How to Park Safely on a Hill

While parking a car is an important driving skill that must be proven to qualify for a license, parking on a hill is a skill that not everyone possesses. While drivers may not need to demonstrate this ability, it is important to know…

While parking a car is an important driving skill that must be proven to qualify for a license, parking on a hill is a skill that not everyone possesses.

While drivers may not need to demonstrate this ability, it is essential to know how to safely park your car on a slope to ensure the safety of not only your car, but also those on the road. Gravity is a strong force, and there is a risk that your parking brake could disengage while you are away, potentially sending your self-driving car into a real moving car war zone.

Method 1 of 3: Park on a curbed hillside.

Step 1: Pull the car parallel to the curb. When you see a free parking spot, drive up to it about the length of your car and then reverse your car into the slot.

Ideally, try to position your car within six inches of the curb.

Step 2: Get the front wheels off the curb. Try turning the front wheels off the curb. Make this turn at the last moment of pull parallel to the curb.

• Functions: Turning over tires while driving results in less wear than turning them over while stationary.

While the front of the tire should be facing away from the curb, the rear of the tire closest to the curb should be touching the curb. This tilt of the tires puts the car in such a position that it rolls to the curb and stops if the parking brake fails.

Step 3: park your car. Park your car and apply the emergency parking brake. Turn off the ignition and get out of the car with the confidence that it will still be there when you get back.

Method 2 of 3: Park up the curb hill.

Step 1: Enter an Empty Parallel Parking Lot. As with parking on a downhill slope, first drive past an empty spot about a car's length away and then pull the car back into place. The ideal position is parallel to the curb and within six inches of it.

Step 2: Turn the front wheels towards the curb. The front tire closest to the curb must touch it. If the tires are positioned this way, if the parking brake fails, the vehicle will roll onto the curb instead of onto the road.

Step 3: Park the vehicle with the emergency brake applied.. When the wheels are in the correct position and the car is close enough to the curb, you can turn off the ignition and get out of the car without worrying about the car rolling away in your absence.

Method 3 of 3: Park on a hill without a curb

Step 1: Drive into a free parking space. If it's a parallel parking space, stop about a car's length ahead and then return to it. Otherwise, drive into the free space, moving forward, placing the car between the lines.

Step 2: Turn the front parts of the front wheels to the right, if applicable.. If you park on the side of the road, turning the wheels this way prevents the car from rolling into traffic if the parking brake fails.

Step 3: Park the car and apply the emergency brake.. When the car is parked and the emergency brake is applied, extra power is available to keep the car stationary against gravity.

By using these safe hillside parking techniques, you will prevent unnecessary damage to your vehicle in the event that the parking brake is not applied or not working.

A few moments of time to make sure the wheels are in the correct position can prevent costly damage to your vehicle and others, not to mention injury to other drivers and nearby pedestrians.