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American driver standards are a joke. My driving test didn't even include parallel parking.
by cozzyd 3y ago
American driver standards are a joke. My driving test didn't even include parallel parking.
- tstrimple 3y agoYou can get away without knowing how to parallel park in probably 99% (not being hyperbolic) of the country just fine. Even when I lived in LA, you could easily find parking that doesn't require parallel parking. I'm far more concerned about the folks who can't deal with backing out of "normal" parking spaces.
- cozzyd 3y agoConsidering that something like 4% of the country lives in the city limits of NYC, Chicago, Philly, SF, DC or Boston (ok not everyone within those cities has a driver's license, but you get the point) not to mention the considerably larger fraction in the metro areas, that's probably only true if you're taking about area. But yes, obviously someone with a driver's license should know how to safely back out of a parking spot without hitting pedestrians, other cars or cyclists.
- tstrimple 3y agoMaybe. But also consider that far fewer people in NYC and SF have a vehicle that they commute with than the national average. Fewer than half of NYC residents own a vehicle. Slightly more than half of SF residents own a car.
- cozzyd 3y agoSure, but that even people who don't own cars (I am one...) usually know how to drive and occasionally do so and must then park them...
- nitwit005 3y agoIf you have very limited time, it makes sense not to include it. Failing at parallel parking usually just means a low speed collision with another car.
- acdha 3y agoIt also means significant amounts of congestion in urban areas and has ripple effects. I’ve seen more than a few collisions caused by someone trying to get out of the way of a helpless parallel parker. More broadly, though, someone who can’t parallel park effectively can’t handle their vehicle well. That manifests in many other ways.
- nitwit005 3y agoI didn't say it wasn't a problem. What I said was: "If you have very limited time, it makes sense not to include it.". Minor accidents and congestion are not a big deal compared to potentially lethal accidents.
- acdha 3y agoMy position is that you need to make time. Simply passing bad drivers shifts a greater cost to everyone else – the time saved skipping 10 minutes on the test is going to be a fraction of what that driver costs everyone else the first time they drive downtown.
- digianarchist 3y agoI didn’t even put my car in reverse for my California test. I failed my UK test once at 17 and passed at 26 but only just.