Should You Turn Off the Engine or Shift to P Gear First When Parking an Automatic Transmission Car?

[McMakayla]

When parking an automatic transmission car, you should shift to P gear first and then turn off the engine. This is for safety reasons, to prevent the driver from forgetting to shift to P gear. In fact, P gear is similar to N gear, but when shifting to P gear, a pawl in the transmission locks the output shaft, preventing the vehicle from moving. If you park on a slope and forget to shift to P gear before turning off the engine, the vehicle may move due to inertia, which can be dangerous. It's important to note that you must engage the handbrake before shifting to P gear. Only the handbrake can truly prevent the car from moving. The function of P gear is similar to shifting to first gear in a manual transmission car to prevent rolling.