A car expert is going viral on TikTok after sharing the “perfect” way to parallel park.
User @know_about_cars_ said that their social media page is dedicated to “[making] driving easier.” And in a recent clip, they said that their tip for parallel parking is well worth learning.
“$8,000 worth of practical car tips!” @know_about_cars_ wrote in their video’s accompanying caption. As of Sunday, the content creator’s clip had amassed more than 351,700 views.
According to @know_about_cars_, the directions are as follows.
What’s the perfect way to parallel park?
First, drive your car forward “along the white line,” which signals each, separate parking space.
When the rearview mirror is aligned with the space, they say to stop your car and begin turning the steering wheel to the right. Then, you can gradually begin the process of backing up.
“When the left rearview mirror can see the corner of the parking space, stop [and] return the steering wheel to the straight position,” @know_about_cars_ said.
Then, @know_about_cars_ said, back up again. When your tire is pressed against the parking space line, stop your car, pull your steering wheel to the left, and finish backing up.
At this point, @know_about_cars_ said you should have done a “perfect” parallel parking job.
Is this legit?
Other experts have shared similar how-to videos when it comes to mastering the art of parallel parking. But it can be hard to do if the spot is small, or if it lacks the lines on the road that @know_about_cars_ had.
That’s why Geico, the insurance giant, recommended finding the “right” parking spot before settling on the first one you see. For the easiest parallel parking, they recommended finding a spot about one-and-a-half times the length of your car.
Geico also provided a handy acronym to parallel park like a pro: MSMOG. This stands for check mirrors, turn on the right signal, check mirrors again, look over your right shoulder, and go when safe.
Viewers are still wary about parallel parking
In the comments section of @know_about_cars_’s video, several users said that the idea of parallel parking still spooked them.
“I’d prefer to drive around for the next 10 minutes searching for a parking spot,” one user quipped.
“I’ll just go home, thanks,” another wrote.
“I can’t do this,” a third viewer said. “I truly, truly can’t.”
Meanwhile, some users were skeptical that the advice was as easy as the content creator made it seem.
“Made it sound so easy,” one viewer wrote, followed by a crying emoji.
“I don’t understand,” another added. “Aligned with what? Which corner? Left rearview mirror? I only have one!”
“This method wouldn’t work in a tighter spot,” a third user claimed.
Others, however, were more eager to try the content creator’s advice. Some have already said it worked great.
@know_about_cars_ $8,000 worth of practical car tips!#driving #skills #tips #fpy #skill #cartok #parking #car ♬ original sound – Know about cars
“This is exactly how I was taught and it works for me every time,” one user shared.
“Saving this for later,” a second commenter wrote.
“Saving this. Moving to [San Francisco] next week,” another added.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @know_about_cars_ via TikTok comment.
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