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Rules of the Road

RSA handbook · 292 pages · 271 embedded images

Parking

Page 139

Section 10: Parking

This section covers the rules on parking safely.

Parking

General rules

Where possible, park facing in the direction of traffic flow.

Park close to, and parallel with, the kerb or edge of the road, except at any location where straight or angled parking bays are marked out on the surface of the road.

Where a parking bay is marked out on a road, you must park your vehicle fully within the parking space.

Apply the handbrake.

Switch off the engine.

Leave the vehicle in first gear or reverse, or, in the case of an automatic, select P.

Before opening any doors, check for other road users nearby, in particular motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Open your doors only when you need to and keep them open only for as

long as necessary.

Get out of your vehicle only when it is safe and you and your passengers are not blocking other road users.

Passengers should exit on the kerbside.

Lock your vehicle as you leave it.

You should not leave headlights on when parked.

Extracted from the RSA Rules of the Road, Revision 9, May 2026. Source PDF · reuse permission unconfirmed.