Q: I agree with more time behind the wheel in order to take a driver's test. But what about the state's archaic road test. Why is being able to parallel park so important that it can cause a failure ...

For some, the dreaded parallel park — squeezing into a 19- by 9-foot parking space with traffic waiting behind you — can make you sweat bullets. But now, you'll need that skill to pass the D.C.

If you've been driving for long enough, and particularly if you've had the same car for a long time, you develop a keen instinct for which parking spots will be too much of a squeeze. Parallel parking ...