Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Parking

You're parking on any hill in Oregon. What's the first thing you should always do?

  1. A.
    Set your parking brake. Correct
  2. B.
    Turn your front wheels toward the curb.
  3. C.
    Leave the vehicle in Park (or in gear).
  4. D.
    Shift the transmission into neutral.
The Why

The answer is "Set your parking brake."

The hill-parking procedure opens with the parking brake, then leaving the vehicle in gear (manual) or Park (automatic), then turning the front wheels for the slope and curb. The parking brake is the primary protection if the transmission fails; the wheel-turn is a backup, not the lead step. Neutral, as D allows, disengages the transmission and undoes the very rollaway protection this procedure exists to provide.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Turn your front wheels toward the curb.

Turning the wheels is part of the procedure, but not the first step, and the direction depends on the slope and curb. This answer confuses the order of the three-step procedure; the wheel-turn is a backup if the brake fails, so it follows setting the parking brake rather than leading it.

C. Leave the vehicle in Park (or in gear).

Leaving the vehicle in Park or in gear is part of the procedure, but not the first step. This answer reverses the manual's order; the procedure begins with the parking brake, then leaving the vehicle in gear or in Park, then turning the front wheels.

D. Shift the transmission into neutral.

The manual says to leave the vehicle in gear (manual) or in Park (automatic). Neutral disengages the transmission and allows the vehicle to roll, which is exactly what the hill-parking procedure is designed to prevent. This answer confuses leaving the vehicle in gear or in Park with shifting into neutral; the manual specifies gear or Park, and neutral defeats the rollaway protection the procedure is built around.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Parking in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Parking & Stopping, Parking on Hills," p.69..

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