Testing, testing

You never have to look very far in this country of ours to find examples of both good and bad parking, but would you be prepared to get a bit moralistic about it, I wonder, and be prepared to call them right or wrong? I think perhaps it's time.

- MATT SAUNDERS

Cars are getting bigger, yet parking bays don’t seem to be. Car parks are getting busier, so you're less likely to find banks of empty bays. It’s more and more likely to matter, in short, if you park well. And cars themselves are actually getting less forgiving of bad parking habits.

As a departure point, we must all agree, surely, that the path of the righteous is backwards. Indeed, at our regular testing haunt, Horiba MIRA proving ground, you will find car parks replete with signs reminding you to reverse park.

Why? For one thing, if you reverse, your steered axle is at the right end of the car to help you finish up in the middle of the bay, with a car positioned and aligned just right to give you room to open the doors. You're actually less likely to need a second or third bite at the cherry. More importantly, when subsequently leaving the bay, you can see where you're going much better, so you're also a lot less likely to cause a collision.

It’s bulletproof logic.