South Dakota Car / Permit practice
South Dakota Car / Permit: Parking & Stopping practice test
Legal and illegal parking, colored curbs, distances from hydrants and crossings, and how to park safely on hills.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
14 questions · pass with 11 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
Study questions with answers
12 sample Parking & Stopping questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
Show all 12 questions with answers
1. What general rule does the manual give for parking beside a roadway?
Correct answer: Park as far from traffic as possible, close to the curb if there is one
Get the vehicle as far from moving traffic as you can, and hug the curb where one exists.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking
2. How do you position the vehicle before you begin backing into a parallel parking space?
Correct answer: Level with the vehicle ahead and about 2 feet from it
Pull up level with the vehicle parked ahead of the space, roughly two feet out from it, with the turn signal on.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parallel Parking
3. What habit does the manual recommend whenever you leave a parked vehicle?
Correct answer: Take the key with you and lock the doors
Never leave the key in it, and get in the habit of locking the doors.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking
4. In bitter cold, why might the manual let you leave the parking brake off?
Correct answer: Because it may freeze in the on position
A parking brake can freeze in the applied position, so in that weather you may skip it, though the vehicle still goes into park or the lowest gear.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking
5. There is no curb and you are parking facing uphill on a rural road. Which way do the wheels go?
Correct answer: Sharply to the right
Turn them sharply right, so the vehicle would roll off the traveled surface instead of into the lane.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking on a Hill
6. How much roadway width must stay open for other traffic when you park on a rural South Dakota highway?
Correct answer: 15 feet
At least 15 feet of road has to remain clear for others to get by, and the parked vehicle must be visible from 500 feet in both directions.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking
7. May you park in a marked bicycle lane in South Dakota?
Correct answer: No, except for the narrow reasons the manual lists
No. Stopping, parking and driving there are barred except for narrow reasons such as entering an alley or driveway, official duties, an officer's direction or an emergency.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — Sharing the Road, Bicyclists
8. You park facing uphill on a street that has a curb. Which way do the front wheels go?
Correct answer: Sharply to the left
Turn them sharply toward the left, so that a vehicle that starts rolling settles against the curb rather than into traffic.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking on a Hill
9. What does the manual say you should do every time you park?
Correct answer: Set the parking brake and leave the vehicle in park or lowest gear
Set the parking brake, and leave an automatic in park or a manual in its lowest gear.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking
10. A vehicle parked on a rural highway must be visible to approaching drivers from what distance?
Correct answer: 500 feet
It has to be seen from at least 500 feet either way, with parking lights and taillights burning after dark.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking
11. You park facing downhill. Which way should the front wheels be turned?
Correct answer: Sharply to the right
Point them sharply to the right, the same as when parking uphill with no curb, so a rolling vehicle heads away from traffic.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Parking on a Hill
12. You are backing out of an angle parking space. When do you begin turning the wheel?
Correct answer: Once the front bumper clears the vehicle beside you
Roll straight back first, and start turning only once your front bumper is clear of the vehicle parked beside you.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — General Driving, Perpendicular and Angle Parking
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Every South Dakota question is written from the official South Dakota driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free