Turns, lanes, passing and parking
When you finish parallel parking, how far from the curb may your vehicle be at most?
- Within 18 inches of the curb. Correct answer
- Within 3 feet of the curb.
- Within 6 inches of the curb.
Why
The handbook's target for parallel parking is a vehicle parallel to the curb and within 18 inches of it. Three feet is the extra length the parking space should have compared with your vehicle, not the distance to the curb. Six inches would be nice, but it is not the handbook's standard. The sequence that gets you there: signal, pull alongside the vehicle in front of the space about two feet away, stop when your rear bumper lines up with the front of the space, check your blind spots, back in at about a 45-degree angle, and start straightening once the rear wheel sits 18 inches or less from the curb. Then set the parking brake and look for passing traffic before opening the door.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Within 18 inches of the curb.
The rule behind this one
Turns, lanes, passing and parking in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- You are on the freeway and want to move into the next lane. How far ahead of the move should you signal?
- What are you allowed to do at a curb painted yellow?
- You are driving slowly on a two-lane road where it is not safe for anyone to pass, and five cars are now following you. What does the handbook require?
- How close to a fire hydrant may you legally park?