When parking parallel, it is best to leave the curb‑side wheels about 6 to 18 inches (roughly 15 to 45 cm) from the curb—not touching it.

When parking parallel, it is best to leave the curb side…

Quick Scoop

“When parking parallel, it is best to leave the curb side wheels…”
This is a classic driver’s‑ed / permit‑test style question.

Most official guidance in U.S. driver manuals and defensive‑driving resources says your wheels should be close to the curb, but not scraping or sitting on it, and not so far out that you’re sticking into traffic.

  • Typical “ideal” range: about 6–12 inches from the curb in many guides.
  • Often “maximum allowed” distance: up to 18 inches from the curb.
  • Being farther than that can get you marked down on a test or ticketed in many areas.

So if you see a multiple‑choice version of this question, the best answer is usually:

“6 to 18 inches from the curb.”

This captures the normal safety and legal window used in many practice‑test explanations and Q&A sites for the specific phrase “When parking parallel, it is best to leave the curb side wheels…”.

Why not just touch the curb?

Even though a lot of real‑world drivers gently “bump” the curb:

  • It can damage your tires and scuff your rims over time.
  • It may be technically incorrect for exam purposes, even if the examiner doesn’t always fail you for a light tap.
  • Learning to stop a short distance away trains better control and is what most test prep material expects.

On a written test or online quiz, an option like “just touching the curb” is usually a trap answer; the safer, “by‑the‑book” choice is that modest 6–18‑inch gap.

How this shows up in forum and test discussions

In driving‑school style discussions and Q&A threads, people debating this exact question usually come to the same conclusion:

  • “Within 6 inches” is praised as excellent, “textbook perfect” parking.
  • “Within 18 inches” is often treated as the legal or exam pass margin.
  • Anything beyond that is called out as “too far into the lane.”

So if you’re studying or writing about this topic, the key phrase to anchor is:

Best practice : keep curb‑side wheels roughly a foot from the curb, and definitely within about 18 inches.

Mini example to remember it

A quick way to visualize it:

  • Imagine a standard sheet of printer paper (about 11 inches long) lying on the road between your tire and the curb.
  • If your distance is about that, you’re in the “sweet spot.”
  • If you could lay two sheets end to end and still not reach the curb, you’re probably too far out.

TL;DR

When parking parallel, it is best to leave the curb‑side wheels a small, safe gap from the curb—think about 6–18 inches, with roughly 12 inches as a great everyday target.