How can I avoid making this driving mistake again?

Bob M

I try as much as possible to avoid parking situations by parking where others don't.

That may mean walking a bit but the exercise does me good and since weather doesn't much bother me, a walk in the rain is likable.

krazybob613

Pulling forward and turning out of a narrow parking spot can be tricky but you can avoid this kind of accident by pulling straight forward until your rear wheels are even with the end of the car on the side toward which you wish to turn, once you reach that point then quickly turn the wheel as far as possible in the direction you want to go, the car will pivot then and clear the vehicle to the side easily.

reignofcheese

look look look. Check your mirrors, check over your shoulder. Going slow means if it looks like you're going to hit you have time to stop, gain perspective, and correct before contact. Don't worry about other drivers no matter how impatient they are and if you need to take time to back up again, or need them to back up to give you room, this is ok even if they get rude about it. Judgement of where all of your car is at any time will come in time and you'll gain speed and precision with practice.

Good luck, we've all made these mistakes at one point.

gdazn

The key is to do it really slowly if you don't have too much experience. Always assume the car is closer than you thought it is so you would never ever touch the car.

When you are ready to turn, make sure you pull yourself front enough and there is enough space for you to turn without touching the car. Do it slowly.

J F

backing out is hard because you have to watch your back (for cars/people) but forget the cars on the side. what you can do is try to back into a spot instead of drive in. when you back in, you just have to watch the passenger side because you can see driver side clearly
when you back in, other people/cars can see you but not if you backing out

Skaggmo

Always take your time when driving. Most accidents are caused by being in a hurry. If you were going a little slower, you would have been able to judge your distance better.

dirtytricksracing@sbcglobal.net

Stop driving and walk.

people are idiots

Don't turn as much when you're backing out. Back out further before you start the turn.

UCANTCME

Use your hood as an alignment tool and reduce the amount by 3 to 4 inches, works every time...

Derail

Was the car you were driving a car that you weren't truly familiar with? It takes time to really know where all the parameters of your vehicle are. That is to say, where each corner and edge of the vehicle is, and be able to know that in your mind while performing driving functions. Sometimes it's difficult to know just where each corner of your car is. All four corners are at different distances from you and the mental picture of where your boundaries are takes a little time to comprehend, and become a natural instinct. Don't beat yourself up over this. All I can suggest is next time when in the same situation, go slower so you have time to observe everything. Don't worry about how slow you are backing up, just worry about seeing everything. Obviously, your incident affected you enough that you will be more carefull next time, and you'll do fine.

Sahara

I did this as a new driver. To avoid it requires pulling out straighter first and then turning. You need to widen the turn. You need to drive slow, carefully, watch your car, know how big it is and how close objects are. It sounds to me like you pulled out and turned too quickly and too suddenly. This is what I did. I learned to pull out further and then turn to make sure my car had plenty of room to make the turn without hitting any objects. Go slow (less damage if you do make contact) and pay attention to your views. If you feel like you are too close then stop, back up, do what you need to do to move further away.

It takes practice.

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