Park car in gear (against slope) or in neutral?

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That's it really, DP and I disagree. Do you park the car in gear or in neutral? Vote needed please !

We have a very steep driveway. We and our neighbours all put our cars in gear. Our driveways slope down towards our houses. We reverse on and leave in first gear.

Always curious about this wheel-into-kerb thing.

It's so if it starts to roll, the car will be on a trajectory that curves back into the kerb and should help to stop or slow it because (assuming it's up hill facing) it's rear nearside wheel should make contact with the kerb.

Imagine a car on a hill with its wheels straight, if you take the break off, it will roll straight back down the hill if nothing is behind it. If the wheels are turned in towards the kerb, if it rolls back it will follow a C shape and roll into the kerb at the back. If it's facing downhill, it's front nearside wheel will hit the kerb.

In gear or reverse depending on which way the car is facing, also wheels towards the curb to prevent rolling into traffic too!

In gear. Why wouldn't you? These days, I drive an auto, and you have to leave it effectively "in gear". And a lot of the manuals I've owned have been Saabs, where again you have to leave them in gear, because otherwise you can't take the key out of the ignition.

Can anyone explain what the alleged downside is? At worst, leaving it in gear does nothing. At best, it stops the car rolling if the handbrake cable breaks, or isn't properly applied. Where's the downside?

Reverse if facing downhill, 1st if facing uphill.

There's no particular benefit to that: it requires the same force to turn an engine the "right" and the "wrong" way. No harm either, of course.

In gear. I never used to, until I parked outside my parents house which is on a hill. About 10 minutes later, I went into the kitchen to put the kettle on - just in time to see my car slowly rolling backwards down the hill as I looked out of the window! 😱 The handbrake must have held it for a while before it reached the point of starting to roll...

Stupidly, I just ran out and tried to slow or stop the car rolling, whilst shrieking a lot, as it headed down towards a neighbour's garden. Very fortunately, it hadn't picked up too much speed, I think I slowed it a bit (amazed I didn't get run over!) and it hit a low kerb and stopped with me holding it in place. The neighbours had come running out of their house by this stage, and were very glad to see their garden, and close by living room wall, were unscathed.

I always park in gear on slopes now! 😁

I always park in neutral

In 2nd gear, facing downhill and with the wheels facing inwards towards the kerb.

I normally leave it in neutral. If it was a really steep slope I'd probably put it in gear and turn the wheel though.

I worry that I would start the engine without remembering/noticing I'd left the car in gear, and the car would lurch and I'd hit another vehicle. I think that's a bigger risk than a random handbrake failure.

I always park in gear hill or no hill.

Always, always in gear.

I guess the alleged downside would be forgetting its in gear and not holding the clutch down when you start the engine? Then the car jumps forward and could hit something I guess.

In gear

Thing is, bumping a car like that wouldn't cause as much damage as a rolling out of control car could. Round here a child died when a car rolled like that.

Since learning to drive, I've always lived on hilly roads. I never leave my car in neutral - I've seen it happen to neighbours where the brakes have failed and the car has ended up hitting another car and caused damage. I know the chance is tiny but leaving it in gear seems such a simple way to avoid that ever happening.

In gear. I did start the car whilst in gear after I had just passed my test. Was on the drive luckily but I've never made the same mistake again. I got a fright

I was taught neutral but with wheels turned in.

In gear:

www.marlboroughnewsonline.co.uk/news/4614-a-new-answer-to-marlborough-s-parking-problems-or-another-forgotten-handbrake

www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/15551937.Rolling_car_causes_havoc/

Just googled it and apparently people used to be taught to leave it in gear, but more recently are taught to leave it in neutral. Not sure why it has changed.

In Park - otherwise the key won't come out. (Automatic owner!)

I guess the alleged downside would be forgetting its in gear and not holding the clutch down when you start the engine?

Something I've never done in 35 years of driving. Probably because I always, always leave manuals in gear, so I always, always start them with my foot on the clutch.

Pedant alert: you'll fail your driving test for starting a car with your foot on the clutch, and you're supposed to confirm it by wiggling the gearlever. And, although this might have changed, when I did it you'd fail your motorbike test for starting a bike other than in neutral confirmed by rocking the bike forward and back (ie, not just by looking at the little green light).

But back in the real world, the clutch is fine. The claim is that you might not notice the clutch had dropped its fluid since you last drove the car. Yeah, it could happen. But you'd have to be the world's most clod-footed driver not to notice as you depressed the clutch that there was nothing there.

Neutral it's 2018!!!!

Hearing all these runaway car stories, maybe I should change my practice.

Have an automatic now but always have parked in gear just as my dad taught me! Had to convince my DH though