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Mississippi driving lesson · Parking, Night Driving & Seat Belts

Parking on a highway & parallel parking

A 3-minute lesson from the Mississippi 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
Parking, Night Driving & Seat Belts
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
60, 61

Outside towns, a car stopped at the roadside is a hazard to fast traffic. In town, parallel parking is a skill you'll use constantly, and leaving the space safely matters as much as getting into it.

Know the rule

Outside business or residential districts, you must park off the roadway.

Handbook p. 60 ↗

If you must park along a highway:

  • Pull all the way off the roadway
  • If possible, leave at least 20 feet for other vehicles to get by
  • Park so you can be seen from at least 200 feet in both directions
  • At night, leave your parking lights or emergency flashers on
Handbook p. 60 ↗
200 feet

Parked along a highway, you must be visible from at least this far in both directions

Handbook p. 60 ↗
12 inches

Maximum distance between your tires and the curb when parallel parked

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Parallel parking in four steps:

  • 1. Pick a space big enough for your car, signal, and stop alongside the car in front of the space
  • 2. Make sure you won't interfere with oncoming traffic; cut the wheels sharply right and back slowly
  • 2 (cont.). Stop when your front tire aligns with the back bumper of the car ahead
  • 3. Cut the wheels sharply left and keep backing, careful not to bump the car behind you
  • 4. Pull forward to the center of the space, leaving room front and back, within 12 inches of the curb
Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

Use extreme care getting out on the street side, and unload your vehicle from the curb side.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

The driver leaving a parking space does NOT have the right of way. Make sure the way is clear of traffic and pedestrians, and yield to any oncoming traffic.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

Leaving a parallel space, look back over your shoulder and signal before entering the travel lane. Leaving a diagonal or straight-in space, wait until the area behind is clear and look back while backing.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

Always look back over your shoulder while backing up. Never rely on your rearview mirror alone.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Put it into practice

You're pulling out of a parallel space on a busy street. Signal, look back over your shoulder, and wait for a real gap: the approaching cars have the right of way, not you.

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.

If you must park along a highway outside a business or residential district, how far should your vehicle be visible in both directions?
  1. At least 50 feet
  2. At least 200 feet
  3. At least 100 feet
  4. At least 500 feet

Answer: At least 200 feet

Your vehicle should be visible from at least two hundred feet in both directions when parked along a highway.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
When parallel parked, how far from the curb should your tires be?
  1. Within 12 inches
  2. Within 36 inches
  3. Within 6 inches
  4. Within 24 inches

Answer: Within 12 inches

For parallel parking, tires should be within twelve inches of the curb.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
Does the driver leaving a parallel parking space have the right of way over approaching traffic?
  1. Only if their signal is on
  2. Yes, if they pull out slowly
  3. Yes, parked vehicles always have priority
  4. No, they must yield to oncoming traffic

Answer: No, they must yield to oncoming traffic

The driver leaving a parking space does not have the right of way and must yield to oncoming traffic.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
When backing out of a diagonal or straight-in parking spot, what should you rely on primarily?
  1. A passenger's verbal directions only
  2. The rearview mirror alone
  3. The car's backup camera exclusively
  4. Looking back over your shoulder

Answer: Looking back over your shoulder

You should always look back over your shoulder while backing up and never rely on the rearview mirror alone.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
If possible, how much space should you leave for other vehicles when parked along a highway?
  1. 40 feet
  2. 20 feet
  3. 10 feet
  4. 5 feet

Answer: 20 feet

If possible, leave at least twenty feet for other vehicles to get by when parked along a highway.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
If you must park along a highway at night, you should leave your parking lights or emergency flashers on.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Leaving lights or flashers on at night helps other drivers see your parked vehicle.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
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