Parking
When parking, a motorist should always set the hand brake and put the vehicle in park or, with a manual transmission, in reverse or low gear. There are several important steps for a motorist to follow when parking his/her vehicle on a street with a curb:
* When parking a vehicle facing downhilclass="underline" The hand brake should be set and the vehicles wheels should be turned toward the curb. The vehicle should be in park or, with a manual transmission, in reverse.
* When parking a vehicle facing uphilclass="underline" The hand brake should be set and the vehicles wheels should be turned away from the curb. The vehicle should be in park or, with a manual transmission, in low.
Angle Parking
Angle parking is often used in parking lots of shopping centers and sometimes at curbs.
A motorist should follow these rules when entering an angle parking space to his/her right:
* Watch for traffic both ahead and behind.
* Signal and begin to slow down.
* Make sure the rear of the vehicle will clear the parked vehicles.
* Steer sharply into the parking space, and then straighten the wheels centering the vehicle in the parking space.
* Shift to park, or reverse if standard transmission, and apply the parking brake.
A motorist should follow these rules before backing out of an angle parking space:
* Walk around to make sure nothing is in the vehicles way.
* Slowly move the vehicle in reverse and be sure that the lane is clear of traffic.
* Tap the horn to warn nearby pedestrians.
* When able to see past the tops of vehicles parked next to the vehicle, stop and look again.
* Look back and to each side for other motorists.
* Remember that the front of the vehicle will swing opposite to the direction of the turn. Back up slowly while turning until the vehicles left front wheel passes the rear bumper of the vehicle parked on the left.
* Straighten the wheels as the vehicle comes back into the lane of traffic.
Parallel Parking
Parallel parking is the most common type of parking on city streets. A motorist must be able to parallel park a vehicle in order to pass the MVCs road test. This takes the most practice for a new motorist. A motorist should practice often, in an empty parking lot at first. Flags or markers 25 feet apart may be used to show where the other vehicles would be. If a motorist hits these signs, he/she is not ready for parking between real vehicles and should keep practicing. The slower and smoother a motorist backs into a parking space, the easier it is to park. To properly parallel park, a motorist should:
* Find a parking space that is large enough to fit the vehicle.
* Signal for a stop and signal to the right to alert motorists that the vehicle will back up to the right.
* Pull up alongside (parallel) about two to four feet from the vehicle in front.
* Turn and check to see that the way is clear behind the vehicle before backing up.
* Turn his/her body to look out the rear window of the vehicle. Begin backing up slowly for about two feet and turn the steering wheel all the way to the right.
* When the front of the vehicle has cleared the rear bumper of the vehicle in front, stop and check the angle.
* Make sure the right back wheel has not hit the curb.
* Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left while beginning to back up slowly. Make sure the vehicle can clear its back bumper.
* When the vehicle is in line, stop. Be sure not to hit the vehicle in back.
* Turn the vehicles wheels straight, and drive to the center of the parking space. The vehicles tires should be no more than six inches from the curb.
Chapter 4. Speed Control
Speed control
Exceeding the speed limit is a common contributing factor of fatal and other types of accidents. A motorist must always obey the speed limit. Speed affects almost everything that can happen when driving. A good rule is to keep up with the flow of traffic at any legal speed. In order to make safe emergency stops when necessary, it is important to keep enough distance from surrounding traffic. New Jersey law sets top speed limits for any given road, street, highway or freeway.
Speed Limits (Unless Otherwise Posted) (N.J.S.A. 39:4-98)
Never drive faster than weather, road or other conditions safely allow, regardless of the posted speed limit. A motorist should judge his/her speed control by existing conditions. A motorist should slow down enough to be able to see clearly and stop quickly in traffic. Failure to do so can result in a moving violation.
Motorists pay double fines for exceeding the 65 mph limit by 10 mph or more. Double fines also apply to most other moving violations committed in a 65 mph zone. (N.J.S.A 39:4-98.6)
Always slow down:
* On narrow or winding roads
* At intersections or railroad crossings
* On hills
* At sharp or blind curves
* Where there are pedestrians or driving hazards
* When the road is wet or slippery
25 mph - School zones, business or residential districts
35 mph Suburban business and residential districts
50 mph Non-posted rural roadways
55 mph Certain state and interstate highways, as posted
65 mph Certain interstate highways, as posted
Driving Too Slowly
A motorist should always try to keep up with the normal flow of traffic, while not exceeding the posted speed limit. Some collisions are caused by driving too slowly and backing up traffic. When road surfaces and traffic are normal, New Jersey law prohibits blocking traffic through slow driving.
If vehicle problems prevent a motorist from keeping up with the normal flow of traffic, he/she should pull off the road and activate hazard lights.
Safe Corridors (N.J.S.A. 39:4-203.5)
In an effort to improve highway safety, New Jersey initiated the Safe Corridors Program, which was signed into law in July 2003. The Safe Corridors law doubles fines on various state highways for a variety of driving offenses, including speeding and aggressive driving. Highways are designated as safe based on statistics showing crash rates 50 percent over the state rate and 1,000 or more crashes reported over a three-year period. The Commissioner of Transportation has the authority to designate highways as necessary, as well as to remove those that show improved safety levels. The law took effect on February 15, 2004. A current list of Safe Corridor highways is available on the New Jersey Department of Transportation Web site at www.nj.gov/transportation.
Passing
A motorist must know the proper lane for normal driving and how to change lanes safely. The rules for passing depend on the type of road. Stay to the right of the roadways center lines. Passing is only safe when there is no oncoming traffic.
Watch for the following lane markings: (N.J.S.A. 39:4-86)
* Both center lines are solid: No passing allowed.
* One center line is broken: Passing is allowed only on the side with the broken line.
* Both center lines are broken: Passing is allowed on both sides.
