You want to park uphill on a two-way road and there is no curb. Which direction do you turn your front wheels?
- Straight ahead
- Right, toward the side of the road ✓
- Left, toward the center of the road
Answer: B. Right, toward the side of the road
When you park uphill on a two-way road with no curb, turn your front wheels to the right, toward the side of the road.
Why this is the answer
The handbook covers this under parking on a hill. Downhill with a curb, you turn the wheels into the curb. Uphill with a curb, you turn them away from the curb, toward the center of the road. But when there is no curb, the rule is the same whether you face uphill or downhill: turn the wheels to the right so the vehicle rolls away from the center of the road if the brakes fail. The handbook also tells you to set the parking brake and leave the vehicle in park, or in gear if it has a manual transmission.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Straight ahead — Pointing the wheels straight gives the vehicle nothing to steer it away from traffic if it rolls, which is exactly what the no-curb rule is meant to prevent.
- C. Left, toward the center of the road — Turning the wheels left toward the center of the road is what the handbook describes for parking uphill when a curb is there, so the wheel can catch the curb; with no curb there is nothing to stop the vehicle from rolling into traffic.
Remember it
Ask yourself which way you want the car to roll if the brakes let go: no curb, no argument, wheels go right so it rolls off the road, not into the lanes.