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Texas driving lesson · Parking, Stopping & Standing

Where you can't stop, stand or park & leaving your car

A 3-minute lesson from the Texas 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, Stopping & Standing
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
48, 49

Not all crashes happen while cars are moving; an improperly parked vehicle can cause one too. Some places are off-limits even for a brief stop with the engine running. Texas also spells out what you must do before walking away from your car.

Know the rule

When you leave your vehicle, turn the motor off, set the parking brake, and remove the key. Look behind you for oncoming traffic before opening your door.

Handbook p. 48 ↗

Never park, stop, or let a vehicle stand idling:

  • On the road side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb
  • On a sidewalk or crosswalk
  • Within an intersection
  • Between a safety zone and the curb, or within 30 feet of the curb opposite a safety zone's end
  • Alongside or opposite a street excavation or obstruction, if it would block traffic
  • On a bridge or other elevated highway structure, or in a highway tunnel
  • On any railroad track
  • Anywhere an official sign prohibits stopping
Handbook p. 48 ↗

Know the rule

Temporarily stopping to obey signs, signals, and so on is not considered parking or standing.

Handbook p. 48 ↗

Know the rule

It is illegal to leave a vehicle standing unattended without turning off the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key, and setting the brake. On any grade, also turn the front wheels to the curb or side of the road.

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Know the rule

The engine-off, locked-ignition and key-removal rules don't apply to a vehicle started with a remote starter without the key in the ignition. Before it can be driven, the key must be in the ignition or physically present in the vehicle.

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Put it into practice

You stop in the right lane on a highway bridge to take a photo of the river with the engine running. That's illegal even for a moment: stopping or standing on a bridge or elevated structure is prohibited. Keep driving and use a legal pull-off.

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.

Is it legal to stop your vehicle within an intersection?
  1. No, stopping within an intersection is prohibited
  2. Yes, to let a passenger out
  3. Yes, if hazard lights are on
  4. Yes, if no traffic is behind you

Answer: No, stopping within an intersection is prohibited

You must not park, stop, or stand a vehicle within an intersection.

Handbook p. 48 ↗
You need to obey a stop sign momentarily. Does that count as illegal parking?
  1. Yes, any stop longer than 5 seconds is parking
  2. No, temporarily stopping to obey a sign isn't considered parking
  3. Yes, unless your hazard lights are on
  4. No, but only on residential streets

Answer: No, temporarily stopping to obey a sign isn't considered parking

Temporarily stopping to obey signs or signals is not considered parking or standing.

Handbook p. 48 ↗
Where is stopping always prohibited, regardless of signage?
  1. On a residential street
  2. Beside a curb in a business district
  3. On a railroad track
  4. On a numbered highway shoulder

Answer: On a railroad track

Stopping, parking, or standing on any railroad track is prohibited.

Handbook p. 48 ↗
When you leave your unattended vehicle, what must you do besides turning off the engine?
  1. Lock the ignition, remove the key and set the brake
  2. Leave the key in so others can move it
  3. Turn on the hazard lights and lock the doors
  4. Leave it in neutral with the doors locked

Answer: Lock the ignition, remove the key and set the brake

An unattended vehicle must have the ignition locked, key removed, and brake set (with a remote-starter exception).

Handbook p. 49 ↗
You start your car with a remote starter and no key is in the ignition. What must happen before the vehicle can actually be driven?
  1. Nothing more; it may be driven right away
  2. The key must be in the ignition or in the vehicle
  3. The engine must be restarted with the key
  4. The parking brake must stay engaged

Answer: The key must be in the ignition or in the vehicle

Even with a remote starter, the key must be in the ignition or physically present before the vehicle can be driven.

Handbook p. 49 ↗
You may not stop or park on a bridge, elevated structure, or in a highway tunnel.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

These locations are on the list of places you must not park, stop, or stand.

Handbook p. 48 ↗
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