Parallel parking Back in, within 18 inches of the curb
To parallel park: find a space at least 3 feet longer than your car and signal. Pull up about 2 feet beside the vehicle in front of the space, check your blind spots, back in at about a 45-degree angle, and straighten out. End parallel to the curb and within 18 inches of it.
CA Driver's Handbook, "Parallel Parking" · CVC 22502(a) (18 inches)How do you parallel park in California?
Find a space at least 3 feet longer than your car, pull up beside the car in front and back in at about 45 degrees. Signal first, and end within 18 inches of the curb.
Why this rule exists
Backing in lets the front wheels swing the car into a short space. While you do it, your car blocks the lane, so the people behind you need your signal and you need to see them.
Step by step on the road
- Find a space at least 3 feet longer than your car, and turn on your signal.
- Pull up beside the vehicle in front of the space, about 2 feet from it. Stop when your rear bumper is level with the front of the space, and keep signaling.
- Check your blind spots: rearview mirror and over your shoulder, for vehicles and pedestrians.
- Back up slowly, turning the wheel so the car goes into the space at about a 45-degree angle.
- When your rear wheel is within 18 inches of the curb, turn the wheel away from the curb and straighten out. Pull forward and back if you need to.
- End parallel to the curb and within 18 inches of it. Set the parking brake, and look for passing vehicles, bicycles and motorcycles before you get out.
Common mistakes
- Picking a space that is too short.
- Starting to back up without a look over your shoulder.
- Turning the wheel away from the curb too early or too late, and ending far from the curb.
- Backing too fast to correct in time.
On the DMV drive test
DL 955 and the DL 32 score sheet do not list parallel parking. The reversing task they score is straight-line backing: pull to the curb, then back in a straight line for 3 vehicle lengths while staying within 3 feet of the curb, with no more than 1 correction, looking over your right shoulder and through the rear window. Driving over the curb is a critical driving error, and so is needing 3 attempts to back.
Based on the DMV’s Driving Test Criteria (DL 955) and its score sheet (DL 32). How the drive test works ›Questions people ask
Is parallel parking on the California driving test?
It is not on the DMV score sheet (DL 32) for the class C test. The reversing task there is straight-line backing along a curb for 3 vehicle lengths.
How big a space do you need to parallel park?
At least 3 feet longer than your car (Handbook, "Parallel Parking").
How far from the curb can you be after parallel parking?
Within 18 inches. Your right-hand wheels must be parallel to and within 18 inches of the curb (CVC 22502(a)).
Test yourself
Kees' three questions on this rule, the “Did you know?” facts and his tip come with the drive, in Voorrah! Pro.
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