Driving guide

Parking on a Hill: Wheel Direction Made Simple

Parking on a hill is one of the most commonly missed permit-test questions because the rule looks like four cases but is really one. The principle: if your car rolls, you want it to catch the curb or the dirt rather than enter traffic.

Facing downhill, curb present

Turn the wheels toward the curb (right, on a right-side curb). If the parking brake fails and the car rolls, the front tire catches the curb and stops the car. This is the single most-tested case.

Facing uphill, curb present

Turn the wheels away from the curb (left, on a right-side curb), then let the car roll back gently until the rear of the front tire rests against the curb. A runaway car rolls backward into the curb and stops.

No curb, either direction

With no curb, always turn the wheels toward the side of the road. A runaway car rolls off the road rather than into the lane of traffic. This rule applies the same whether you are facing uphill or downhill.

Always set the parking brake

Wheel direction is the backup, not the primary. Set the parking brake every time, even on a flat surface. Many modern automatics also benefit from being shifted to park only after the brake is set, not before, so the parking pawl in the transmission isn't holding the entire weight of the car.