QuestionQUESTION: I am a disabled driver and, I assume, because I have a progressive disease, they test me every few years. This time it is the regular MVA test and I find that, after driving for 42 years, the techniques they expect you to know are different.
When parallel parking, you must park between cones instead of behind another car. After I had failed, my tester told me that I was supposed to tilt my right rear-view mirror all the way down so as to see the curb. If you only learned to judge be taking cues from the car in front of you, you probably will fail. There were no right side mirrors when I learned!
Also, instead of a k-turn we must now back the car into a parking space between cones. I don't know how to do this and w/o a learner's permit, I can't hire an instructor. What do I do? How do I learn. BTW, I cannot turn and put my right arm over the seat and look behind me. I can't lift my arm that way.
ANSWER: You need to find a place that is on private property. You do not need a license to operate a vehicle on private property. Then practice until you can get r done.
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QUESTION: But, is there something you are supposed to do with the mirrors in order to back up? I am terrible at backing up any significant distance (like our 200' long driveway).
Also, for either test, in order to practice I need to know how far apart to place the cones.
AnswerI do not know of any requirement to lower the right outside mirror to parallel park. Even in this day and age not all cars and trucks have mirrors that can be moved without getting out of the vehicle moving them by hand. If you have to back up for an appreciable distance, focus on an object in the rear view mirror and maintain its position as you back thus staying straight while backing.
Go to any area that has parking zones painted on the roadway and measure how far they are apart.
