Best Practices for Parking Uphill with a Curb

At some point in your life, you’ll likely find yourself in a situation where you’ll need to learn about parking uphill with a curb. Whether you live in a hilly city or not, you might visit one or arrive at a destination where the best spot requires parking uphill. At this point, you’ll have two options: park somewhere else or learn how to master parking uphill with a curb.

We believe it’s an important skill to know. Below, we explain the easy four-step process of parking uphill with a curb.

Step One: Enter the Parking Spot

First of all, before you worry about parking uphill, you’ll need to find a spot and enter it. This will look like any other parallel parking experience, although you’ll need to keep your foot on the brake at all times because you’ll be much more likely to roll into other vehicles. Keep in mind that when parking uphill with a curb, your car will drift a bit, so it’s important to account for that as you carefully pull into an ideal spot.

 Step Two: Place the Car in Park

Once you’ve entered the spot, you’ll need to start applying a few of the best practices for parking uphill. First, place your car in park, if you drive an automatic, or into first gear, if you drive a manual. You do not want to leave the car in drive or neutral because this will likely cause your car to drift, which typically results in a collision with the vehicle directly behind it.

Step Three: Turn Your Wheels

When parking uphill with a curb, this next step is arguably the most important: turn your wheels. It would help if you did this before turning off your car so that you can take advantage of the power steering. You’ll need to turn your wheels away from the curb (or to the left) when parking uphill. Then, let your car gently roll backward slowly until you feel the front wheel sit against the curb. The goal is for your car tires to use the curb as a soft block. This protects your car from rolling into the roadway if, for some reason, your brakes fail. Once your wheels are set, apply your emergency brake, and you’ll be successfully parking uphill.

Step Four: Release Emergency Brake When Leaving

When parking uphill with a curb, remember to place your foot on your brake before you release the emergency brake to leave. This will, once again, prevent you from rolling backward when the emergency brake is released. You’d be surprised at the power of gravity, and it’s better to learn now than when you are filing an accident claim.

Best Practices for Parking Uphill with a Curb

In conclusion, if you find yourself parking uphill with a curb, there is no need to panic. Simply find a parking spot, turn your tires out toward the road, gently let your car roll against the curb, and then place your car in park and activate your emergency parking brake.