In an automatic car, a hill start comes down to moving your right foot from the brake to the gas without pausing. For parking, there's one rule to learn: turn your front wheels so the car would roll into the curb, not into the street. In San Francisco you can be ticketed for not doing it on any grade over 3 percent.
Most hill horror stories come from manual cars, where you balance the clutch and the gas while the car tries to roll backward. An automatic takes most of that away.
On a steep street an automatic can still drift back a little in the second between brake and gas. The skill is keeping that second short. Many newer cars hold the brake briefly after you lift your foot (hill-start assist), but don't count on it in a car you don't know.
If you roll back an inch or two, stay calm. Brake, reset, and go again.
Going uphill, leave extra room behind the car ahead. If it has a manual transmission, it may roll back when it pulls away.
Going downhill, brake earlier than feels natural. The car picks up speed with no gas at all, so ease onto the brake well before the stop sign.
Many San Francisco stop signs sit partway up a slope, and parked cars can block your view of the cross street. Stop at the white line first. If you still can't see, creep forward slowly until you can.
At the crest of a steep hill you often can't see what's on the other side, whether that's a stopped car, someone crossing, or a sharp drop. Slow down before the top, not after.
Quick quiz
Try it before you read the table.
| You're parked | Turn your front wheels |
|---|---|
| Facing downhill, with a curb | Toward the curb |
| Facing uphill, with a curb | Away from the curb, then let the car roll back a few inches until the tire gently touches the curb |
| Uphill or downhill, no curb | To the right, toward the edge of the road |
Then put the car in park and set the parking brake. These steps come from the California Driver's Handbook.
An easy way to remember it: if the brakes failed, the car should roll into the curb, not into traffic.
The San Francisco rule. City law requires you to curb your wheels on any grade over 3 percent (SFMTA). Three percent is barely noticeable, so if you can tell which way is downhill, curb your wheels.
The steps are the same as on flat ground, with two differences:
Every LLG lesson is two hours long, in an automatic car where the instructor has their own brake. Pickup is at an approved address in San Francisco or one of the San Mateo County cities we serve.
Hills aren't part of every lesson. If you want hill practice, ask when we confirm your lesson and your instructor can include it.
You'll need your original, valid California instruction permit or California driver's license. See lessons and prices: a single 2-hour lesson is $200.
Private 2-hour lessons in a dual-control automatic car, with pickup in San Francisco and listed San Mateo County cities.
Lessons from $200 for a 2-hour lesson. See all lessons and prices
