[Coda]

Parallel parking takes a bit of practice with each car you drive. Different vehicles have different lengths and different wheelbases, so the specific positioning that works for one car might end up with you bumping your back-right wheel into the curb in a different car or with a big gap between the car and the curb in another one. (I had to learn how to parallel park in a van. It took living in Los Angeles for a couple years to get the hang of it in my tiny little Chevy Spark.)

Fortunately, if you actually look over your shoulder like you're supposed to instead of using your mirrors, you can stop before actually HITTING something. (Not counting the curb, but bumping your tire into the curb a little doesn't hurt anything.)