What Does the Parking Gear Mean?
2 Answers
Parking gear is the P gear of an automatic transmission, used when parking to lock the transmission gears. It refers to automatic transmission vehicles, which have forward gears (D gear), reverse gear (R), neutral gear (N), and the parking gear (P), which is equivalent to the neutral gear plus handbrake in a manual transmission. Below is some extended information about automatic parking: 1. When encountering situations like traffic lights that require a short stop, the system automatically brakes the wheels after the vehicle comes to a complete stop to prevent rolling. 2. During uphill starts, the system automatically applies the brakes to prevent rolling backward, and releases the wheels automatically once the vehicle starts moving forward. 3. When parking and locking the vehicle, there is no need to pull the handbrake, as the system automatically brakes the wheels at this time.
As an ordinary car owner, I didn’t understand much about the parking gear until I experienced its importance firsthand. The parking gear, or P gear in automatic transmission vehicles, is used to prevent the car from rolling when parked. I still remember my first drive to the supermarket—I forgot to shift into P gear after parking, and the car slowly rolled away, hitting another car nearby. It was a huge scare and cost me money in damages. Since then, I’ve strictly developed the habit of shifting into P gear after coming to a complete stop and pressing the brake. This gear mechanically locks the transmission, preventing the wheels from moving, which is especially safer on slopes. Manual transmission cars don’t have a P gear; instead, we use the handbrake, but this feature in automatic cars is both convenient and reliable. When driving, always shift out of P gear before starting to avoid damaging components. It’s a basic safety practice—don’t overlook this small but crucial step.
