Manoeuvres
Forward bay parking to the right
Turning right puts the bay on your own side of the car, which gives you a reference the left-hand park does not have: your right wing mirror lined up against the bay marking.
This video has no narration. Follow the written steps below.
Practical test
Why it matters
Bay parking is marked on the same criteria as every manoeuvre: control and observation together. A car that ends up dead straight between the lines but moved without the driver checking around still loses marks on observation, whichever direction it went in.
What to look out for
The mirror is the trigger
Nothing happens until the right wing mirror is level with the bay marking. That is the moment to turn, not when the bay looks right through the windscreen.
Straighten as it comes straight
Unwind the steering progressively as the car lines up with the markings, rather than holding full lock and then snatching it straight.
Key steps
- 1 Signal right, and stay over to the left side of the lane to give yourself room to turn in.
- 2 Check all around before you commit, and keep looking as you move rather than only at the start.
- 3 Move forward until your right-hand wing mirror lines up with the bay marking.
- 4 Apply full right lock and move into the bay, straightening the steering as the car comes straight.
- 5 If you finish at an angle, make small forward-and-back adjustments, checking around before each one, until the car sits between the lines.
Common mistakes
Missing the reference point
Turning before or after your right wing mirror lines up with the bay marking is what puts you in at the wrong angle. If you do not end up in the bay, it was one of those two.
Not staying all the way over to the left
Drifting towards the middle of the lane takes away the width you need to swing right, and the turn becomes sharp and late.
Not signalling right
Signal before you start moving across, so anyone behind knows you are turning into a bay rather than driving on.
Highway Code
This lesson is a revision aid, not a replacement for The Highway Code.
Rule 239
Use off-street parking areas, or bays marked out with white lines on the road as parking places, wherever possible.
Read Rule 239 on GOV.UKRule 202
Before reversing, look carefully: use all your mirrors, check the blind spot behind you, and check for pedestrians, cyclists or obstructions. A forward bay park means reversing back out, so this applies as you leave the bay.
Read Rule 202 on GOV.UK