel park though.





I don't need to use the skill very often, because there aren't very many places in Ames where there are parallel parking spots. But when I do - for instance, when there's a -20 degree wind chill and I need to run into the library - I'm a pro at it as long as I take a deep breath and imagine the instructor sitting next to me, telling me exactly how to get into the spot. (If I don't stop and think about it, it's about a 20 step process!!) Here are the easy steps that I imagine my instructor giving me:

  • Pull up even with the steering wheel of the vehicle in front of the spot you want.
  • Turn your steering wheel 1.5 rotations towards the spot and start backing in, until you're even with the back of the vehicle in front of you.
  • Then straighten out your wheel and continue going straight back until the front of your vehicle is even with the back of the vehicle in front of you.
  • Turn the steering wheel counter-clockwise and continue going back until you're straight in the spot.
  • Finally, pull forward to center yourself in the spot if necessary.

It works, every time, no fail - even in my new, bigger vehicle!!