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The shocking thing is that almost half of the people failed just because of that.
They probably failed at other things as well, not just parallel parking. I had plenty of friends who didn't parallel park for their driving test because they did well enough on the rest of the driving that they would still pass even if they failed at parallel parking.
They probably failed at other things as well, not just parallel parking. I had plenty of friends who didn't parallel park for their driving test because they did well enough on the rest of the driving that they would still pass even if they failed at parallel parking.
Atleast in MD you are done if you fail either parallel parking or turn in box. It's not a choice either - you fail and instructor will ask you to come out. if you do small mistakes and accumulates 16 points you are done as well.
I live in center city philly and this is the reason why I'm still driving a 13 year old car. People don't know how to parallel park well. But because my car is old, I don't mind them bumping into me.
Has not been a requirement in CA since... I don't know how long. I got my license in 1998 and didn't have to do it. I've had to legitimately parallel park (and by that, I mean tuck it in between two cars on a street and not just park it on the curb in a wide open spot) MAYBE half a dozen times, and that's probably an over-estimate.
I agree that the driving tests these days are a joke, but of all the things I wish they would teach people to do better, parallel parking isn't really high on that list.
Mike
This is what I thought too. I got my license in 1992 and I don't know if it was on the driving test or not, but it was never even addressed in driver's ed. Of course, having to parallel park in Idaho is pretty rare unless you work downtown Boise. Even there, most people park in a parking garage or parking lot.
I totally understand the concept of parallel parking, but I've never needed to do it.
They probably failed at other things as well, not just parallel parking. I had plenty of friends who didn't parallel park for their driving test because they did well enough on the rest of the driving that they would still pass even if they failed at parallel parking.
Nope. Just parallel parking. If you fail that, that's it.
Grew up in one part of New York City, Staten Island, where PP was and still is almost an alien concept. Ninety degree parking yes, but otherwise had little use for the thing except on very crowded streets.
However now living in Manhattan not knowing how to PP means you might as well not drive or put your car in a garage parked by an attendant. *LOL*
Have stood watching drivers from out of state (NJ, PA, Vermont, etc...) trying to park on a Manhattan street in a space you could fit the Lusitania and they just cannot do it! In/out, back and forth, pull up and out, etc... for ten or more minutes. Most give up and go look for something easier, then a native NY'er comes right up in there and with a few swift moves is parked.
Have seen NYC drivers get their vehicles into some really tight spots without nicking other cars or their own. OTOH have seen those with weak to poor PP skills tear up their own and the cars already parked trying to get into a spot. Hence all those "bumper buddies" you see strapped onto vehicles here.
I got my license on Long Island, in 1986 and had to parallel park a Lincoln Town car--All 20 feet of it! But I did it. I KNOW I couldn't do that today
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I KNOW I couldn't do that today 
