Parking safety habits — New Mexico Permit Test

Parking safety habits on the New Mexico permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Whenever you park, choose a spot far enough from any travel lane not to interfere with traffic and visible to vehicles coming from either direction.

A parked car that sticks into the road or sits out of sight can be hit by drivers who do not see it in time.

Whenever you park, be sure it is in a place that is (1) far enough from any travel lane to avoid interfering with traffic and (2) visible to vehicles approaching from either direction.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13

Always set your parking brake when you park, and leave the car in gear if it is a manual or in park if it is an automatic.

A car left without the brake set can roll away on its own and hit people or other cars.

Always set your parking brake when you park.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13

Check traffic before you open the door, and get out on the curb side if you can.

A door flung open into traffic can be torn off or hit a passing bike rider.

Get out of the vehicle on the curb side if you can.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13

Never leave the ignition keys in a parked vehicle.

Keys left inside make the car easy to steal, and a thief at the wheel puts others in danger.

Never leave the ignition keys in a parked vehicle.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13

If you must park on a roadway, park as far from traffic as you can, and if there is a curb, park as close to it as you can.

The closer you are to the curb, the less of your car sticks out where passing cars can clip it.

If you must park on a roadway, park your vehicle as far away from traffic as possible.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13

When you park on a hill, turn your wheels sharply toward the side of the road or the curb, so a rolling car moves away from traffic.

If the brake fails, the wheels steer the car off the road instead of rolling it into moving traffic.

When you park on a hill, turn your wheels sharply towards the side of the road or curb.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13

On the test

What two things should be true of any place you park?

It is clear of traffic and easy to see. A parked car that sticks into the road or sits out of sight can be hit by drivers who do not see it in time. New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13: “Whenever you park, be sure it is in a place that is (1) far enough from any travel lane to avoid interfering with traffic and (2) visible to vehicles approaching from either direction.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against New Mexico Driver Manual, published by the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.