Are Americans Better Parkers?
Discussion
Ive been virtually wandering through towns and cities on Google Street View (actually been looking at the areas near some houses ive been looking at) and i also popped across to America to check out the Street View stuff there (im not moving there, this was for funsies) and i noticed something curious.
In the UK, you take Street View down any standard town street with parking down the side or whatever and theres cars with 14 feet in front and behind because British people cant parallel park, theres always the s
tty hatchback at the back of the parking section but like 6 feet in, when if their back wheels where right back near the curb you could fit another car in there. Nothings straight, its all wonky and im amazed it works at all.
Go to America and look at the same situation, cars parked at the side of a road and everything is dead straight, 99% of the time the wheels are mere centimetres from the 'sidewalk' and the vehicles are closer together despite them being generally bigger. Even looking at a large car park of some University or whatever it was 98% of cars were perfectly evenly between the lines, as if they'd been picked up and put there.
So i ask you the most boring question in human history, do Americans park better than us?
In the UK, you take Street View down any standard town street with parking down the side or whatever and theres cars with 14 feet in front and behind because British people cant parallel park, theres always the s
tty hatchback at the back of the parking section but like 6 feet in, when if their back wheels where right back near the curb you could fit another car in there. Nothings straight, its all wonky and im amazed it works at all.Go to America and look at the same situation, cars parked at the side of a road and everything is dead straight, 99% of the time the wheels are mere centimetres from the 'sidewalk' and the vehicles are closer together despite them being generally bigger. Even looking at a large car park of some University or whatever it was 98% of cars were perfectly evenly between the lines, as if they'd been picked up and put there.
So i ask you the most boring question in human history, do Americans park better than us?
Its a secret. Ssshhhh.HD Adam said:
When I was working ex-pat in Houston, I had to do a US driving test so that I could get a local licence.
Having to parallel park (between cones at the test centre) was the first thing you had to do before going out on the road.
Thats very interesting. So its reasonable to assume every American licence holder can do that. Here you might not get a parallel park on your driving test, i know someone who failed his first test on his parallel park but was never told to do it on his second. This was nearly 10 years ago and he still cant do it. He got lucky.Having to parallel park (between cones at the test centre) was the first thing you had to do before going out on the road.
I know America's big and it has wide roads etc but thats not what im getting it, its the fact the parallel parked cars are straight, very close to the pavement and closer together in general than over here. It looks very organised, like the were picked up and put there.
No parking element to my Ohio driving test. You had to maneuver through some cones in reverse but it was a total joke, you go almost straight backwards, and only turn left or right by about 6 inches.
Parking on the whole no better, just feels like it sometimes because the streets that permit parking on them are much wider than here in the UK. Overall driving standard quite shambolic over there too, but noticeably better than average in the more affluent parts of a City.
Parking on the whole no better, just feels like it sometimes because the streets that permit parking on them are much wider than here in the UK. Overall driving standard quite shambolic over there too, but noticeably better than average in the more affluent parts of a City.
Edited by FisiP1 on Tuesday 29th November 02:16
I think there's very little chance that they're better at any aspect of driving. I lived there from four years old until I moved back to the UK at sixteen. I passed my test there, which involved a parallel park in an enormous bay marked by cones, a five minute drive around a car park, a 50 yard venture onto a road and then a return to the car park. Yes, we all had to parallel park as part of the test, but everyone with any sense went and practiced using the test's pick-up truck sized bay on a weekend.
dvs_dave said:
In Illinois I also had to do a full test and it was so easy it was a joke. No parking maneuvers of any type were tested.
I suppose it explains the generally appalling driving standards over here compared to the UK for example.
When I lived in Chicago, at least I had a secure parking space downtown. Watching folks parallel park on streets generally involved them bouncing their bumpers off cars which were already parked.I suppose it explains the generally appalling driving standards over here compared to the UK for example.
marcosgt said:
I believe the US test varies dramatically.
My Sister In Law recalls being told the answers to the multiple choice element when she got her Californian one (she had a UK licence, but I wouldn't describe her as a great driver).
M
There was a story about someone in the states who got a life sentence for cheating on his driving theory test because he had committed 2 other minor offenses 8 years before. The 3 strikes law is absolutely ruthless.My Sister In Law recalls being told the answers to the multiple choice element when she got her Californian one (she had a UK licence, but I wouldn't describe her as a great driver).
M
But I can believe you, my examiner on my practical test made me do a full-on handbrake turn to avoid being stopped by a police roadblock a little further down the road. All kinds of crazy things go on with their tests.
martin84 said:
Thats very interesting. So its reasonable to assume every American licence holder can do that. Here you might not get a parallel park on your driving test, i know someone who failed his first test on his parallel park but was never told to do it on his second. This was nearly 10 years ago and he still cant do it. He got lucky.
I know America's big and it has wide roads etc but thats not what im getting it, its the fact the parallel parked cars are straight, very close to the pavement and closer together in general than over here. It looks very organised, like the were picked up and put there.
So its reasonable to assume every American licence holder can do that? HOLY GOD ,NO ! we give licenses to every swinging penis and labia going , If they came from a state or country where they were licensed ,CAN NOT DRIVE OR PARK ! just a rubber stamp on their way to the welfare office ! I know America's big and it has wide roads etc but thats not what im getting it, its the fact the parallel parked cars are straight, very close to the pavement and closer together in general than over here. It looks very organised, like the were picked up and put there.
Its funny you say this - as my cousin who is by his own admission quite a rubbish driver generally is actually excellent at parallel parking. He very much views cars as an a to b tool (like other Americans I have met)...
Some possible reasons why he is good:
1. He lived in both New York and Chicago, always parallel parking and the spaces he would fit in (he drove a Honda Civic) were very tight. I think one time I measured and it was inches on either side (though I am sure he might have touched!). So partly a case of havign to get used to it.
2. In certain states (might be across all?) its against the law to park against the flow of traffic... this is not something we enforce in England but makes so much sense. There are some people I know who just cannot park on the 'wrong' side and I wonder why they bother trying...
3. Finally one last observation - he lived over here for a while and I noticed if we were out and about and someone on his street was struggling to park he would guide them in. It takes some getting used to (a stranger randomly helong out!) but again makes sense...
I've never seen anyone help a stranger in England in this manner but he assures me its quite common in the US cities he has lived in.
(I guess we would be too polite / paranoid over here?)
Could the above three help explain it??
Some possible reasons why he is good:
1. He lived in both New York and Chicago, always parallel parking and the spaces he would fit in (he drove a Honda Civic) were very tight. I think one time I measured and it was inches on either side (though I am sure he might have touched!). So partly a case of havign to get used to it.
2. In certain states (might be across all?) its against the law to park against the flow of traffic... this is not something we enforce in England but makes so much sense. There are some people I know who just cannot park on the 'wrong' side and I wonder why they bother trying...
3. Finally one last observation - he lived over here for a while and I noticed if we were out and about and someone on his street was struggling to park he would guide them in. It takes some getting used to (a stranger randomly helong out!) but again makes sense...
I've never seen anyone help a stranger in England in this manner but he assures me its quite common in the US cities he has lived in.
(I guess we would be too polite / paranoid over here?)
Could the above three help explain it??
Edited by Rakoosh on Tuesday 29th November 14:06
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