‘Is this legal?’: Smart car driver caught beating the parking system

Known for their cute and tiny size, Smart cars are perfect for fitting in narrow spots, but this owner has taken it one step further.

Photo: Reddit

The Smart ForTwo is easily one of the most recognisable cars that has ever been sold in Australia, and even since its introduction into the market in 2003, there has yet to be anything even close to its short dimensions.

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Despite its comedic appearance, the Smart is renowned for its ability to fit into even the smallest of spaces.

One Sydney driver has taken it to the next step by fitting their little ForTwo in between two parallel-parked cars – by parking it the long way.

The move garnered plenty of attention on Reddit, with many pointing out its absolute genius.

“A Smart car parking smartly. Smart parking by a Smart car. The Smart car parked smartly,” said one user.

“This is the correct way to park a smart car,” said another.

One other user pointed out that this was actually how they marketed the car when it was first on the market in Europe.

“I absolutely swear, when I was growing up in Europe, this was actually how Smart Mercedes advertised their vehicle’s capability of parking.”

While it certainly is a clever way to park, users failed to point out that this is actually counted as an illegal park.

It is illegal around Australia to park in any way that is not facing the flow of traffic where cars parallel park, unless signposted otherwise.

As discussed in depth in a previous story here, most of Australia follows a similar rule to Road Rules 2014 Regulation 208, which states that a driver “must position the vehicle to face in the direction of travel of vehicles in the marked lane or line of traffic on, or next to, the part of the road where the driver parks”.

Fines range from $50 in Western Australia and up to $423 and two demerit points if you do it in a school zone in New South Wales.

The reason for the rule is to ensure visibility when exiting a parallel parking space. Facing the wrong way requires them to travel on the wrong side of the road to exit the space, exposing other motorists to the risk of a head-on collision.

While the way the Smart ForTwo has parked doesn’t cause that issue for the driver, it could still be fined under that road rule.  

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