When parallel parking, you should park within ____ inches of the curb.
- 10
- 12
- 18 ✓
- 24
Answer: C. 18
When you parallel park, you should end up no more than 18 inches from the curb.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's parallel parking steps say you should finish about six inches from the curb, and it sets a hard limit: do not park more than 18 inches from the curb or the edge of the road. So 18 inches is the outside limit the test is asking for, not a target to aim at. Six inches is the goal; 18 inches is the most the handbook allows.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. 10 — Ten inches is not the limit the handbook gives, even though it is closer to the six-inch goal than the stated maximum.
- B. 12 — Twelve inches is not the number the handbook uses for the maximum distance from the curb.
- D. 24 — Twenty-four inches is past the handbook's limit, which says you may not park more than 18 inches from the curb.
Remember it
Remember six as your aim and eighteen as your ceiling: get close, but never leave more than 18 inches of gap.