You're parking downhill against a curb in Oregon. Which direction should your front wheels be turned?
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A.
Toward the travel lane (away from the curb).
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B.
Straight ahead, as if continuing downhill.
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C.
Toward the curb that you are parked against. Correct
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D.
In any direction, as long as the parking brake is firmly set.
The answer is "Toward the curb that you are parked against."
When parking downhill against a curb, turn the wheels toward the curb. If the brake fails and the vehicle rolls forward, the front tires catch on the curb instead of the vehicle drifting into traffic. The manual's hill-parking diagram prescribes wheels toward the curb for downhill curb parking, wheels toward the travel lane for uphill curb parking, and wheels toward the road edge when no curb is present. D treats the parking-brake requirement as a substitute for wheel position, but the manual pairs them: the brake holds the vehicle, and the wheels are the backup if it fails.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Toward the travel lane (away from the curb).
Wheels point toward the travel lane only when parking uphill against a curb. Downhill is the opposite direction. This answer swaps the uphill-against-a-curb rule (wheels toward the travel lane) for the downhill rule (wheels toward the curb).
B. Straight ahead, as if continuing downhill.
Hill parking always requires turning the wheels so the curb or roadside acts as a backup if the brake fails. This answer ignores the hill-parking diagram, which prescribes turning the wheels in every case (toward the curb, the travel lane, or the road edge).
D. In any direction, as long as the parking brake is firmly set.
Setting the parking brake is required on every hill, but it is not a substitute for wheel position. The manual has you turn the front wheels precisely so the curb stops the vehicle in case the brake fails. This answer reads "Always set your parking brake" as making wheel direction irrelevant; the manual requires both, because wheel position is the backup for brake failure.
This question tests your knowledge of Parking in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Parking & Stopping: Parking on Hills," p.69..
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