Reversing out of an angle park

An angle park is a parking space that is angled towards the kerb, making it easier to drive into and reverse out of.

Where should you practise this?

• Aim for a street with angle parking along one side, where there’s some traffic but it’s not super busy. 
• Choose a park that only has a car parked on the right side to begin with, so it's easier to see traffic coming from your left.

How to reverse out of an angle park

• Take it slowly so you have time to check for traffic on the road behind you. This way you can also check that you’re not too close to the cars either side.
• Reverse straight back to begin with.
• As you're reversing, keep checking your side mirrors and out your back and side windows. Make sure that you're going straight and keeping a safe distance from the cars on either side.
• Once the back of your car is past the back of the car parked to your left, start turning the steering wheel left.
• Keep checking that the front right corner of your car won’t hit the car parked to your right.
• Once you’re out of the park, remember to check your mirrors, do a shoulder check and indicate right before you pull away.

Things to remember when reversing out of an angle park

Indicating. Remember to indicate right before you move forwards to complete the manoeuvre. You don’t need to indicate before you reverse.

Looking around you. Before you start moving, check in both directions and in any blind spots to make sure it's safe to go. Look to the rear when reversing. If you're in an angle park on the street, you'll be looking back over your left shoulder as you reverse.

If you're in a carpark. Looking for hazards can be even harder in a carpark. Vehicles and pedestrians can appear from any direction.

Gap selection. Pick a safe gap in traffic to reverse into. Drive slowly enough to be able to stop if you need to. 

Road position. Don’t get too close to any cars parked on either side of you, and keep to your side of the road through the whole manoeuvre.

Move slowly. Go slow enough so that you can stop if you need to. This will also give other drivers time to see you and either stop to let you out, or go around you.