For a new student, doing a car side parking can be very challenging and many people failed at their first attempt during the J.P.J. practical test. In order to pass you test in your first attempt, you must know the right steps to perform side parking. The following are 8 easy steps that you can follow:

Step 1:

Place the car to be used for parking purposes 1 foot away from the parking lot. Reverse slowly, looking at the left quarter mirror of the back portion of the car. There are 3 poles or sticks in front. Permit the 1st pole to appear in the centre of the quarter mirror. Stop when you see 1st pole in the centre of the quarter mirror.

Step 2:

Turn the steering 2 times to the left. In other words, jam the steering. This is step No.2.

Step 3:

There are 7 to 10 poles at the back of the parking lot. All institutes have the same type of parking lots approved by J.P.J. authorities.

Move the car backwards or reverse slowly, looking out of the car window to look for the 5th stick. The car body should ideally be in line to it. Stop, when the 5th pole is seen. This is the 3rd step in side parking.

Step 4:

After seeing the 5th pole, stop and turn your steering 2 times to the right. This represents straightening of the steering wheel. Putting your head out of the window, reverse slowly towards the parking lot, while at the same time looking at the back, rear tyre of the car. Ensure that the back rear tyre sit on top of the white line. This represents step No.4.

Step 5:

You are now ready to go into the parking lot. Turn your steering all to the right. Jam it, if you may. Move slowly backwards and into the parking lot. Let the car enter the parking lot 80%, looking and ensuring that you do not knock any of the poles behind.

Step 6:

When 80% of the car has entered the parking lot, stop.

Turn your steering all to the left. Engage 1st gear and move forward slowly but do not turn your steering in any way. Go forward, watching and ensuring you do not hit any of the 3 poles in front.

When the car is parallel to the parking lot, stop. It is not important if your car is not straight. As long as you do not hit the sticks, of your car tyres are not touching the lines, you will be considered to have passed.

Finally, put your head out of the window, to certify that your tyres are not touching the lines, then put up your hand to indicate to the tester that you’ve completed all your parking movements.

Step 7:

The next step is to reverse the car backwards to come out of the parking lot. To do this, just reverse your car backwards, looking and ensuring that your vehicle does not knock any of the poles behind. Stop, when you observe that your car can come out of the parking lot.

Step 8:

Turn your steering all to the right. Engage 1st gear and move forward, going out. Stop momentarily the moment your car engine comes out of the parking lot. Turn your steering 2 times to the left. Move forward slowly and turn your steering to the left further. Slowly straighten your car wheels and put the car straight.

In my opinion, my side parking techniques represent the most concise and involves the least number of steps. It is not only easily remembered by an average student, but the success rate for those attempting to do this side parking method is very high.

Do remember however that these steps have been evolved after many years of trial and errors. Other instructor and potential students should try out the procedures and discover for yourselves how effective it is.

Coming out of the side parking lot successfully, leads you next to the 3 point turn maneuver. You are in fact only a few seconds away from achieving your Competent Driving License (C.D.L.). Only the final part of your practical test, the Part 3 or Road Test remains. Secure a minimum of 16 marks and the driving license is yours.

To do anything, we should obviously have a method when teaching a student how to drive a car, for instance, the driving instructor has his ways of imparting essential knowledge to his students.

When coming to the question of side parking, which a student is expected to face in his practical test to be conducted by the Road Transport Authorities in the later stages, as an instructor, I’m always of the opinion that this maneuver of side parking is a difficult one to impart.

First of all, a person who has no knowledge of how to drive must be good at how to control a vehicle before an instructor can begin teaching the him the art of side parking or parallel parking.

As a driving instructor, I always believe teaching my students side parking is one thing. Being able to pass it at the first attempt, is another. As such, even though there are many methods an instructor can adopt, I choose the best side parking method for my students.

The best alternative needs a lot of work. Many instructor friends of mine tend to choose the easiest method out. Most of them are as what say, out to make quick money. They are out to make fast “dough”, so it is said. And they are not concerned if the students pass or fail for that matter.

After all, if you know how the driving school system is run in this country, a student who fails his side parking part of the exam the first time has to pay a retest fee of approximately RM150.

Besides this, a student who is saddled with his side parking failure has amongst other things to deal with:

i) The frustration and disappointment of facing the second attempt.

ii) Face with quite expensive retest fees.

iii) Having to apply leave from work, school or college to attend the 2nd test.

iv) The problem of having to learn all the steps of going up the slope, side parking and the 3 point turn all over again.

The above are all encompassed in Part 2 of the J.P.J. practical test. Even though a student can appear for the retest a week after his or her first test, if you think about it carefully, it is a bit of hassle all the same.

As a driving instructor who has been involved in this driving school business for well over 40 years now, I firmly believe in the concept of teaching my students the best I can. When it comes to side parking, as such, my record in side parking is as high as 95% success.

In today’s article, I will explain to you diligently how side parking is done. The method used by me is mine alone. I do not lay claims that my method is the best. Readers and other instructors may either choose to adopt it or otherwise. They are free to do whatever they like.

Before beginning to do side parking, an instructor has to ensure that a student can control the car well. This is what we term as “perfect clutch control”. The inability to execute perfect clutch control, a student then has no proper control over the entire vehicle.

To achieve the above, the instructor is advised to take his student to an empty area in his institute’s premises. I’m sure there are many such areas in your institute where you are attached to.

After explaining carefully to the student positions of gear one and reverse gear and how to execute correctly, make the student go forward and backwards a number of times. While doing this, it is unnecessary to step on the accelerator at all. The important thing is this maneuver is to control the clutch properly.

The student should be able to control the clutch well. The car should ideally be able to move forward and backwards as slowly as possible. When the student is capable of controlling the clutch and the car moves perfectly, the instructor can then decide whether perfect control of the vehicle has been achieved or otherwise.

Some students may need a longer time than others to master this maneuver. It depends on individual students. Believe me, the time spent on this “practice runs” is well worth the effort. Your student will eventually be able to control the vehicle so expertly that it will end up making your teaching your student side parking rather easy later on. Because you see, the ability to control a car well is actually the key to good side parking techniques.

Jerking forward abruptly, engine dying off, the car going forward and backwards uncontrollably are all signs that a student cannot possibly control a vehicle well. How then can he or she to be imparted the difficult techniques of side parking. Do you get the point what I am trying to impart?

Ever since I was in Form 3, in my upper secondary days, I had always been interested in things involving politics. Way back in the 1960s, when appearing for the Higher School Certificate (H.S.C.) exam, which in those days was conducted by the University of London Examination Syndicate, I sat for the paper British Constitution, while doing the subject entitled Economics and Public Affairs paper.

My interest or love for this subject was the result of being an ardent history student while I was in school. For all this ardour for the subject of politics, I have for it, should go to the encouragement given by my history teachers, especially Mr. S.P. Subramaniam who incidentally I remember was my History teacher from Form 1 to Form 5.

Thanks to Mr. S.P. Subramaniam, I eventually got an A1 in History for the Overseas School Certificate way back in 1962. My affairs with politics above did not end there.

While attached to the Humanities Department at one local centre of learning in Pulau Pinang way back in 1980s, I took up International Relations (I.R.). I was indeed honoured to be under the good hands of Professor Chandra Mustaffar, the well renowned one time Malaysian opposition leader.

For your info, the above personality started the Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia political party way back in 1960s.

As I remember, though rather vaguely, while at Pulau Pinang, one of the elective subjects which I was offered was the subject of local government. Malaysian political scenario does not only involve Parliament, state government, but also local councils as well.

Examples of local councils include of course, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (D.B.K.L.), Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (M.B.P.J.), Majlis Perbandran Subang Jaya (M.P.S.J.), Majlis Perbandaran Klang (M.P.K.) etc.

For readers’ information, there are a total of about 150 local councils in our country. Local council authorities, such as the above, were actually set up under the Local Council Act. Unfortunately, I have forgotten when it was started.

The Director of the Road Transport Department, Datuk Sureet Singh, revealed recently, the authorities comprising Road Transport Department (J.P.J.) the Police, and the local council people, today, faces a colossal problem. It is said to be facing the problem of being unable to collect RM16 million traffic summonses.

Before proceeding any further with the subject, summons can be issued by namely 3 authorities to drivers or motorists. Those responsible for issuing such summons are the R.T.D, the Police and local council officials.

J.P.J. issue summons for using hand phones while driving, beating red traffic lights and not wearing seat belts. The police issue summons for illegal parking and speeding offences, amongst others.

Under the Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s jurisdiction, it can summon drivers who commit illegal parking. Traffic offenders can be given summonses amounting to RM80. Motorists are normally given a grace period. Motorists can be given the opportunity to request for a discount. The fines can be lowered, if paid early.

However, most motorists choose to ignore traffic summonses issued by local councils. Why does this happen? Simple because, summonses by such councils does not affect road tax renewals.

The M.P.S.J. says it issued some 17,000 traffic summonses monthly. Only 17% is paid up by motorists. The only way to solve this problem is to haul these offenders to court. But, as you know, this is a big hassle. There are limitations in terms of time and resources.

However, motorists beware! In a recent proposal, a briefing recently held with the J.P.J. authorities, it has been decided to make local council summonses online with J.P.J.

If an amendment is made to Section 17 (1) (d) of the Road Transport Act 1987, is passed at the next Parliament session in June 2010, local councils would be able to link up with the J.P.J.

What happens when all this happens? This simply means motorists will be blacklisted. They will have to pay up outstanding summonses before their road taxes can be issued by the Road Transport Authorities.

Regarding the non-payment of summonses to motorists, urban or town councils face the most problem. Parking issues are said to be extremely rampant.

The brakes on repeat traffic offenders by local councils seems to be coming to an end soon. Drivers and motorists beware! Your days as they say, are numbered. You cannot ignore summonses by local councils anymore. You have to regard summonses issued by local authorities the same way as summonses by the J.P.J. and the Police.

To end this article on local council summonses, I would like to enlighten readers about one thing. Being rather well versed with local councils and their rights, I have always made it a point to settle all summonses and parking tickets issued by local councils. My last encounter with the local council was with the M.B.P.J. authorities.

In or around 2008, I visited the M.B.P.J. headquarters in Petaling Jaya to setting 4 or 5 outstanding parking summonses. The Legal Adviser of M.B.P.J. has threatened to institute legal proceedings against me.

I appealed and received discounted amounts for fines imposed. Today, I still have receipts paid for parking fines in my files! As a lecturer for the 5 Hours course for new drivers at my institute every week, it is my opinion that I should set a good example for all my students to follow. I cannot do what they say in Bahasa Malaysia, “seperti ketam menyuruh anaknya jalan betul”. Colloquially translated into English, this proverb literally means, “like a crab advising its young not to walk side ways”.