In what scenario should you ensure your wheels are straight?

Ensuring your wheels are straight is particularly important when parked on a hill or sloping driveway. This practice helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling away if the parking brake were to fail or if it is accidentally bumped. When the wheels are straight, and if the car starts to roll, the vehicle would move straight ahead, rather than potentially rolling sideways into traffic or other obstacles.

In contrast, when parked safely on the road, it is essential to be cautious, but the risk of rolling away is generally not as high, especially if the vehicle is on flat ground and the parking brake is engaged. While waiting at a traffic light, the vehicle will be in motion, and the wheel position is not a concern for safety at that moment. When merging onto a freeway, the focus should primarily be on traffic and speed adjustments rather than on wheel positioning, which is more relevant in stationary situations.