In late May, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Association (MVA) removed the parallel parking requirement from the driver’s test. The news was received with enthusiasm by unlicensed drivers across the state. Others believe that the maneuver is essential and its removal jeopardizes the safety of all drivers. By not testing this skill, new drivers will be less proficient on the road.

MVA officials believed that testing parallel parking is not essential when deciding if a driver is qualified to pass.  “It was determined that we were testing the individuals several times for the same skills,” said MVA spokesperson Buel Young. Now, in order to pass the test, a driver only has to perform a two-point turn and successfully follow a short course on the road. However, this is not enough to determine whether a driver is qualified to receive a license.

Parallel parking forces the driver to demonstrate important skills such as an understanding of how the car moves and depth perception. The MVA believes that the two-point turn and the road test demonstrates all of the same skills and parallel parking is repetitive and unnecessary. However, maneuvering the car into a sideways space is extremely different than backing into a space. The skill requires a different kind of practice and dedication than the two-point turn.

Since parallel parking is such a difficult maneuver, unlicensed drivers must spend extra time practicing it in order to master the skill for the test. The dedication exhibited by young drivers to perfect this skill for the license test proves that they are serious and responsible enough to drive. Without the requirement of parallel parking on the test, new drivers are less likely to understand the dedication and responsibility required in order to have a driver’s license.

Although parallel parking is still a part of the drivers ed curriculum, now that it is no longer required in order to obtain a license, driving instructors will have less incentive to teach students parallel parking. Instead of practicing to perfect the skill, students will spend more time doing only what is required of them. Once they receive their licenses, those who do not learn to parallel park will not have a complete understanding of how to control a car or how it moves.

Maryland now joins a short list of states that do not require parallel parking on the license test, including Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The majority of states that do not require parallel parking are non-urbanized states, very different from Maryland, which is located next to DC and houses many large cities, including Baltimore. In a large city, parallel parking is often the main form of parking used. If the MVA does not test the skill, they will not be able to adequately determine whether a young driver is capable of tackling all of the difficult challenges they will face on the road.

Taking parallel parking off  the drivers test only makes it easier for reckless drivers to obtain their licenses. During 2014, 47 percent of 154,526 people failed the Maryland driver’s test. Though the MVA has not released data on the cause of these failures, one can assume that removing the parallel parking section would only make it easier for new drivers to pass the test.

The MVA should not make the test easier, especially since new drivers are usually the most dangerous. In fact, 16-19 year olds are three times more likely than any other age group to get in accidents. Rather than making it easier for them to drive, the MVA should ensure that they deserve to get their license. For that reason, the Maryland MVA needs to add parallel parking back onto the driver’s’ test with the safety of new drivers, as well as all other drivers, in mind.