Parking on a Hill: Which Way to Turn Your Wheels
When you park on a hill, turning your front wheels the right way gives you a backup if the vehicle starts to move unexpectedly. The goal is simple: if the brakes fail, the vehicle should move toward the curb or the edge of the road, not into traffic. The rule looks like four separate cases, but it comes down to one idea.
Don’t memorize four rules. Ask one question: if this car rolled, where would I want it to go? Into the curb, or off the edge of the road, and never into the lane. Work that out and the wheel direction answers itself.
Why You Turn Your Wheels
Your parking brake and transmission are the main things holding a parked vehicle in place on a hill. Turning your wheels adds a safeguard. If the vehicle starts to roll, the turned wheels help send it toward the curb or the edge of the road instead of into traffic.
The Four Cases
These directions apply when you’re parked on the right-hand side of the road, which is the usual situation.
| Situation | Turn your front wheels | If the vehicle rolls |
|---|---|---|
| Uphill, with a curb | Left, away from the curb | It rolls backward and the curb catches the tire |
| Uphill, no curb | Right, toward the edge of the road | It rolls off the road, away from traffic |
| Downhill, with a curb | Right, toward the curb | It rolls forward and the curb catches the tire |
| Downhill, no curb | Right, toward the edge of the road | It rolls off the road, away from traffic |
These directions match the guidance in Ontario’s driver’s handbook, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s (ICBC) Learn to Drive Smart guide and the Yukon and Northwest Territories driver’s guides. Details such as which gear to use with a manual transmission vary a little, so check your own provincial or territorial driver’s guide.
If you park on the left side of the road, such as on a one-way street, use the mirror image of these directions: turn your wheels the opposite way in each case, so the vehicle still rolls toward the curb or the edge of the road, away from traffic.
An Easy Way to Remember Them
For right-side parking, there is only one case where your wheels point toward the road: uphill with a curb. In every other case, turn them toward the curb or the edge of the road.
Right-side parking: uphill with a curb is left. Everything else is right.
If you ever blank, go back to the question: where do I want the vehicle to go if it rolls?
Step by Step
- Park parallel and close to the curb or road edge, then stop with your foot on the brake.
- Decide whether you’re facing uphill or downhill, and whether there’s a curb.
- Turn your front wheels in the direction the table shows.
- With your foot still controlling the brake, let the vehicle move slowly until the tire rests against the curb, if there is one.
- Set the parking brake firmly while your foot is still on the brake pedal.
- Select the right gear. Use Park for an automatic transmission. For a manual, use the gear your provincial or territorial driver’s guide recommends.
- Turn off the engine, then check that the vehicle is secure before you get out.
Leaving the Space
Start the engine with your foot on the brake. Check your mirrors and blind spot, and signal before you move. Release the parking brake only when you’re ready to leave and the road is clear.
When you’re parked uphill with a curb, the vehicle may roll back slightly as you move from the brake pedal to the accelerator, so check for traffic and pedestrians behind you first. Once you’re moving, straighten the wheels as needed and continue only when you have a safe path.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to turn the wheels
The problem: You park on a slope and assume the parking brake is enough.
Better approach: Make wheel direction part of your normal hill-parking routine.
Turning them the wrong way
The problem: You mix up the uphill-with-curb case with the others.
Better approach: Use the right-side shortcut, and when in doubt ask where you want the vehicle to go if it rolls.
Letting the vehicle roll too far
The problem: The wheels are turned, but the vehicle moves uncontrolled before it reaches the curb.
Better approach: Keep your foot on the brake and allow only slow, controlled movement until the tire rests against the curb.
Setting the parking brake last or lightly
The problem: You release the foot brake before the parking brake is holding the vehicle securely.
Better approach: Set the parking brake firmly while your foot is still on the brake pedal.
Practice Exercise: Talk It Through, Then Try It
Find a quiet street with a gentle slope and, ideally, a curb. Choose a place where you can practise without getting in other road users’ way. Each of you has a job.
Your job
Before you stop, say out loud whether you’re uphill or downhill and whether there’s a curb. Name the wheel direction, then do it. After parking, check that the wheels, parking brake and gear are all set correctly.
Your supervising driver’s job
Stay in the vehicle, and ask you to name the wheel direction and where the vehicle would go if it rolled, before and after you park. Practise both an uphill and a downhill park on the same visit. For more on structuring practice, see teaching a new driver. Pair this with parallel parking, since much hill parking happens parallel to a curb.
Name the slope → identify the curb → turn the wheels → set the parking brake → check → repeat until it’s automatic.
Road-Test Connection
Some provincial road tests include hill parking. For example, the Alberta Motor Association says hill parking is assessed on Alberta road tests. Check your provincial or territorial driver’s guide or road-test information to see what applies to you.
Our road test guide covers how tests are assessed overall, and the parking mistakes guide explains how contact and positioning can affect a parking manoeuvre.
The Bottom Line
Parking on a hill is a backup plan for a failure you hope never happens. Turn your wheels so a rolling vehicle goes toward the curb or the edge of the road, not into traffic. Set the parking brake, select the right gear, and follow your provincial or territorial guidance for any specific requirements.
For right-side parking: uphill with a curb is left. Everything else is right.
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