A driving instructor shared a simple yet necessary habit she urges every motorist to do whenever they’re travelling along a narrow road packed with parked cars. There are more than 300 rules and regulations to follow and practice in accordance with the Highway Code, with new rules and updates frequent.
It’s hardly surprising then, with so much to remember, that some people make mistakes or get confused while on the road. Whenever you’re driving, it’s important to be as safe as possible, respecting fellow drivers and pedestrians.
In a bid to help new and inexperienced drivers, as well as learners and even experienced, established drivers, some instructors often take to social media where they share a string of educational content.
One such instructor is Aman Sanghera of Clearview Driving. In a recent video shared on Instagram, the professional can be seen during a lesson with a young student.
The learner driver is travelling down a residential road with parked cars on both sides. Aman then asks him: “What if someone turns out at the end now?”
The student joked: “They should wait. They should wait.”
But Aman was quick to point out several gaps on their side of the road they could pull into to allow a car to pass, as well as several on the opposite side which an oncoming vehicle could pull into to let them pass.
In the caption accompanying the clip, the driving instructor added: “Always keep scanning for potential gaps to meet traffic on narrow roads like this.”
This guidance is in accordance with a general rule to help traffic flow while keeping road users safe. Whenever you’re travelling down a road with parked cars, you’re meant to give way to oncoming traffic if you need to use their side of the road.
If there’s an obstruction on your side of the road, you also need to give way. According to Rule 163 of the Highway Code, you should: “give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road”.
It also states: “Only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so.”
In the comments section beneath Aman’s video, people were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “I don’t get why NEW roads in UK are so absurdly narrow. It’s not that it’s a Roman carriageway or something.”
Someone else shared: “I always used to struggle with this! It wasn’t until I kept going down this horrible road near my house that’s always packed with parked cars at either side that I got the hang of it and made it a habit.
“Now, I don’t get in a flap about cars coming towards me on a busy, narrow road but it did take lots of practice to get me to that point.”
