Maryland became the 16th state to stop requiring parallel parking as part of the test to get a driver’s license.
In their driver’s manual revised in May, 2015, Maryland still required drivers to be able to perform a “reverse two-point turnabout,” in which they drive past the desired parking space (such as a driveway) and then back into that space.
Maryland joined Oregon, California, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Maine on the list of states that do not require parallel parking demonstration as part of the driver’s license exam according to a recent report from USA Today.
In Iowa, standards and benchmarks for driver training include learning to describe and perform the correct procedure for parallel, angle and perpendicular parking on left and right side of the street and on hills,” according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Parallel parking is also part of the Iowa driver’s manual.
Parallel parking is not listed among maneuvers you are required to perform during a driving exam in Illinois, according to the state’s driver’s manual. The manual only specifies that, if you do parallel park, the vehicle should be within 12 inches of the curb and be pointed in the same direction in which traffic moves.
What do you think? Should drivers be required to be able to parallel park to get a license?
