How to Do a Roadside Stop in Ontario

Last updated: October 14, 2026

A roadside stop means pulling over to the curb, stopping safely and then rejoining traffic. It's one of the skills on the Ontario road test, and you'll use it for real whenever you pull over for an emergency vehicle, a police officer or a phone call.

Step by step

1. Check and signal

• Make sure it's legal to stop there, and check traffic ahead and behind. You want a clear view of about 150 m both ways.
• Check your mirrors, and your right blind spot if a cyclist or another vehicle could be beside you.
• Signal right before you slow down. If a car is waiting to come out of a side road or driveway just before your stop, wait until you've passed it, so the driver doesn't think you're turning in.

2. Pull over and stop

• Steer smoothly to the curb and slow down steadily.
• Stop parallel to the curb, no more than about 30 cm away.
• Don't block a driveway, an entrance or other traffic.

3. Secure the car

• Turn off your turn signal and turn on your hazard lights.
• Shift into park and set the parking brake. (In a manual, set the brake, then shift into neutral if the engine stays on.)
• If you're on a hill, turn your wheels so the car would roll into the curb. See hill parking.

4. Pull back out

• Release the parking brake and shift into drive.
• Turn off the hazard lights and signal left.
• Check your mirrors and your left blind spot for vehicles and cyclists.
• When there's a safe gap, speed up smoothly to the speed of traffic, then cancel your signal.

Common mistakes

• Stopping too far from the curb, or at an angle with the back of the car sticking out.
• Signalling at the wrong time, either too late, or so early that waiting drivers think you're turning in front of them.
• Forgetting the hazard lights, or forgetting to turn them off before pulling out.
• Skipping the left blind spot check before rejoining traffic.
• Pulling out too slowly into fast traffic. Speed up firmly enough to fit in safely.

Roadside stops in real life

The same steps apply when an emergency vehicle with its lights or siren comes up behind you. Pull to the right and stop, and wait until it has passed before you pull back out. Never stop in an intersection or on a curve where drivers behind can't see you.

The official steps are in the parking chapter and the road test chapter of the Official MTO Driver's Handbook. A roadside stop is also how a three-point turn begins, so it's worth getting smooth.

In Ontario Roadie's Roadside Stop route, you pull over in a marked area at the curb, stop, then signal and pull back out. The game tells you if you're too far from the curb, crooked, or outside the area.