Posted on 05/20/2015 3:14:22 AM PDT by markomalley
If you listen closely you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from 16 year olds across the state.
The reason – the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration officially removed parallel parking as a required test element on the driver’s license test on a statewide basis starting today.
According to Buel Young, spokesperson for the MVA, the administration determined that completing a two-point turn and backing up are similar enough to parallel parking to eliminate the parking element from the test.
“The MVA consistently evaluates its assessments of both the knowledge and skills tests. In analyzing the skills test, it was determined that the currently used 2-point reverse turn, when combined with the on-road portions or the test, adequately assessed the individual’s ability to operate the vehicle,” Young told MYMCMedia Tuesday.
You can find out more about the MVA tests here.
Young said parallel parking is still taught in driving schools.
“We encourage everyone to know how to do it,” he said.
“Is it just me? The older, boxier cars with larger windows were much easier to maneuver.”
Absolutely. I drive a Jeep Wrangler. Drove a friends Chrysler 300 the other day and couldn’t believe how much less I could see.
One more reason why Maryland MVA is full of stupid people. I’ve been driving for 38 years and have parallel parked more in the six years I’ve lived in the cesspool than the 32 years previous combined.
Marylanders are statistically the second worst drivers in the nation, yet these idiots are dumbing down the requirements.
Par for the course for MVA. They define stupid. It once took me four trips and over nine hours (over the course of 3-4 weeks) to get a simple set of license plates.
IMHO... the parallel parking requirements have become stupid in Maryland. They aren’t anything like I learned (and passed on the first test). The right signal has to stay on the entire time. If it goes off.. you fail. You can’t turn your head around but have to use the mirrors instead. Turn your head around and you are failed. For anyone who parallels frequently.. try the old Maryland’s rules the next time you try it. Don’t take your two hands off the wheel at any point, don’t turn your head around, use the mirrors only and manage all of this without the turn signal ever going off. This is what most students failed at.. even if the parallel was done perfectly.
I learned in MoCo years ago but tbh.. there was a lot less traffic and aggressive drivers then. Students now have to become almost citified/expert drivers in most of the counties. I would rather them train more driving.. the ICC, night driving, interstate, rush hour etc... to be prepared then parallel. Just my opinion....
> a two-point turn and backing up are similar enough to parallel parking
Hahehehaha. Yeah right.
You can get more cars in a given space, but it’s dangerous. You have to back out into traffic while your view is obstructed.
I’ve never had a problem with them (angled or straight in). The key is backing out slowly and looking and not being distracted by radio, etc.. There is simply no reason for parallel spaces unless there just isn’t enough road right-of-way to accommodate them.
There are some areas here that have nose-in parking. If I have to go there I park somewhere else and walk a block or two. You can not see oncoming traffic through a row of nose-in parked cars. It’s not only those backing out who are in danger, it those traveling down the road.
We have them all up and down my little city’s main street. Never seen an accident.
Well our experiences and opinion differ.
What’s even more fun is watching the tourists deal with the suicide lane.
It's a skill I need when I have to do work in the people's republic of Ann Arbor.
‘67 buick lesabre. try whipping one of them around.
She has a lot of company out there on our roads...
You are correct. My town has angle parking on most of the downtown streets. The streets are effectively 4 lanes wide, so there is still ample room in the street when the curbs are taken up with cars angle parked. You do get more cars parked per block with angle parking.
However, angle parking creates another problem When you angle park on the left side of the street, you can't see through the car to your left to determine if there's oncoming traffic before you pull out. If you angle park on the right side, it's almost as bad. You have to look through your own car, past the car on the right, to check for oncoming traffic.
Parallel parking is less efficient in use of curb space, but it's a lot easier for the driver to check for oncoming traffic from behind, when parallel parked.
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