Parking on hills — Illinois Permit Test

A vehicle parked facing downhill on a street with a curb must have its front wheels turned toward the curb.

If the brake lets go, the wheels steer the car into the curb instead of down the hill. Turning them is a parking brake you can see.

If you park on a street with curbing and your vehicle is facing downhill, turn the front wheels toward the curb so your vehicle will roll toward the curb.

A vehicle parked facing uphill where there is a curb must have its front wheels turned away from the curb.

Rolling backward, the wheels catch on the curb behind them. Pointing them the other way is what makes the curb a block rather than a ramp.

If you park facing uphill and there is a curb, turn the front wheels away from the curb.

A vehicle parked on a street without curbing must have its wheels turned toward the side of the road it is parked on.

With no curb, nothing catches the car. Aiming the wheels off the road means it rolls away from traffic rather than into it.

If you park on a street without curbing, turn the wheels toward the side of the road on which your vehicle is parked.

Whenever a vehicle is parked on a hill the gear selector should be put in park and the parking brake set if necessary.

The wheels are the backup, not the plan. Park and the brake are what hold the car, and the turned wheels catch it if they fail.

Any time you park on a hill, you should put the gear selector in park and set the parking/ emergency brake if necessary.

Starting from an uphill or downhill parking place means releasing the parking brake, signaling, checking for oncoming traffic and moving off when it is safe.

A car on a hill starts moving before you want it to. The order of the steps is what keeps it from rolling into the lane while you look.

When starting a vehicle from an uphill or downhill location, release the parking/emergency brake, give the correct signal, check for oncoming traffic, and proceed when it is safe to do so.

Which way do the front wheels point when an Illinois vehicle is parked facing downhill at a curb?

Toward the curb. If the brake lets go, the wheels steer the car into the curb instead of down the hill. Turning them is a parking brake you can see. Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.34: “If you park on a street with curbing and your vehicle is facing downhill, turn the front wheels toward the curb so your vehicle will roll toward the curb.”