Which line should you stop on for hill-start parking?
3 Answers
Hill-start parking should stop at the middle solid line. Meaning: It refers to the specific gear in a car's transmission system designed for hill climbing. After the vehicle comes to a stop, the front bumper of the motor vehicle must align with the middle line, with the body maintaining a 30cm distance from the side line to achieve correct parking position. Principle: This is achieved through mechanical deceleration. A reduction gear is installed at the front end of the rear axle differential, which can be manually engaged. When switched to low gear, the vehicle speed is halved while torque doubles. Function: The M gear represents the manual mode in automatic transmission vehicles. Drivers can manually shift up or down using "M+" and "M-" buttons, which provides more precise control during hill climbing or overtaking situations that better matches actual driving conditions.
When I first started learning to drive, my instructor always emphasized stopping near the white line at the top of the slope during the hill start exercise. This line is very noticeable during the test, located about half a meter from the top of the slope. After stopping at that position, firmly engage the handbrake to prevent the vehicle from rolling away. If you stop too far away, the car might roll back and cause an accident. During my first practice session, I didn’t align properly with the line, and the car almost hit the guardrail. In real driving, similar precautions apply—park on flat ground or marked areas and check the safety of the brakes and tires. Practicing alignment with that line improves your skills, ensuring you don’t make mistakes on steep city slopes or in parking garages. Remembering the position is key—safety always comes first.
After driving for many years, I always aim for the yellow line in the slope parking test when stopping on a slope. If there's no line in reality, I stop at the flat bottom of the slope or within the sidewalk boundary. The key is to use the handbrake to stabilize the car and prevent rolling. Once on a steep slope, I didn't stop accurately, and the car slid a bit, but fortunately, I handled it in time. So now, I always make sure the position is correct and check the terrain for stability after parking. The design of the slope top line makes sense as it provides additional friction to avoid accidents. Similar operations in daily parking can save trouble.
