You pull alongside the vehicle parked in front of your target space. How much room does the manual tell you to leave between the two vehicles before you begin backing in?
-
A.
About one full car width
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B.
About four feet
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C.
About six inches
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D.
About two feet Correct
The answer is "About two feet"
The manual says to leave about two feet, enough to swing your rear end into the space without scraping the parked car. Six inches is where drivers land when the pre-park spacing from the car ahead gets crossed with the tighter final gap from the curb once parking is finished, which pulls them to C.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. About one full car width
A full car width would leave your vehicle sticking out into the traffic lane while you back. This answer overshoots the two-foot gap by treating the maneuver like a passing setup rather than a park setup.
B. About four feet
Four feet doubles the manual's stated distance and puts you too far from the space. This answer doubles the stated number because a bigger cushion feels safer, but it pushes you into moving traffic.
C. About six inches
Six inches is too tight to swing the rear end into the space without scraping the parked car. This answer confuses the pre-park gap from the car ahead with the tighter final gap from the curb once parked.
This question tests your knowledge of Parking in New York. Source: New York State Driver's Manual, "How to Park (Chapter 7 - Parallel Parking)," p.42..
Related New York questions
- After you have finished parallel parking, how far may your wheels sit from the curb according to the manual? →
- As you back into a parallel parking space, where does the manual tell you to look? →
- The manual tells you to turn your wheels toward the curb after you park on a hill. What reason does it give? →
- You are backing into a parallel space and your front wheels come opposite the back bumper of the vehicle ahead. What does the manual say to do at that point? →
- Under what condition may you park in a space reserved for people with disabilities? →
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