When parking downhill, turn your front wheels toward the curb (to the right if facing downhill on the right side of a two-way street).

This safety technique acts like a built-in failsafe: if your brakes fail or slip, the front wheels will catch the curb, preventing your vehicle from rolling backward into traffic. Imagine you're on a steep San Francisco slope—gravity pulls your car downhill, but those angled wheels pivot it safely sideways instead of into oncoming cars. Always set your parking brake first, then shift to park (or first gear for manuals), as this combo has saved countless fender-benders.

Quick Rules by Scenario

Here's a breakdown from driving experts and forums—universal across North America, with minor regional curb variations:

Scenario| Wheel Direction| Why It Works| Extra Tip
---|---|---|---
Downhill, with curb| Right (toward curb) 139| Rolls into curb if brakes fail, blocking backward roll into traffic.| Front wheels hug the curb like a guardrail.
Downhill, no curb| Right (off the road) 157| Car rolls forward/backward away from road/ditch.| "Away from traffic" is the forum mantra.
Uphill, with curb| Left (away from curb) 39| Rolls back into curb, not into traffic.| UCLA mnemonic: "Uphill Curb Left Always." 1
Uphill, no curb| Right (off the road) 37| Rolls backward away from traffic.| Consistent "right for safety" rule.

Forum Buzz & Real-World Stories

Drivers on Reddit love ASCII art to nail this—uphill: <--/ curb, downhill: /--\ curb. One user shared: "Turned right downhill sans curb; car rolled into a ditch, not a bike!" Trending discussions (as of 2025) confirm: everyone gets it wrong uphill first, but downhill-right is intuitive.

TL;DR: Downhill? Right to the curb —simple, effective, life-saving. Practice on mild slopes!

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.