> "Adrian" gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:6f0j0mF97bdqU3@mid.individual.net...

>> Abo gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
>> saying:

>>>> My insurance record shows that I'm doing very well, thank you.

>>

>>> My mother-in-law's insurance record shows likewise. What it doesn't
>>> reveal is the fact that she daren't drive anywhere she knows really
>>> *really* well and can't anywhere other than a standard parking bay
>>> (parallel parking is definately not on the cards). But she's never
>>> had a crash or points so the insurance companies think she's great.

>>
>> I used to work with somebody who deliberately made her commute route
>> three times further than it needed to be, solely in order to avoid
>> roundabouts or turning right. Because she "couldn't". When the office
>> moved - from Hatfield to WGC, not very far at all - she actually
>> resigned in a flood of tears because there wasn't a route she
>> "could" drive. She'd never had a collision, either.

>
> That's a very sad story. I hope I never get to the stage where I lack
> confidence even to attempt certain manoeuvres, and let it govern what
> route I take.
>
> I do have preferences for some manoeuvres, but I won't totally rule
> out the alternative:
>
> - I prefer to turn round by reversing into a gateway or side road
> rather than by doing a three-point turn - mainly because it's quicker
> and doesn't block the opposite side of the road
>
> - I prefer to drive forward into a parking space and reverse out into
> the large space between the spaces (I know there's a
> Little-Endian/Big-Endian split on this one!) - because:
> a) I have a better view out of the front of the car to judge my
> side-to-side positioning and the point when I need to stop to avoid
> hitting what's in front, than I do out of the rear and side windows
> b) I'm driving the car in the more usual mode (forwards, front-wheel
> steering) for the manoeuvre where positioning is critical
> c) the steering wheels are at the front in the direction that I'm
> going in, so any small correction to lateral position only requires a
> small movement of the steering wheel; when reversing in, you need to
> gauge your lateral position accurately right from the outset because
> any error requires you to swing the front end of the car (which is at
> the back in the direction you are travelling) through a large angle
> to steer the rear end of the car (which is at the front)
> d) reversing into a parking space usually takes longer than driving
> in, and I'm usually in more of a hurry to get somewhere when I arrive
> than I am when I leave
>
> - I find it much easier to parallel-park on the right-hand side of
> the road because I can see the kerb and therefore judge better how
> close I can safely get to it.
>
>
> Until I got used to it, I always used to dread having to reverse into
> my girlfriend's drive (which is necessary because reversing out into
> the road would be dangerous) especially if I was a bit tired after
> along journey, because the gap in the hedge is narrow and once you
> get past a certain point you cannot see it at night because the
> reversing lights have gone past it; I need to avoid her car; there's
> a low kerb between the drive and the lawn which is invisible even if
> I move both my door mirrors fully downwards, again it's unlit by the
> reversing lights at night. Strangely the lack of visibility of the
> hedge and kerb doesn't seem to be a problem going forwards as I did
> the first time!
> But it's amazing what a bit of practice and a lot of scorn from SWMBO
> [1] does for your ablility!
>
> [1] A dogmatic statement "it *is* easier to reverse than to go
> forwards" (not "I personally find it easier but you might be
> different to me". Mind you, she was reversing tractors and trailers
> or cars and horseboxes off-road, using only her door mirrors and not
> looking over her shoulder through the rear window, before she even
> started having car driving lessons, so she's had a lot of practice ;-)