Park your car midway between the two cars and not more than ___ inches from the curb.

• A. 6
• B. 18
• C. 24
• D. 12

Answer: (D)

When you parallel park between two cars, you want to sit close to the curb but not so close that you risk scraping it, and you should be positioned roughly between the two neighboring vehicles. The guideline is to be not more than 12 inches from the curb. Staying within this distance keeps you out of the traffic lane, allows doors to open without hitting the curb or neighboring cars, and gives you a forgiving margin if you need to adjust. Parking farther away wastes space and can make you look poorly aligned between the cars, while parking much closer risks tire or rim damage from a curb. So, the distance should be within 12 inches of the curb.