Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Parking

You park facing uphill with a curb to your right. Which way should you turn your front wheels?

  1. A.
    Away from the curb, then roll back until the tire touches it. Correct
  2. B.
    Straight ahead, since the parking brake alone will hold the vehicle.
  3. C.
    Into the curb, the same as parking downhill.
The Why

The answer is "Away from the curb, then roll back until the tire touches it."

Uphill with a curb, turn the front wheels away from the curb so a rollback catches the tire against the curb as a stop. Reaching for 'into the curb' at C applies the downhill wheel position to an uphill park, blurring two mirror-image rules that beginners routinely swap.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Straight ahead, since the parking brake alone will hold the vehicle.

The manual specifies wheel position on any hill; the parking brake alone is not enough. This answer trusts the parking brake to do the whole job, skipping the wheel-position step the manual pairs with it.

C. Into the curb, the same as parking downhill.

Turning into the curb is the downhill rule. This answer applies the downhill wheel position to an uphill park, blurring the two mirror-image rules.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Parking in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Parking on a Hill," p.27..

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