Maryland removed parallel parking from driving test
#1
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Thought this might make for an interesting discussion. Maryland passed a bill today that removes parallel parking from the state's driving test.
I think this is ridiculous. As it is all you have to do is drive across a parking lot, back up 20 feet, do a 3 point turn, parallel park and then drive back across the parking lot. The state requires no road driving to pass the test.
Its not like our state is all rural. We border Washington, DC. Baltimore. I parallel park every day. I was on the eastern shore last week in Cambridge and St Michaels and parallel parked both places.
What is so wrong with wanting kids to demonstrate they can drive a car to get a license?!?
I think this is ridiculous. As it is all you have to do is drive across a parking lot, back up 20 feet, do a 3 point turn, parallel park and then drive back across the parking lot. The state requires no road driving to pass the test.
Its not like our state is all rural. We border Washington, DC. Baltimore. I parallel park every day. I was on the eastern shore last week in Cambridge and St Michaels and parallel parked both places.
What is so wrong with wanting kids to demonstrate they can drive a car to get a license?!?
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Parallel parking is not part of the test in California, or at least in San Francisco. They make you pull into a diagonal spot at the end of the exam but that's it. I have always criticized this as it is a simple thing that everyone should know how to do. It is already way too easy to get a license and there are tons of people on the street that dont know how to drive -- i am referring to the slow pokes out there who drive like grandma
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#3
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It wasn't that way when I was growing up in the 1960s, when it seemed like the whole world revolved around cars, especially during that classic age of American muscle machines (which, unfortunately, were quite dangerous in the hands of immature or unskilled drivers). Back then, once you became a Junior or Senior in High School, of driving age, if you continued to ride the school bus each day or were driven to and from school by a parent, that was most definitely un-cool.
Thought this might make for an interesting discussion. Maryland passed a bill today that removes parallel parking from the state's driving test.
Last edited by mmarshall; 05-20-15 at 08:04 PM.
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Parallel parking is not part of the test in California, or at least in San Francisco. They make you pull into a diagonal spot at the end of the exam but that's it. I have always criticized this as it is a simple thing that everyone should know how to do. It is already way too easy to get a license and there are tons of people on the street that dont know how to drive -- i am referring to the slow pokes out there who drive like grandma ![Big Grin](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
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#5
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too many people were probably failing parallel parking, so they removed it.
California used to have parallel park when I took the test.
Now we have to wait for idiots blocking the road trying to squeeze into a spot. Thank you government.
California used to have parallel park when I took the test.
Now we have to wait for idiots blocking the road trying to squeeze into a spot. Thank you government.
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Parallel parking is not part of the test in California, or at least in San Francisco. They make you pull into a diagonal spot at the end of the exam but that's it. I have always criticized this as it is a simple thing that everyone should know how to do. It is already way too easy to get a license and there are tons of people on the street that dont know how to drive -- i am referring to the slow pokes out there who drive like grandma ![Big Grin](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
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#7
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Totally absurd...with all the distractions today, training and testing needs to get harder, not easier.
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#9
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It is in an important and efficient maneuver to learn, and I use it every day at work. It's pretty bad how some people are at attempting to park into a parallel spot without parallel parking.
I can see it being taken away from the state if the drivers won't be driving out of state, but won't these drivers be travelling out of state eventually for vacation, errands, etc. and will need to learn the proper way to parallel park?
I can see it being taken away from the state if the drivers won't be driving out of state, but won't these drivers be travelling out of state eventually for vacation, errands, etc. and will need to learn the proper way to parallel park?
#11
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I rarely parallel park, but i remember it being part of my driving test in rural Utah....we actually had to go search for a place to demonstrate it on the test.
#12
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Seems crazy to me. Maryland is definitely not alone, according to this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...ests/27671165/
Who knew? (I did not)
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...ests/27671165/
Maryland joins neighbor Virginia (but not Washington, D.C.), in not assessing parallel-parking skills, as well as these states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota and Wyoming.
#13
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The problem is that in the US, driving is considered a right and not a privilege. Driving tests should be getting more difficult and not easier. There are enough idiots out there who don't know how to drive as it is. From not being able to parallel Park to not know when/how to use a damn turn signal.
#15
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It's sometimes hard to make driving tests more difficult when cars themselves, today, do so many things for you electronically........yes, even parallel-park themselves in some cases. That feature can be found on models as small and inexpensive as the Ford Focus.
There are enough idiots out there who don't know how to drive as it is. From not being able to parallel Park to not know when/how to use a damn turn signal.