California · Driving practice
Parking Uphill With a Curb: Which Way to Turn
Hill-parking questions depend on the exact setup. This California example describes parking uphill next to a curb, so the correct wheel direction is away from the curb. Keep both conditions in mind rather than answering for a different hill-parking situation. Turning the wheels is an added safeguard if the vehicle rolls, not a replacement for setting the parking brake and otherwise securing it. The backup effect described here is that a backward roll brings a front tire against the curb. Compare the illustration and the wording before you choose an answer. Source
The short answer
For this uphill-with-curb situation, turn the front wheels away from the curb and set the parking brake.
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Check your understanding
Choose an answer, or open “Show answer” to read the explanation. This practice does not change your saved tests or mistakes.
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Why this answer fits the situation
That relationship explains the direction rather than asking you to memorize a word without a road setup. The curb is part of the described safeguard. A question without a curb or with the vehicle facing downhill needs its own reading; this page does not generalize the same direction to every place where a vehicle is parked on a slope.
How to read the decision on the road
Name the three pieces before answering: the vehicle points uphill, a curb is present and the question asks about the front wheels. Then choose the direction that matches that arrangement. Afterward, remember that positioning the wheels does not secure the vehicle by itself. The original record expressly keeps the parking brake as part of the response. Do not turn a backup measure into an excuse to omit the primary act of securing the parked vehicle.
Why the other choices do not fit
Toward the curb
Toward the curb does not match the uphill-with-curb setup in this record. It can sound familiar from a different hill-parking arrangement, which is why reading the direction of the slope and the presence of the curb matters before using a memorized phrase.
Straight ahead
Straight wheels omit the backup positioning described in the original explanation. The question is not simply asking whether the vehicle can be left parallel to the road; it asks what front-wheel direction adds the intended safeguard at this particular curb.
Wheel direction does not matter if the parking brake is set
Setting the parking brake does not make wheel direction irrelevant. The record treats the two as complementary: the brake secures the vehicle and the wheel position adds a safeguard. Choosing one should not be used to erase the other part of the stated response.