Parking on a Hill: Which Way to Turn Your Wheels (Uphill and Down)

Here's a question that sinks a surprising number of permit tests: "You are parking uphill on a street with a curb. Which way should you turn your front wheels?" Most people know the answer is either left or right. Far fewer know which one, or why. Parking on a hill comes down to three situations and one memory trick, and once you understand what the wheels are doing, you'll never have to guess again.

Why wheel direction matters

Parking brakes fail. Transmissions get knocked out of park. Someone bumps your car while parallel parking. On flat ground, a car that starts rolling doesn't go far. On a slope, it picks up speed every second, and a two-ton car rolling into traffic or a crosswalk is a disaster.

Turning your wheels is your backup plan. Angled correctly, the tires either catch the curb or steer the car off the road and away from traffic if it ever starts to move. Every rule below follows from that single goal: if the car rolls, it should roll into the curb or off the road, never into the street.

The memory trick: "Up, up and away"

Only one of the three situations has you turning away from the curb, so memorize that one and the rest fall into place.

• Uphill with a curb: wheels turned away from the curb. ("Up, up and away.")
• Downhill with a curb: wheels turned toward the curb.
• No curb, uphill or downhill: wheels turned toward the edge of the road.

These directions assume you've parked on the right side of the road, which is where you'll almost always be. On a one-way street where you park on the left, mirror everything.

Parking on a hill: downhill with a curb

This one is intuitive. Pull close to the curb and, during the last few feet, turn the steering wheel sharply right so the front tires point into the curb. Let the car creep forward until the front of the right tire gently touches the curb, then stop.

Now gravity is pushing the car forward, but the curb is blocking the tire. If the brake ever released, the car would stay put.

Uphill with a curb

This is the one people miss on the test. Pull up close to the curb, then turn your steering wheel sharply left, away from the curb. Let the car roll back slowly, a few inches, until the back of the right front tire rests against the curb.

Why away? Picture the car rolling backward down the hill. With the wheels turned left, the front of the car swings right as it rolls back, and the tire wedges against the curb. If you turned the wheels toward the curb instead, the tire would roll back along the curb and the car would be free to roll into the road behind you.

Any hill with no curb

Without a curb, there's nothing to catch the tire, so the goal changes: make sure the car would roll off the road rather than into it. Turn your wheels toward the edge of the road, which means to the right, whether you're facing uphill or downhill.

If the car rolls, it heads onto the shoulder, into the grass or the ditch. That's annoying, but far better than drifting across lanes of traffic.

Parking brake and gear

Wheel direction is the backup. Your primary protection is the vehicle itself:

1. Stop with the foot brake.
2. Turn the wheels the correct direction.
3. Set the parking brake firmly.
4. Shift into park (automatic) or into first gear or reverse (manual), as your owner's manual recommends.
5. Turn off the engine.

Setting the parking brake before shifting into park lets the brake hold the car's weight rather than the small locking pin in the transmission. Many drivers skip the parking brake on mild slopes. Don't. It costs two seconds, and it's the habit examiners look for on a road test.

When you leave, check your mirror and blind spot, release the parking brake, straighten the wheels as you pull out, and signal before you move into traffic.

Other parking rules on the test

Hill-parking questions often sit right next to questions about where you can't park at all. Your state's manual lists the details, but expect questions about:

• Fire hydrants. In California, for instance, the vehicle code bars parking within 15 feet of a hydrant. Other states set their own distances.
• Crosswalks and intersections. Parked cars block pedestrians' view of traffic.
• Stop signs and traffic signals. You can't park so close that you hide them.
• Railroad crossings and fire station driveways.
• Curb colors. Red, yellow, white, green and blue curbs mean different things in states that use color codes.
• Distance from the curb. Most manuals set a maximum gap between your tires and the curb when parallel parked.

The numbers vary by state, so learn them from your own manual. The California Driver Handbook is a good example of how these rules are presented, and many other states use a similar format. Curb colors and no-parking signs also tie into the visual rules in our guide to road sign shapes and colors.

Quick self-check

Before you move on, test yourself:

1. Downhill, curb present. Wheels? (Toward the curb.)
2. Uphill, curb present. Wheels? (Away from the curb.)
3. Uphill, dirt shoulder, no curb. Wheels? (Toward the edge, to the right.)
4. What do you set before shifting into park? (The parking brake.)

Got all four? Then you're ready for these questions on test day. Keep the rest of the high-yield facts in one place with our permit test cheat sheet, and run a few free practice tests to see how your state words them.

Frequently asked questions

Which way do you turn your wheels when parking uphill?

With a curb, turn your wheels away from the curb and let the car roll back until the tire touches it. Without a curb, turn them toward the edge of the road.

How far from a fire hydrant can you park?

It depends on your state. California, for example, prohibits parking within 15 feet of a hydrant, so check your own driver manual for the exact distance.

Do you need the parking brake on a hill?

Yes. Always set the parking brake when parking on any slope, in addition to turning your wheels and putting the car in park or gear.