MD Drivers Test NO Longer Includes Parallel Parking

There are a lot of essential skills they don't test for or teach for that matter. The ability to avoid a 1 mph accident just does not rise to the level of concern for me.

I'd be far happier if they tested their ability not to kill other motorists and they sure don't seem concerned about that one.

 

Perhaps they should add a section to the test about not driving your Camry in the left lane of 495 @ 43 mph.

 

^ Not a driving test. That's an IQ test!

 

Well, that's fine but lets make the fight about killing people and not parking maneuvers.

At the end of the day though there is little likely to ever be improved in the driving skill area.

Despite the legal definition driving in this country is a right and not a privilege. Many drivers have no business on the road nor will they ever have any business there but the various DMV's throughout the country adjust the testing to be sure no one is left out. It is simple political reality. It is no different than a fire department or a police department being required to lower their testing standards so the 105 pound female can be a firefighter. After all its not fair otherwise right? Start taking away licenses from people with vision problems, attention problems, reaction time problems or simply a lousy driver and watch those groups scream at the politicians. Politicians are going to insist we fix it through technology and leave all the protected groups alone.

Just gotta be careful because they are not going to fix the problem, quite the contrary. They have and will continue to make it worse.

 

To be fair, the lowering of standards in fire and police have also allowed 250 pound cops to try and catch a 20 year old running from them. As far as the taking people off the road for various impairments, I think we all agree the roads would presumably be safer. The holistic solution would have to assume better training for those left on the roads too. But at the end of the day, how are you going to mobilize those not allowed to drive? Certainly the auto and oil industries have made sure mass transit infrastructure stands no chance to thrive. So you're still left with the politically impossible dilemma of either making roads safer by tightening standards or allowing everyone to drive because you have no other way to transport large groups of people. It's a bad situation.

 

When I first moved here I was horrified by how easy it was to pass the test (CA). Simple written component and then a drive around the block, plus the ability to take the test in an auto and immediately drive a manual. As Brian says, driving here is a right not a privilege and there is too much big business involved encouraging folks to get spending on the road as soon as possible. Took me 12 1hr lessons, written test and challenging 40 minute driving test (parking, reversing, emergency stop, high speed, low speed etc.) to pass in the UK which explains why the overall standard of driving is much higher there.

 

I don't know if you've dealt with the MD MVA at all, but according to them, driving is a privilege. They can yank a license whenever they see fit. I've had to sit in front of an MVA "judge" and explain why I'm healthy enough to drive. (I think I was 21-2 at the time with type-1 diabetes under great control)

 

Next they should remove driving component at all, as it is unsafe for inspectors to conduct, stressful for an applicants and harms green environment lol I lived in MD for 5 years and scared as hell of urban MD drivers