Parking & Stopping

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.

1. 1. Virginia law prohibits parking within how many feet of a fire hydrant?

   Correct answer: 15 feet

   You may not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. Other limits include 20 feet from an intersection and 50 feet from a railroad crossing.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking

2. 2. How close to an intersection does Virginia prohibit parking?

   Correct answer: Within 20 feet

   Parking is not allowed within 20 feet of an intersection. Keep in mind separate limits of 15 feet from a hydrant and 50 feet from a rail crossing.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking

3. 3. Three factors combine to determine how far your vehicle travels before it stops. They are perception time, braking distance, and:

   Correct answer: Reaction distance

   Total stopping distance comes from perception time, reaction distance, and braking distance. Weather, your condition, and pavement all affect them.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Stopping Distance

4. 4. When you park next to a curb in Virginia, you may not leave the vehicle more than:

   Correct answer: One foot from the curb

   Pull in close to the curb, no more than a foot away. Park on the right along two-way streets; on one-way streets you may use either side.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking

5. 5. Which of these is a place where Virginia prohibits parking?

   Correct answer: In a bike lane

   Parking is banned in a bike lane, on a crosswalk or sidewalk, ahead of a driveway, alongside another parked car, or in disabled spaces and their striped access aisles.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking

6. 6. When are you NOT required to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights?

   Correct answer: When a median separates you and the bus is on the other side

   Stopping is not required when you are going the opposite direction on a road split by a median or barrier and the bus sits on the far side. Still watch for children.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Stopping for School Buses

7. 7. You park facing uphill next to a curb. To keep the car from rolling into traffic, you should turn the front wheels:

   Correct answer: Toward the street, away from the curb

   When headed uphill with a curb, turn the wheels toward the road (to the left) so the tires will catch the curb if the car rolls back.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking on a Hill

8. 8. Which of the following is a place where Virginia law says you must always stop?

   Correct answer: Crossing a sidewalk when leaving a driveway

   You must stop at every stop sign, red light, and flashing red signal, and when crossing a sidewalk while leaving a driveway, alley, or parking lot.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Stopping

9. 9. Wet pavement affects your braking distance by:

   Correct answer: Roughly doubling it

   Wet pavement can as much as double your braking distance, so increase your following distance and slow down when the road is wet.

   Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Stopping Distance

10. 10. You may not park within how many feet of a railroad crossing in Virginia?

    Correct answer: 50 feet

    Parking is prohibited within 50 feet of a railroad crossing, along with limits near hydrants, intersections, and fire stations.

    Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking

11. 11. When you park facing downhill, whether or not there is a curb, you should point the front wheels:

    Correct answer: Toward the curb or edge of the road

    Facing downhill you turn the wheels toward the curb or road edge so the car rolls into the curb or away from traffic rather than into the lane.

    Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Parking on a Hill

12. 12. A school bus on a two-way street ahead of you has its red lights flashing and stop arm out. You must:

    Correct answer: Stop until the children are clear and the bus moves

    You must halt for a stopped school bus whose red lights are flashing and whose stop arm is out, no matter which direction you come from, and stay stopped until every child is clear and it moves again.

    Source: Virginia Driver's Manual — Stopping for School Buses