Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Parking

The Texas manual describes where to stop your vehicle before you begin backing into a parallel parking space. Where is that?

  1. A.
    Two car lengths past the space, with your hazard lights on
  2. B.
    Behind the car ahead with your rear bumper at the curb
  3. C.
    Even with the front of the car ahead, about two feet out from the space Correct
  4. D.
    Straight in the space with your front wheels turned all the way right
The Why

The answer is "Even with the front of the car ahead, about two feet out from the space"

The Texas manual tells you to signal, then stop even with the front of the car ahead, about two feet out from the space, before turning your wheels right and backing in. Two car lengths past the space is the trap: a driver applying a 'pull past then back in' habit from perpendicular parking is using the wrong maneuver's opening step for this one.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Two car lengths past the space, with your hazard lights on

Stopping past the space runs you out of position for the manual's back-in maneuver. A 'pull past then back in' habit from another maneuver gets applied to parallel parking.

B. Behind the car ahead with your rear bumper at the curb

This describes an ending curb position, not the alongside starting position the manual names. The finished parked position gets pictured in place of the starting one.

D. Straight in the space with your front wheels turned all the way right

Pulling straight in skips parallel parking entirely; the manual describes a back-in maneuver from alongside. Perpendicular or angle parking gets confused with the parallel maneuver taught here.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Parking in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Parallel Parking," p.43..

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