Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Parking

Vehicle trouble forces you to stop on a freeway. Once you have pulled over, what does the manual tell you to do?

  1. A.
    Set flares behind the vehicle before help arrives.
  2. B.
    Park completely off the pavement and stay in your vehicle with the doors locked. Correct
  3. C.
    Wait beside the vehicle on the shoulder so passing tow trucks can see you.
The Why

The answer is "Park completely off the pavement and stay in your vehicle with the doors locked."

On a freeway stop, the manual is emphatic: pull completely off the pavement, then stay inside the locked vehicle until help arrives. A driver who pictures standing beside the vehicle to flag a tow truck is transferring a surface-street breakdown habit, where stepping out is often safer, onto a road where passing speeds make it dangerous.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Set flares behind the vehicle before help arrives.

The manual does not direct you to set flares or leave the vehicle on a freeway breakdown. This answer follows a highway-emergency habit from older driver-education materials the current manual has replaced.

C. Wait beside the vehicle on the shoulder so passing tow trucks can see you.

The manual tells you to stay inside the locked vehicle, not stand outside it. This answer treats a freeway breakdown like a surface-street breakdown, where stepping out is often the safer choice.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Parking in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Illegal Parking," p.28..

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