3.6 Parking Rules, No-Parking Zones & Disability Parking

Your Duty When Parking

The manual says you are responsible for making sure a parked vehicle is not a hazard. You should always:

• Park in areas clearly meant for parking.
• When parking along the road, park as far from traffic as possible; if there is a curb, park as close to it as possible. Maryland law requires the right wheels to be within 12 inches of the curb or edge on a two-way road.
• Set your parking brake.
• Put a manual transmission in gear, or an automatic in park.
• Check your mirrors and traffic before opening the door, and shut it as soon as you get out. Maryland law prohibits opening a door on the traffic side unless it is reasonably safe and does not interfere with traffic, including bicyclists.
• Take your keys, and lock the doors whenever you leave the vehicle.

Parking on a Hill

These are standard wheel positions that keep a parked car from rolling into traffic:

Always set the parking brake as well.

Where You May Not Park

Maryland's Transportation Article (§ 21-1003) bans stopping, standing or parking in many places. The most-tested distances:

You also may not stop or park:

• On a sidewalk, in an intersection or on a crosswalk.
• In front of a public or private driveway.
• On a bridge or other elevated structure, or in a highway tunnel.
• On an entrance or exit ramp of a highway with two or more lanes in the same direction.
• Double-parked, on the roadway side of a vehicle already stopped at the curb.
• On a curve or hill where solid lines mark a no-passing zone.
• In front of a curb ramp for people with disabilities, or a passenger loading zone marked for people with disabilities.
• Anywhere an official sign prohibits stopping, standing or parking.

Disability Parking Spaces, Plates and Placards

The manual warns that big fines apply for illegal use of disability parking. You can be cited for:

• Parking in a disability space unless you have a disability plate or placard issued by the MVA and the person who qualified for it is the driver or a passenger.
• Parking in front of, or blocking any part of, a curb cut, even with a plate or placard.
• Parking on any part of an access aisle next to a disability space, even with a plate or placard. The access aisle is the striped area people in wheelchairs or other mobility devices use to get in and out of their vehicles.
• Using a disability placard after it expires.
• Using a disability plate or placard without the person with the disability present and without proper identification.
• Fraud or misrepresentation when applying for a disability plate or placard.

One-Way Streets and Leaving Your Car

On a one-way road you may park along either curb, facing the direction of traffic, with the wheels on that side within 12 inches of the curb. Turn off your headlights when you leave the car; a parked car with high beams on blinds oncoming drivers. If your car breaks down and you must leave it on a shoulder, turn on your hazard flashers (see Section 7.3).

Parking Maneuvers on the Skills Test

The manual notes that parallel parking is no longer required on the driving test, although driver education still teaches it. The test includes pull-in and back-in parking in a 10-by-20-foot space, plus a three-point turn, which test visual skills, judgment of space, mirror use, steering, braking and acceleration control (see Section 1.1).

Scenario Practice

1. You find a spot 10 feet from a hydrant. Keep looking; you need at least 15 feet.
2. Your grandmother has a disability placard but is at home. You may not use her placard or the space.
3. You park downhill next to a curb. Turn the wheels toward the curb, set the parking brake and take the keys.