One of the most difficult aspects of driving is reversing. You have to keep an eye on the road and also on your mirrors to avoid collision with another vehicle or an object.

Lots of first-time drivers in Nigeria find it difficult to reverse, as someone has to be on ground to direct them. Others (who can't use the rearview and side-view mirrors) tend to look back throughout the car reversing process in order to get it right. Whatever the case, car reversing is an important driving skill to have and improve.

Here are some tips for beginners that can help guide you on how to reverse a car for beginners.

Hold the steering wheel firmly when reversing

1. Reverse the car slowly

As a beginner, driving slowly enables you to make decisions effectively. So reverse the car slowly to avail you some time to look at your surroundings properly. That way you can easily figure if you're getting to close to an object if you have enough space behind, and even when you hit something the impact won't be too much. If you're driving an automatic car, let the car accelerate on its own while you keep your foot on the brakes to limit speed.

2. Keep an eye on the rear not the steering

Beginners keep eyes on the steering when figuring what direction the car should go. That is wrong. The same way you don't stare at the steering wheel when moving forward, don't do that when reversing either. Instead, keep an eye on the rear of your vehicle through the mirrors and your brain will automatically help figure which way to steer. Also, keeping an eye on the front can affect your car reversing. That way you're judging the backward movement from where the front is facing. They are usually in opposite directions.

Some drivers complain that using the rearview mirror gives them reversed images which makes it difficult to determine which way to go. Well, the idea of the rearview and side-view mirrors is to enable you to keep an eye on both the front and the back. Hence if this is difficult, you can unplug your seat belt and look back while reversing. Your hands tend to steer the wheels based on the decisions made by your eyes and brain. This way you can see that if you want to reverse left, you tend to steer left. If you wish to go right, steer right.

3. Adjust your side-view mirrors to help see objects

Good thing is that most cars these days come with mirrors that can tilt to enhance the view. Some are even made to tilt on their own when reversing to enable you to see curbs and objects on the ground at the rear. When reversing, adjust your side mirrors to an angle that lefts you see how your rear wheels are moving. It also helps you see blind spots as well. This makes your car reversing a lot easier.

4. Keep the steering wheel straight before reversing

Many people don't know what position their tires are facing before reversing. So they end up hitting an object unexpectedly or simply going the wrong way. Therefore, endeavor to straighten your steering wheel. Simply take off your hands for a few seconds to know which way it's about turning to, then turn it till it feels stable. Engage your gears to reverse, and begin. This makes it easy for you to go right or left without feeling like you're steering too much or turning too much.

Finally, practice in an open field before getting on the road. This makes it easier to adapt when a real situation presents itself.