People often ask this question because they’re worried about what might happen if they park their cars on hills. They are wondering if it is completely safe to park their cars without having to worry about anything.
When compared to parking on a balanced road, hill parking is different because the road is sloped in a particular direction, therefore, parking your car wrongly could lead to your car being damaged from just rolling down the road and bumping into someone else’s property.
The question now is, how should you park your car on hills? When parking on hills your front wheels should be where?
When parking on hills, your front wheels should be turned away from the curb if the car is parked uphill but if the car is parked downhill, your front wheels should be turned towards the curb.
Can You Park On Hills?
Yes, parking on a hill is perfectly fine only in situations where the proper precautions have been taken. So before parking on a hill, make sure that your car is in a good condition (majorly the brakes and parking gear).
If you have worn-out brake pads, and inaccurate fluid readings, it might be dangerous because when you’re parked on a hill, gravity is working against you and your car could just roll down the hill which may cause damage to properties.
It could also hurt people in cases where there are residential buildings, churches, schools, or places where people are gathered.
However, parking your car on a hill all the time is bad for the car because it strains all the mechanical components that make up the car which will reduce the durability of the car, that way the lifespan of the car is reduced from the normal life span to a few years or months shorter.
When Parking On Hills Your Front Wheels Should Be?
When you are about to park your car on a hill, first make sure that your car is in a good condition and that the brake pads are still very good.
When you park your car on a hill and it’s facing uphill, turn your front wheels away from the curb and slowly reverse your car until the tires touch the curb slightly.
Once it makes contact, you can then move your gear from reverse to park, pull your hand brake up, and turn off your engine.
Some experts suggest you first pull your hand brakes up before putting the car in park, that way, you won’t have to put too much stress on your transmission, rather, it will be your brake that is doing the job.
Nevertheless, when you want to park your car on a hill and it is facing downhill, turn your front wheel so that they are pointing towards the curb and then move your car forward slowly until the tires slightly touch the curb.
Hold the brakes then change your gear from “drive” to “park” afterward and apply your hand brake, then turn off the engine. The hand brakes provide extra support for the gear in holding your car down in the same position.
This way, you can prevent your car from rolling off the hill and damaging other people’s cars or other properties, also there’s a very reduced risk of an accident occurring as a result of parking your car on a hill.
Best Ways to Park on Hills
The best way to park your car on a hill is to ensure that your front wheels are turned away from the curb if the car is facing uphill and when the car is facing downhill, your front wheels should be turned towards the curb.
It is advisable to park your car this way in case of brake failures, this seemingly little task could save lots of lives and properties in such cases.
Also, you are also mandated to make use of your hand brake when parked either uphill or downhill. It is very important. If possible, first apply the hand brake before putting the car in the park to avoid having transmission problems.
However, in cases where there is no curb on both sides of the road and your car is parked uphill or downhill, just turn your front wheels towards where the curb is supposed to be, that way, your car will roll either forward or backward off the road and avoiding road accidents. Your car should roll into a ditch than roll into the road or another car.
The reason why it’s advisable for you to turn your front wheels toward the curb is that the curb serves as a form of blockade for your front wheels, it stops your car from moving any further than it already has and saves everyone from trying to stop a car that’s rolling down the hill.
Also, you could brace the tires of your vehicle with a stone or any material that’s strong enough to stop your car from moving.
Dangers of Parking on Hills
Here are the dangers of parking on hills:
1. Risk of Runaway Cars
When automatic or manual transmission cars are parked on a hill and they’re not properly parked, there’s a chance that the car would roll into the road and down the hill.
The car’s brakes alone may not be enough to stop the car from rolling into the traffic. The runaway car situation can be very dangerous considering that there’s no easy way to stop the vehicle from rolling down the slope.
2. Destruction of Properties
Properties of people that live on or around the hills are in harm’s way when a car is not properly parked on a hill. This could result in very ghastly accidents, it could even cause a fire outbreak if the runaway car crashes into an explosive material.
3. Loss of Lives
Lives can be lost when there’s a situation of a runaway car. The car can run into people that are innocently walking on the pedestrian walkway. The car could also run into a playground, or anywhere people are gathered and cause harm to them.
4. Risk of Transmission Damages
Every time a car is parked on an inclined surface, there’s a chance that the pawl or gear could damage which in turn damages transmission fluids that are supposed to lubricate the moving parts of your car and also provide friction and hydraulic pressure that makes all the internal parts of the car function properly.
Parking on inclined surfaces would cause them to wear out over time and once they get worn out, you will have to spend more on repairing or replacing them.
This type of situation is unplanned and if you’re not financially capable at the time, you might lose your car till whenever you can afford to fix it.
Conclusion
Parking your car on a hill properly is very important. You should make use of all the possible help such as the parking gears and the handbrake. Also, making sure that your car doesn’t roll off should be the priority of everyone parking on a hill.
Hill parking is not necessarily dangerous or difficult if you do it the right way, and it is not harmful to the car anyway, however, if you consistently park your car on a hill, it may damage the transmission.
In situations where your car rolls away, you should find a way to stop the car from rolling or try to clear everything and everyone in its path so no one gets hurt.