Topic 3 · Rules of the Road: Traffic Laws in California
On a steep narrow road, the vehicle facing downhill is the one that backs up because:
- It is always the lighter vehicle
- It has more control when backing up the hill — correct answer
- It can coast backwards without using the engine
Why
The handbook gives control as the reason: backing uphill is easier to control than backing downhill. (Section 7, Mountain Roads.)
Practise this in the real format
Reading one answer is not the same as sitting the test. The simulator runs the first-time adult form: 36 questions, 6 mistakes allowed, 83% to pass.
Source: California Driver's Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025), the document the DMV writes the real test from. Edited by Fernando Aguilera. Aprobify is not affiliated with the California DMV.