Parallel Parking Is the Toughest Manoeuvre for 37% of Drivers, IAM RoadSmart Finds

• Parallel parking is the toughest manoeuvre without driving aids for 37% of the 1,036 motorists in an IAM RoadSmart survey, ahead of reversing into a space (21%) and front parking (11%).
• Parallel parking is the biggest parking difficulty for 55% of drivers aged 17 to 24, against 29% of drivers aged 80 and over.
• Rule 239 of the Highway Code sends drivers to marked bays wherever possible, and Rule 203 says a driver must not reverse further than necessary.

Every Trip Ends in a Parking Space, and Parallel Parking Causes the Most Trouble

Parallel parking is the toughest of three bay moves for 37% of the 1,036 motorists in an IAM RoadSmart survey published on 13 November 2026, when no driving aids are on hand. The Highway Code sets out what every driver must do to park, reverse and leave the car safely.

The result carries a generational split. Parallel parking is the biggest parking difficulty for 55% of drivers aged 17 to 24, and for 29% of drivers aged 80 and over. Reverse parking runs the other way, by a narrow margin: 18% of the oldest group find it hardest, against 15% of the youngest.

The fixes are written down already. Rule 239 tells drivers to choose off street parking areas or bays marked with white lines on the road wherever possible. Rule 202 lists the checks to make before any reverse, and Rule 203 bars reversing further than necessary.

What the Survey Found

IAM RoadSmart, the road safety charity, measured which parking manoeuvre drivers find toughest without driving aids, with research carried out by Online95. Parallel parking topped the league table at 37%, more than a third of the 1,036 motorists surveyed. Reversing into a space came second at 21%, one driver in five. Front parking came third at 11%, one in ten.

At the other end of the scale, 29% of respondents said none of those moves gives them any difficulty.

IAM RoadSmart lists what makes parking demanding: judging distances, watching for other vehicles and pedestrians, and finishing the move safely. Crowded car parks, darkness and tight spaces add to the load.

Why Age Changes the Answer

On parallel parking, the youngest and the oldest drivers sit 26 percentage points apart. On reverse parking the order flips, by only 3 points.

Richard Gladman, Chief Examiner at IAM RoadSmart, said:

“Every car journey begins and ends with parking, but our research shows that it can be a real source of difficulty for many motorists, particularly younger drivers. Parallel parking stands out as the biggest challenge, with more than half of drivers aged 17–24 identifying it as the manoeuvre they find most difficult without driving aids.”

“As vehicles become larger, fitting into tight spaces can present additional challenges. But whatever the vehicle, taking your time, checking your surroundings carefully and being aware of pedestrians and other road users are essential to parking safely and considerately.”

“Drivers shouldn’t feel pressured to squeeze into a space if they’re unsure they can do so safely. Choosing a suitable space, making careful manoeuvres and avoiding parking that obstructs pavements, junctions or other road users can help make our roads safer for everyone.”

Gladman’s closing point, about parking that blocks pavements, junctions or other road users, has direct counterparts in the Highway Code, set out next.

What the Highway Code Says About Bays, Kerbs and Reversing

Rule 239 opens the parking rules with a first choice: park off the road, or in a bay with white lines, wherever possible. A driver who has to stop at the roadside is told not to park facing against the traffic flow and to stop as close to the side as possible. The rule asks for extra room around any vehicle displaying a Blue Badge, where the person inside might need more space to get in or out. Before leaving the car the driver must cut the engine, the headlights and the fog lights, and must apply the handbrake.

The same rule covers leaving the car. The driver must make sure the door hits nobody, which means a look all round and a check of the mirrors for cyclists and other traffic. The rule also says to reach across where possible: the far hand opens the door, so the left hand opens a door on the right. That turns the head to look over a shoulder, which makes injury to passing cyclists, motorcyclists and people on the pavement less likely. Passengers, children especially, are safer stepping out on the kerb side.

Rules 242 to 244 deal with where to leave a car. Rule 242 bars leaving a vehicle in a dangerous spot or where it blocks the road without need. Rule 243 tells drivers not to stop or park in a long list of places, among them: school entrances, any spot that would hold up the emergency services, bus and tram stops, taxi ranks, level crossing approaches, hill brows and hump bridges, bends, property entrances, lowered kerbs built for wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles, and anywhere that obstructs a cycle facility. A junction has its own limit: no stopping or parking opposite one or within 10 metres (32 feet) of one, except in an authorised parking space. The rule also excuses a driver forced to stop by stationary traffic.

Rule 244 covers the pavement. In London and Scotland a driver must not park any part of the car on it, with limited exceptions, and elsewhere the rule says a driver should not unless signs allow. The rule names those who lose out: pedestrians, wheelchair users, people with visual impairments, and anyone pushing a pram or pushchair. The government has said English councils will gain a power to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, delivered through secondary legislation still to come, so council powers over pavement parking are not yet in use and Rule 244 is the rule that applies today.

Night parking has its own rules, and the survey names night as one of the conditions that make a manoeuvre harder. Rule 248 bans parking on a road at night with the car pointing against the flow of traffic, unless the space is a recognised parking space. Rule 249 requires parking lights on any vehicle left on a road with a limit above 30 mph, a layby on that road included. On roads at 30 mph or less, Rule 250 lets a car stay unlit in two cases: when it sits at least 10 metres (32 feet) clear of any junction, close to the kerb and pointing with the traffic, or when it is in a recognised parking place or layby.

Reversing has four rules of its own, 200 to 203. Rule 200 asks drivers to pick a suitable spot to manoeuvre and to avoid reversing or turning on a busy road where possible, and to use a quiet side road or a lap of the side streets instead. Rule 201 says never to reverse out of a side road onto a main road and, at a driveway, to reverse in and drive out where possible. Rule 202 sets the checks: use every mirror, check the blind spot behind the car, and look behind for pedestrians, children especially, cyclists, other road users and obstructions. A guide to setting up your mirrors to cut blind spots covers the first of those checks. Rule 202 then asks for a slow reverse, with a look all round, a view mainly through the rear window and awareness that the front of the car swings out in a turn, and says to ask someone to guide the car when the view is poor. Rule 203 is backed by law: a driver must not reverse further than necessary.

What Drivers Can Do, and What the Driving Test Asks

Choose the space before the move. Rule 239 puts marked bays and off street parking first, and Rules 243 and 244 rule out junctions, bends, dropped kerbs, property entrances and the pavement. Gladman’s advice is that drivers should not feel pressured to squeeze into a space they are unsure they can use safely.

Check before reversing, then reverse slowly. The Rule 202 sequence is the same for a bay and a parallel space: mirrors, the blind spot, a look behind for pedestrians and cyclists, then a slow reverse through the rear window with an eye on the swing of the front. A passenger or bystander who can see the gap can guide the move, which is what the rule recommends when the view is poor. For the movements of the car itself, a separate guide explains how to parallel park first time without kerbing a wheel.

Reverse only as far as the space needs. Rule 203 is a legal requirement, and Rule 201 adds a driveway habit: reverse in and drive out where possible.

Look before opening the door. The Rule 239 sequence is a check all round, a check of the mirrors, and the far hand on the handle, with extra room left for any Blue Badge vehicle alongside.

Keep a handheld parking device under the driver’s control. Rule 239 sets conditions for handheld devices that help with parking: the driver must confirm it is safe to use one, must stay in control of the car at all times, and should move into the space in the safest way and by the shortest route possible. The device does no other job while it helps with parking, and the manufacturer’s instructions apply. At an electric vehicle charge point, the rule says to pull up near the charger so trailing cables do not create a trip hazard for pedestrians, and to put cables and connectors back neatly afterwards.

The practical driving test asks for the same skills. GOV.UK lists four parts to the test, one of them reversing the vehicle, and the driver spends around 35 minutes at the wheel. The examiner sets one of three exercises. The first is a parallel park at the side of the road. The second is a bay park, either driving in and reversing out or reversing in and driving out, as the examiner decides. The third is a stop on the right hand side of the road, a reverse of around two car lengths and a return to the traffic. Only one of the three is set on any test. A mistake that is not serious might not affect the result.

Want more car content? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for the best automotive news and analysis on the internet.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow us on Microsoft Start.

Sources

• IAM RoadSmart: Steering clear: The parking challenges drivers would rather avoid
• GOV.UK: The Highway Code, Waiting and parking (238 to 252)
• GOV.UK: The Highway Code, Using the road (159 to 203)
• GOV.UK: Driving test: cars, What happens during the test

Reviewed by Preetam Gadekar