Md. crossed parallel parking off the driver’s test. Our nation is doomed.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Md. crossed parallel parking off the driver's test. Our nation is doomed.

Far be it from me to disagree with a decision made by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, but I have to ask: Are you out of your flipping mind, MVA?

On Tuesday the MVA announced that parallel parking is no longer part of the driver's license test in Maryland. They said that other parts of the test – the two-point reverse turn and the on-road portion – are sufficient to assess a potential driver's skill.

To which I say: I don't care. I had to parallel park to earn my driver's license 36 years ago. All future drivers should be required to do the same. It isn't merely that the skill is necessary; it's that, by removing that part of the test, the MVA is diminishing the importance of something I'm actually good at.

[briantroutman]

This would seem to be an odd time to eliminate parallel parking–considering the overall trend toward urbanization.

And in addition to that, for the first time ever, I've encountered brand new suburban mixed-use outdoor shopping/"lifestyle"  centers that actually incorporate street-side parallel parking as part of the design.

[1995hoo]

Parallel parking was not on the road test in Virginia when I took it in 1989, and I suspect it still is not based on the pathetic performances I often see in Old Town. It was not taught in the behind-the-wheel class I took, either. I taught myself to do it when I went off to school (in a car with no passenger-side mirror, too). I know it also was not on the Virginia test in 1969 because that's the year my parents got married (in New York) and my mom says she waited until she moved to Charlottesville with my father to get a driver's license because in Virginia she didn't have to parallel-park.

What astonishes me is how many people have no clue that when you slow down next to parked cars, put on your blinker, and then stop just past an empty spot to throw it in reverse, it means you're going to park there. I've had idiots come right up behind me and honk as if I'm somehow blocking the road.

The thing I despise is when designated parallel parking "spaces" are painted on the side of the road with lines and you get a ticket if you park over the line. Invariably the spaces are much bigger than they need to be and a ton of space is wasted. Of course, I know in places with old-fashioned parking meters (as opposed to "pay-and-display" systems) the meters serve the same function to some degree, but you have a little more flexibility. I tend to feel that if there's space for your car, you should be able to park. If someone comes along whose truck is too big, that's too bad–go around the block like you do in New York. Of course, I admit I'm biased because I'm a pretty good parallel parker and I can squeeze a car into a very tight space without much difficulty, but I think in urban areas where parking is in high demand, it's silly to limit on-street parking because you want to stripe "spaces" for Ford Excursions or the like.

[kj3400]

I find this amusing because I'm taking my driving test next month. Oh I can parallel park, although I haven't had to do so. It's just that now I don't have to worry about screwing it up on the test now.

[SidS1045]

AFAIK, it was never on the Massachusetts road test.  Neither I (1968) nor my wife (1995) had to parallel park on our road tests.

[Takumi]

Parallel parking was not on the road test in Virginia when I took it in 1989, and I suspect it still is not based on the pathetic performances I often see in Old Town. It was not taught in the behind-the-wheel class I took, either. I taught myself to do it when I went off to school (in a car with no passenger-side mirror, too). I know it also was not on the Virginia test in 1969 because that's the year my parents got married (in New York) and my mom says she waited until she moved to Charlottesville with my father to get a driver's license because in Virginia she didn't have to parallel-park.

It wasn't on it when I got my license in 2005, and between that and not going many places where it's necessary, I'm terrible at it. I much prefer to park further away from things and walk a bit longer distance. My younger brother is excellent at it because he spends a lot of time in downtown Richmond, where it's much more common.

[kkt]

What's the point? Everywhere you go has valet.

-- Clueless

[1995hoo]

I make a point of avoiding valet parking whenever possible.

[Dr Frankenstein]

I was never asked to parallel park during my three road tests (yes, I failed twice; I had no interest in driving at that time and would not practice), but my understanding was that I could have been asked and had to be prepared for that. Thus, when I actually started putting effort into my driving, I spent three evening sessions doing nothing but parallel parks. As a result, I can parallel park better than a lot of people I know...

I think it's a necessary skill that any licenced driver must be proficient at (and it's also why I think that the "park assist" feature is pointless; your license, in theory, proves that you don't need it). On the other hand, I have the same opinion on driving with a manual transmission and you all know what happened to that, at least, in North America...

"I'm actually in favor of it,"  said David, who owns Elite Driving School, which has 14 locations in Maryland. "We have a lot of parents who want us to make sure we spend a lot of time on parallel parking and make it a focus of a large portion of behind-the-wheel training. Our response is, nobody dies [while] parallel parking. We want to work on entering and exiting expressways and focus on more dangerous maneuvers."  [...] "If you live in D.C., you're going to be doing a lot of parallel parking,"  he said. "But the fact is that most people who don't live in the city don't parallel park that often."

I disagree with this person. While it is true that nobody dies while parallel parking, being a licensed driver goes beyond "not dying at the wheel" (or even not killing anyone, for that matter). It also involves not damaging anything (including your car), not impeding the flow of traffic and complying with many regulations. Even though many people don't have to do it often (e.g., they live in a small town), it's a situation that the majority of drivers will eventually be faced with. You have to know how to drive on a freeway even if you live in the middle of nowhere in the Prairies, several dozens of miles away from the nearest one.

Someone who lacks that parallel parking skill will either be very inconvenienced when they visit a large city because they'll be looking for regular parking (which is almost inexistant and very expensive in some parts of Montreal and New York), or they'll attempt to parallel park anyway and either cause a jam while attempting to back in for the fifth time, or damage someone else's property, or both.

[vdeane]

Heck, even smaller cities such as Albany have places where no regular parking is available, and even where it is, you might need to parallel park if, say, your apartment complex decides to resurface all the parking lots at the same time (happened to me when I lived in Rome).

[Zeffy]

Heck, even smaller cities such as Albany have places where no regular parking is available, and even where it is, you might need to parallel park if, say, your apartment complex decides to resurface all the parking lots at the same time (happened to me when I lived in Rome).

Trenton's the same way - only some of the bigger state government buildings have dedicated parking lots, and there's a few parking garages scattered around the city which are more expensive than meter parking.

[kkt]

A driver should be able to put her/his vehicle wherever it needs to go.  For people who can't handle that, Metro beckons.

[DaBigE]

I make a point of avoiding valet parking whenever possible.

Me too.

When I took my test in the late 90s, parallel parking was on the Wisconsin test, but the space my tester had me use I easily could have driven straight into and had space left over. By comparison, our comprehensive behind the wheel test with the driving school I attended was much more challenging. The girl that drove before me ended up in tears after maneuvering for ten minutes and still getting no closer than four feet away from the curb.

[on_wisconsin]

When I took my test in the late 90s, parallel parking was on the Wisconsin test

It was on the test in the mid 00's and still is...

[busman_49]

Ohio hasn't had the test in years.  I was okay at it, but never fully grasped the concept of it until I had to do it in a school bus (yes, the commercial driver's test has it).  Learning the reference points in the bus and transferring those basics to the car helped me tremendously.

[SignGeek101]

I find this amusing because I'm taking my driving test next month. Oh I can parallel park, although I haven't had to do so. It's just that now I don't have to worry about screwing it up on the test now.

When I had my test (in Ontario), they didn't even test me on the parallel park, although I did practise it beforehand. It was listed as a possible maneuvre they could test you on.

[Brandon]

I make a point of avoiding valet parking whenever possible.

Likewise.  I like my clutch to come back in one piece.

[cpzilliacus]

I make a point of avoiding valet parking whenever possible.

Likewise.  I like my clutch to come back in one piece.

I work in a building with valet parking.  The guys try not to have to move my (big and heavy and manual-shift) truck if they can avoid it, but one of them knows how to drive it if needed.