What are some parallel parking tips?

Your first instruction is wrong - you should never turn the wheel when the car is not moving, except in an emergency of course.  The reasons are its a strain on the steering linkage, and it prematurely wears the front tires. Your vehicle should be moving when you turn the wheel, even if its barely rolling. There's absolutely no reason why you can't begin backing up a few feet before you begin turning - just pull up a few feet ahead of the lead car. My rule of thumb is to begin turning as I pass the lead car's drivers side door and start to turn the opposite way as my right rear tire is approaching the curb. That's it - no tricks or trying to line up angles or mentally measuring footage, works every time.

The most important thing is the initial line up. Pull your car almost abreast of the front car, but stop when your rear wheels are even with his back bumper.Once you have that position you can park... otherwise it will be damn near impossible to do a good job.  It will still require some skill. You must cut your steering wheel hard at that point, then back up so that your car direction (center of your rear) is pointed at the center of the car behind... Get close to him and then turn right to pull the front in close to the curb.

Everyone needs an Infographic to help them and everybody loves an Infographic! Thats why we made this SIMPLES guide to parking your dastardly vehicle. Its a no nonsense, parking guide for dummies. I have to admit that i am one of those 'dummies' and it massively helped me :) Here it is http://www.carhoots.com/blog/hints-and-tips/infographic-guide-on-how-to-park-a-car--simples Hope that helps as much a ir did for me :)

There are so many good suggestion here that confuse me.  I came to believe that some people can not park to save their lives.  One of my daughters is parking challenged and another one got it right from the first shot the other 2 took time but they got it, sort of. It was the same average withe the 4 boys too. The way I teach it for the challenged who are terrified of hitting the the car is to remove the car. I use tall cones and police security tape to replace the outline of the car. This removes the damage fear that overwhelms so many. With repetition they eventually get it. I also insist that they stay in the normal driving position and completely rely on peripheral vision and the mirrors. Removing the fear of denting the family car frees the mind to use the power of the brain that does know where the corners are.  A great explanation already here is  , automotive editor at the bottom of this page, you will need nothing else but faith.

It's all about the 45 degree angle. See, the trickiest part about parallel parking is knowing when to go from having your wheel turned all the way to the right (as you start) to having it turned all the way to the left (midway through parking).  And the answer to that question is this:  45 degrees.  When your car is at a 45 degree angle to the car in front of your space, it's time to start turning the wheel sharply in the other direction.

Funny video! Here in Paris (France), people use this formula: maximum space needed = length of my car. For sure, they can push front and rear cars with their bumpers, taking advantage of the elasticity of the other cars' parking brakes. Come to see this daily practise:

Some car experts are recommending that you DO NOT attempt to turn your steering wheel while it is stationary yet the steps above require you to do that three times. Doing this should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, such as too tight parking space. Turning the wheel when the car is stationary creates tremendous stresses on the mechanical components. Those who have driven a non powered steering car will know this.

Here's the technique I was taught way back in 1970: Pull your car up until it's right next to the car in front of the space. Turn the wheel and back into the space KEEPING THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR CAR AS CLOSE TO THE LEFT REAR CORNER OF THE CAR IN FRONT AS POSSIBLE. As soon as your front bumper clears the car in front, swing the front end of your car into the space. Voila.

There has been a lot of good advice on this page. I can tell you that after years of teaching learner drivers to drive a car, the one thing that I have realized is consistency is the key. You have to ensure that you start well, in order to finish well. What learner drivers tend to do is start with one method, then the next time they do it, they use another method and wonder why it has gone wrong. You have to try and use the same technique everytime and replicate it again and again. I have outlined our techniques for the http://elsdrivingschool.co.uk/blog/manoeuvres-33-parallel-parking/ on our http://elsdrivingschool.co.uk blog, so you can read it if you want an in depth insight into how we teach it.