Parallel Parallel Parking
Cidu Bill on Dec 22nd 2008
The parallel parking requirement is intended to keep 16-year-olds from passing the driving exam??
Filed in Bill Bickel, Bill Holbrook, CIDU, Kevin and Kell, comic strips, comics, driving, humor, parallel parking | 33 responses so far
Dave Van Domelen Dec 22nd 2008 at 12:13 am 1
Well, it requires finesse and a certain amount of patience, you really can’t wing it. So a 16 year old who can operate a car but lacks patience and finesse will blow the parallel parking part.
Matthew Dec 22nd 2008 at 01:23 am 2
Of course, unless Departments of Motor Vehicles have recently changed, no one is made to parallel park.
Cidu Bill Dec 22nd 2008 at 02:29 am 3
Bad parallel parkers do not get to be good parallel parkers as they age. If anything they get worse, because more time has passed since their driving lessons.
It is possible, though, that in some states older drivers are better parallel parkers than younger drivers simply because they learned to drive when parallel parking was part of the road test — but that’s irrelevant to to their actual experience.
Just for the record my son had to parallel park for his road test two years ago.
Matthew Dec 22nd 2008 at 02:42 am 4
Bill, I disagree with your claim that drivers get worse in parallel-parking as they age. I’d like to see some research on this. I didn’t parallel-park in preparation for my driving test or during the test, and I parallel-park decently, because I had to—& wanted to—learn.
I currently see some poor parallel-parking but, much more frequently, I see selfish use of parking spaces: cars—s.u.v.s, mostly, parked over the line to take up a second space.
CIDU Bill Dec 22nd 2008 at 02:48 am 5
I actually did not say that, Matthew: I said that if there’s any change at all it would logically be a deterioration of parallel parking skills simply because the eyesight might not be as sharp as it once was. On the average. But the assumption that parallel parking skills come with maturity is entirely off the wall.
todd Dec 22nd 2008 at 02:52 am 6
If he’s sixteen, why is he so darned small compared to his parents? At sixteen, my sister was taller than my dad.
Matthew Dec 22nd 2008 at 03:04 am 7
Bill, this isn’t worth arguing about, but read what you wrote in remark #3. It doesn’t mention eyesight, which has little to do with parallel-parking, anyway. As to this “assumption” about “parallel-parking skills com[ing] with maturity”: that’s all in your own head. No one has said that.
Until you produce research showing that drivers’ parallel-parking skills either never improve or deteriorate, then we should end this subject.
Paul Dec 22nd 2008 at 03:32 am 8
I agree with Matthew here.
When I took my road test 6 years ago, I didn’t have to parallel park as far as I remember. Was in Massachusetts and a blizzard was just starting, though, so it might have been a truncated version of the test.
Paul Dec 22nd 2008 at 03:35 am 9
For the record, I agree with Matthew about the research thing. I don’t think there’s reason for us to speculate which way it goes. It probably depends on how much parallel parking any given person does day-to-day, but I don’t know if there’s any way we can figure out what goes into it without research.
Winter Wallaby Dec 22nd 2008 at 03:59 am 10
DMV’s are state run, so different states require different things. Maybe your DMV didn’t make you parallel park, but mine did.
Brent Dec 22nd 2008 at 05:06 am 11
I’m going to agree with Bill, even without evidence.
Note that he was talking about “bad” parallel parkers (not all drivers)… I can believe that that group tend to not get better at it, because they tend to avoid doing it (taking parallel spots between cars as a last resort after driving around the block several times). If you start out bad and aren’t doing anything to work on it, you certainly aren’t going to get better.
Adam! Dec 22nd 2008 at 06:10 am 12
When I took my road test I was very nervous about parallel parking (and reverse stall parking) because I had very little experience with either. Now that I have a few years of parking under my belt, I no longer sweat it when I need to fit into a tight spot (however, I’m still terrified of reverse stall).
>>> “The parallel parking requirement is intended to keep 16-year-olds from passing the driving exam??”
That’s the premise of the joke. Of course, it’s not true: if it were true, it wouldn’t be a joke… it would be letting the cat out of the bag. Speaking of which, why are cat’s driving in this comic? That’s what I don’t understand.
yellojkt Dec 22nd 2008 at 07:41 am 13
Parallel parking is still on the test in Maryland and they grade it pretty hard. Both wheels have to be withing twelve inches of the curb without touching it. My son failed the first time. I found the cartoon insightful and true.
rabrab Dec 22nd 2008 at 08:15 am 14
I got better at parallel parking over time, since when I learned to do it in driver’s ed, all that was marking the spot was traffic cones with flags on them. Doing it in real life, where the visual cues for the corners of the space are much more visible (other cars, parking meters, the line of the curb and storefronts in front and back of you) is a great deal easier. Whether you’ll need to do much once you have your license depends on whether you are in an area with on-street parking or somewhere with lots of parking lots. If I go to the mall, I don’t have to parallel park; if I go downtown, I do.
Adny Dec 22nd 2008 at 08:35 am 15
Is everyone perhaps looking a little too seriously at this one? I see it simply as the parents being grateful that parallel parking (or the lack of it) kept a license out of the hands of their kid, who they feel isn’t quite ready to be a driver.
Dave Dec 22nd 2008 at 11:14 am 16
You guys are looking at this way too deep. I actually agree with the comic. there is a huge maturity level difference in SOME (not all) 16 year olds and 18 year olds and 21 year olds. I think the parents just wish driving was more like the drinking age…
Bill, I don’t know if your statement in #3 is true or false, but I’m guessing false when comparing a 16 year old to a 23 year old and true when comparing a 16 year old to a 70 year old.
Usual John Dec 22nd 2008 at 11:27 am 17
Bill, your statement is definitely untrue as applied to me. I was awful at parallel parking when I took my driving test. Many years later, I’m not actually very good at it, but I’m much better than I was.
Mark Dec 22nd 2008 at 12:32 pm 18
Heh, I ‘practiced’ parallel parking one time and one time only the day before going to take my driver’s test. I smashed the right front fender of mom’s car into dad’s truck. They insisted I was going to take the test the next day, anyway, if only for the experience.
Cut to the next day. I take my driver’s test, do the parallel parking thing, and the instructor says to me, “By all accounts, I should fail you. You pulled to far into intersections. You started too quickly from changing lights. You didn’t wait long enough at stop signs. However, your parallel parking was textbook perfect. I’ve never had anyone park that well. That you were able to park like that tells me the rest of it was nerves, so I’m going to pass you.”
Mom and dad had a good laugh when I told them about that.
Mark Dec 22nd 2008 at 12:49 pm 19
I had to parallel park when I took my test 28 years ago. It’s the one thing I did terribly that day, so I still passed. But the examiner wrote my number grade (74!) on back of my license–a badge of shame it took me four years to shed.
CIDU Bill Dec 22nd 2008 at 01:00 pm 20
Dave, I don’t think anybody would argue that older drivers aren’t more mature drivers: The question is whether with maturity comes increased parallel parking skills, and whether this is a sufficiently self-evident corolation to justify Kevin’s comment.
Brian Dec 22nd 2008 at 01:38 pm 21
Bad parallel parkers can indeed get better over time. I do not understand why you’re suggesting otherwise.
If you have to do it often, and you care about doing it right to avoid damage to your car, the practice will naturally allow you to improve. That’s how practice works. Why would this skill be different than every other practicable skill in all of human experience?
Arvy Dec 22nd 2008 at 01:40 pm 22
Bill, I think your logic is off here. While I’d guess that you are probably correct (drivers who do not practice parallel parking decline in that area), you’re comparing two different things. The comic is not about skills continuing to develop after a driver passes his test, it’s about drivers who have spent more time honing all of their driving skills (for which parallel parking is herein intended to serve as a barometer) being better drivers than those who’ve only been practicing for less than a year. If there were mandatory annual re-testing that included parallel parking, I think you’d agree that older drivers (up to a point) probably would be better at it than younger drivers.
And by the way, I parallel park pretty frequently, and I use the method my driving instructor taught me back in 1981.
Dan Dec 22nd 2008 at 02:06 pm 23
The explanation here, I think, is that the parallel-parking portion of the test is there almost as a failsafe. Kids might be able to do very well on the “turn left, turn right, put on your blinker, brake” part, but parallel parking is more difficult, so you can’t just wing it. The suggestion here is that failing a kid for that part is better than passing him for everything else, because ostensibly when he retakes the test - and he would - he’d have worked on that aspect of his driving. And he’d have gained more experience with driving in general, which in itself is the biggest aid of all.
Peter Dec 22nd 2008 at 03:15 pm 24
Way late to this–and I didn’t read all the debate–but I was a rotten parallel parker until about age 28 or 29 when I was living in a city and needed to do so on a somewhat regular basis; I did find it was something I picked up with time and practice, and I’m way better now than I was at 16.
Michael Dec 22nd 2008 at 03:42 pm 25
I think the joke of the panel is that the kid thinks there’s some conspiracy against 16 year olds just because he can’t pass the test. Parallel parking is an extremely important skill (something I use nearly every day I drive) and perfectly valid for a driving test, but the kid’s too self centered to recognize it from that perspective.
eeyore19 Dec 22nd 2008 at 04:00 pm 26
When I moved to WA a few years back I had to take the driver’s test again. I almost didn’t get my license because of the points deducted for not being able to parallel park. I agree with some of the other comments here: it’s a driving test, not a parking test. I’m a good driver, but I can’t parallel park to save my life. If all that’s available is a parking spot that requires me to parallel park, I’ll just skip it and drive on until I can find an easier spot to park.
This guy I know Dec 22nd 2008 at 05:31 pm 27
Parallel parking was not a part of my driving test (California, 1998), so I never received any formal instruction. The first time I had to parallel park, because I was already late for work and that was the only space available, I managed to get it perfect the first time.
This amazing (to me) feat was accomplished thanks to a Sunday strip of the comic Zits which featured Jeremy reading the instructions for parallel parking from a book. The instructions were very clear and stuck in my mind long enough that I was able to pull it off. It also helped that the street I was on did not have a lot of traffic, so I was able to relax and take my time.
I have only needed to parallel park a handful of times in the years since then, but none have ever been as successful as that first time.
Cedar Dec 22nd 2008 at 07:03 pm 28
Parallel parking is a needed skill in certain cities. I live in a large urban area, and I don’t think one SHOULD be allowed to drive in this city if one doesn’t know how to parallel park. Often times, parallel parking is your the option for parking, especially in certain neighborhoods, and the residential areas closer to the city center. I don’t drive that often, but literally every time I do, I have to parallel park.
Keera Dec 23rd 2008 at 08:15 am 29
I’m someone who got better at parallel parking after she passed her driving test (I had to take the test twice after failing the first time (but not on parking) and for some reason, p.p. was skipped the second time! Woo!), simply because frequent driving and parking gives one plenty of practice. And yes, it should be on the test, because I consider it to be a “can handle a car”-test. People who can’t put a couple of tons of metal away properly not only annoy others, but can cause dangerous situations.
Back to the comic: As a couple of others have pointed out, any excuse to keep your teenager from behind the wheel a little longer is a good excuse (and relief) for the parents.
Matthew Dec 23rd 2008 at 12:51 pm 30
Bill, the weight of the anecdotal is against you, man.
Frank Dec 23rd 2008 at 02:31 pm 31
This geezer’s parallel parking skills have deteriorated. Not because of eyesight but mostly from lack of practice. I park in my driveway or at angle slots at work, the mall, or whatever. I hardly ever park at curbs any more but when I do I look for spots that let me have a space or two lead up so I don’t have to back in.
Charlene Dec 29th 2008 at 02:50 am 32
Well, I’ve learned something today: people who drive identify their self-worth far too much with their ability to steer a chunk of metal around the road.
Matthew Dec 29th 2008 at 12:50 pm 33
If everyone who drove had more of their self-worth tide to their driving, Charlene, then we would have much better driving. I wish everyone REALLY cared about doing good work whenever they’re behind their wheels.