A poll of 2,000 drivers has revealed the UK’s most pesky driving manoeuvres with, surprise, surprise, parallel parking coming out as our number one pet hate.
The manoeuvre – which many learners fear the most – is also the one that bugs qualified drivers as well. In fact, the poll reveals that we hate it so much that some of us would rather drive a hundred metres further to find another spot rather than perform a tight parallel park.
Also, 47% of drivers say that they have made such a hash of trying to attempt a parallel park that they’ve thrown in the towel and driven off. Also spare a thought for the one in four drivers who struggle so badly with parallel parking that they get out of their car and get someone else to do it for them.
Stressed Out
This all adds up to a mass of stress for drivers with 15% stating that reversing into a parking space leaves them feeling anxious and a quarter of drivers saying that they wish they always had a passenger with them who could hop out and guide them through the manoeuvre.
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, a rear-facing camera is the most wished-for option, which helps drivers not only parallel park but take on the UK’s second and third biggest pet peeves – reversing into a parking bay and reversing round a corner.
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.”
– David Carter, Accident Advice Helpline
As for which gender believes it is most confident about manoeuvring, men say they are with only 31% admitting they find manoeuvres a struggle compared to 56% of women.
Manoeuvres in general clearly bother drivers – regardless of gender – with four out of ten motorists saying that they’re the hardest part of driving, placing manoeuvring ahead of general road awareness or knowing what each and every road sign means. This is reflected by a third of UK drivers who say they failed their driving test because they messed up a manoeuvre with one in ten failing repeatedly.
The survey carried out by OnePoll.com for Accident Advice Helpline reveals all ten of the trickiest driving manoeuvres as judged by the British public:
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Pulling up on the right of the road
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Emergency stop
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Navigating a roundabout
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Parking close to the kerb
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Reversing in a straight line
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Driving forward into a parking bay
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Turn-in-the-road/three point turn
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Reversing around a corner
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Reverse into a parking bay
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Parallel parking.
How Not To Parallel Park
If you feel unconfident about parallel parking, don’t worry – you’ll never be as bad as these drivers:
How To Parallel Park
If you need more help with parallel parking, then discuss it with your instructor who will be more than happy to take you through the process until you feel confident. Also check out the Institute of Advanced Motorist’s excellent advice here.