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Florida driving lesson · Highways, Parking, and Turning

How to park, including on hills

A 3-minute lesson from the Florida course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Highways, Parking, and Turning
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
28, 73, 74

Good parking keeps your car out of traffic and keeps it from rolling. On the street that means close to the curb and facing the right way. On a hill it means turning your wheels so a rolling car goes into the curb or away from traffic.

Know the rule

Park as far from traffic as possible. If there's a shoulder, pull as far onto it as you can.

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Know the rule

Park on the right side of the road unless it's a one-way street. Park parallel to the curb in the direction of traffic.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
12 inches

Right-hand wheels must be parallel to and within this distance of the curb or roadside

Handbook p. 73 ↗

After you stop:

  • Set the parking brake
  • Shift to Park (automatic) or Reverse (manual)
  • Turn off the engine and lock the vehicle
  • Take your keys with you; Florida law requires it
Handbook p. 73 ↗

Know the rule

Check traffic before you get out so you don't open your door into a bicyclist or another vehicle.

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Know the rule

Before pulling away from a parked position, make sure the road is clear, signal, and yield to other traffic.

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Parking on a hill:

  • 1. Turn the wheels so a rolling car goes away from traffic or into the curb
  • 2. Set the parking brake
  • 3. Automatic: Park. Manual: Reverse (downhill) or First (uphill)
  • 4. Turn the vehicle off
Handbook p. 73 ↗

Which way to turn the wheels

Which way to turn the wheels
SituationWheels
Downhill (curb or not)Toward the curb
Uphill with a curbAway from the curb
Uphill without a curbTo the right
Handbook p. 74 ↗
Lane travel direction (straight)
Uphill with a curb: wheels turned away from the curb
Lane next to a grass shoulder
Uphill without a curb: wheels turned to the right
Opposing lane direction
Downhill: wheels turned toward the curb

Know the rule

Straight-in parking: center the vehicle in the space, with no part sticking into the traffic lane.

Handbook p. 74 ↗

Put it into practice

You parallel park facing uphill on a street with a curb, in a car with a manual transmission. Turn your wheels away from the curb, set the parking brake, shift into First, turn off the engine, and take the keys.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

When parking on the street, how close must your right-hand wheels be to the curb?
  1. Within 24 inches
  2. Within 36 inches
  3. Within 12 inches
  4. Within 6 inches

Answer: Within 12 inches

Park parallel to the curb with right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the curb or side of roadway.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
Florida law requires you to do what with your keys before leaving a parked vehicle?
  1. Leave them in if the engine is off
  2. Leave them in if the doors are locked
  3. Leave them in for a short stop
  4. Take them out of the vehicle

Answer: Take them out of the vehicle

Florida law requires that you take the keys out of your vehicle before leaving it.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
When parking uphill along a curb, which way should you turn your wheels?
  1. Away from the curb
  2. Straight ahead
  3. It doesn't matter uphill
  4. Toward the curb

Answer: Away from the curb

When parking uphill with a curb, turn your wheels away from the curb.

Handbook p. 74 ↗
When parking downhill, which way should you turn your wheels?
  1. Straight ahead
  2. Toward the curb
  3. To the left regardless of curb
  4. Away from the curb

Answer: Toward the curb

When parking downhill, turn your wheels toward the curb.

Handbook p. 74 ↗
Before opening your car door after parking, what should you check for?
  1. Only oncoming vehicles
  2. Only pedestrians on the sidewalk
  3. Only vehicles parked directly behind you
  4. Bicyclists and other traffic around you

Answer: Bicyclists and other traffic around you

Always check traffic around you before getting out of a vehicle so you do not open your door into a bicyclist or another vehicle.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
You may leave your vehicle's engine running and keys inside while briefly parked on a public road.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Florida law requires that you take the keys out of your vehicle before leaving it.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
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