Why Parking is so Tricky — And the Tech That Changes Everything

What makes you an efficient and precise driver when you need to make a difficult parking maneuver? It’s all about a strong sense of spatial awareness, car control and focus.

New, and even seasoned, drivers will admit that learning how to park a car — reversing and parallel parking in particular — are among the toughest driving skills to get right.

Beyond trying to stay calm under pressure when other drivers, or backseat drivers, are judging your parking skills, we’ve all experienced the challenges: parking too far away from the curb, ending up far too close to another car or, worst of all, nudging another car while trying to back into the space behind them.

According to car search network motors.co.uk, one in five drivers in the UK admits to being guilty of a “dent and run”: knocking into and damaging another person’s car and then fleeing the scene. In certain parts of Asia, where parking spots in densely populated cities are difficult to find, it’s even more important to master car parking skills, like being able to pull off challenging reversing techniques safely in busy traffic, or managing to slip into car spaces that are tight for today’s larger car models.

Back in 2011, IBM ranked the world’s worst cities to park in as part of its Global Parking Survey. It shouldn’t be a surprise that land-scarce Singapore made the top ten. In cities where car spots are a squeeze, Subaru’s Superview Around Recognition Three-sixty System really puts things in perspective. Utilizing four cameras to create a three-hundred-and-sixty degree bird’s eye view, it helps drivers navigate tight spots safely.

What makes parking a car so tricky?

Knowing how to reverse accurately begins with spatial awareness: our cognitive ability to focus and understand our relationship to the environment around us. When we’re driving, spatial awareness keeps us within our lane and at a safe distance from other cars. When we reverse, it’s what we use to find a central position between two other cars — and avoid denting the car next to us when we open the door because we parked too close. When we park, it’s what helps us squeeze into the tightest spots and align the car with the curb when parallel parking.

Now, throw in the essential skills of controlling a car in forward and reverse gear, and understanding how to use the car’s mirrors to monitor surroundings and guide your movements.

Here’s where window size comes into play. Subaru designed its large rear quarter windows with driver visibility in mind. Made with more glass, and with high-strength supporting pillars that are thinner to enlarge the windows, the windows minimize blind spots to produce a better field of vision.

When you’re in a busy parking lot in a mall, packed with cars searching for that elusive space and people pushing loaded shopping carts to their cars, larger windows allow you to scan the scene and make safer maneuvers when you finally do find a parking spot.

As you adjust your position, you’ll also appreciate two other little known safety factors that play a role in the design of the car you’re driving. The front end of a Subaru is designed to help drivers be more aware of the dimensions of their car. And Subaru’s One Meter Rule is also incorporated into its car designs. It ensures you’ll be able to spot children of an average height of one meter, from any window.Always check your Superview Around Recognition Three-sixty System for low-lying objects and pedestrians, especially small children, before you make a move.

This is precisely when you’re at risk of reversing into a moving vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist that comes into your car’s path.

Safety in reverse

Back to that crowded parking lot, where a pillar or a car parked next to you might be obstructing your view as you reverse out of your parking spot. Or, you could be parked on a busy city street or your own driveway, where you need to reverse out into traffic. This is precisely when you’re at risk of backing up into a moving vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist that comes into your car’s path.

This is also where Subaru’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert technology serves as an extra safety net. Using radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect approaching cars or other objects, Rear Cross Traffic Alert provides audible and visual warning signals to help drivers react as soon as possible to what’s behind them — thus, reducing the chance of a collision. Just in case the driver can’t react to the audible and visual warnings in time, the Reverse Automatic Braking system will intervene and automatically apply the brakes.

For most of us, parking is not a perfect science. Luckily Subaru can help you both improve your parking skills, and remain safe while navigating your way into or out of a tight spot.