Stop the state, I want off

On the merging thing, my mother came to visit us in the Houston area. She flew in and rented a car. She was driving us around the 610 loop and on an onramp went to merge into heavy traffic. The rental was maybe 16 ft long and there was a 17 ft gap between the two cars in the slow lane next to the on ramp. My mother said (heavy Dutch accent): "Ya. I am vrom L.A.," jerked the wheel and landed right in the gap with inches to spare.

Probably matters on where you learn to drive. Here in Arkansas, they will expect you to pull over to the left lane to let them on, and I have seen people riding next to an 18 wheeler as the onramp/merge lane ends and continue driving on the freeway shoulder next to the 18 wheeler in the slow lane, wondering how to get on the highway.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Oh "merge" is my favorite game. Here in SE PA we have Rt 1 which is a 6 lane divided highway with 3 inner and 3 outer lanes. It was fun corssing from to/from inner and outer lanes without slowing down. I learned to do this in high school when I was young and fearless. Scared the crap out of my poor mother who would crouch down in the passenger seat and close her eyes. The game got even easier when they lowered the speed limit on the road from 55 down to 40 or so. At such low speeds it feels like cheating, but I've always had an uncanny ability to judge speed and distance while driving.

something something self-driving cars don't need you to know how to park...something something vehicle control skills, get off my lawn

T.J. wrote: I had to parallel park when I got my license. Not only that, but I took the test in my Mom's early-mid 80's Chevy Caprice Wagon and it was nearly as long as the designated space.

Ditto that. Only it was a 1957 Chrysler back in 1959. And it was in PA also.

foxtrapper wrote: Maryland isn't the first state to drop the parallel parking part of the driving test, they're. Something like the 15th. Reverse driving is still part of the driving test.

it was dropped in NC a long time ago

Curmudgeon wrote: The kiddo got her license 2 years ago? dang has it been that long? and she had to PP. I'm proud to say that under my tutelage she did quite well with it. Now, if I can just convince her to learn a manual...

so you caved in when you got her a car … if you'd insisted on a manual then, she'd be fine now

Back when I took my test in my fathers model T (kidding) in NYS I didn't have to parallel park.

Many yeas later, on my school bus test I had to parallel park. Well sort of. Lots of room.

Ian F wrote: Parallel parking hasn't been part of the driving test in PA since... well... since at least before I took the test in 1986. Despite having never lived in a city, I am very good at parallel parking.

I had to parallel park when I took my drivers test in pa In 1998. In fact I failed because I tapped the barrel with the ass end.

Ian F wrote: In reply to Rob_Mopar: Beats me... I took my test at the State Police barracks in Bensalem near Neshaminy Mall.

Get out of here. I took it in the same place.

When I took my MC endorsement test in the PRC in '79, there was a pretty tight course you had to do. Figure 8, etc. laid out with paint in the lot. I did it on a FLH. I weighed 128 lbs. In Texas, a MC endorsement is done by the PoPo riding in your friend's car following behind you. You go out on regular streets, stop, BE SURE TO PUT YOUR FEET DOWN, look both ways (BE SURE TO TURN YOUR HEAD SO THE POPO CAN SEE YOU FROM THE CAR BEHIND YOU), etc. Come on back to the DPS and you passed.

I didn't have to parallel park in 2001 in IL although I could have if they asked me. I have never parallel parked the Outback, I'd parallel park the Suburban without a second thought, but the Outback I avoid (makes perfect sense, right?).

After reading the thread title, but before opening it, I was sure the answer was Florida.

I dont think there was parallel parking on my IL drivers test, but we learned it in drivers school.

I teach DE in Vermont. Often (about a third) my students inform me that the DMV tester chose to forego the parallel park. They offer various reasons, but mostly they haven't the time to find an adequate place to do it as they have only 15 minutes for the test. Go out, left turn, right turn, stop sign, traffic light, hill start, intersection turn around, parallel park, and back. And remember, they're looking for the minimum skill needed to complete the "test."
As for merging, there's no interstate ramp within 1 hour of the high school where I teach. I have to take 4 students on a field trip to the interstate. Takes all day. Can you imagine 7 hours, 4 teenagers of varying skill, and 1 car?

back in the dark ages (got my license in '65) we had a spot in the HS parking lot that mimicked a parallel parking spot ( old RR timber and cones at each end) … then when I went for my test the HP station had a parallel parking space and all had to pass this