A survey conducted for a group called Easytrip in Ireland has revealed that 45 percent of Irish drivers will pass up a parking spot if it requires them to parallel park. Breakingnews.ie reports the statistic, that isn’t so much surprising as it is pathetic. Parallel parking seems like a skill that symbolizes competence and maturity, like being able to tie your shoes or bake a cake.
The article further reports that:
74% of us prefer reversing or driving forward into a perpendicular parking space over parking beside a kerb.
Of course, it’s natural to prefer the easier parking method over the more challenging option, so this statistic is easier to accept. My argument is that parallel parking has more than a few advantages to perpendicular. First, you don’t have anybody parked next to you dinging your doors. As long as it can be done without denting your bumpers, you spare yourself some body damage. Second, it’s easier to get in and out of your car with all that room on the sides. And, third, being a proficient parallel parker gives you a wonderful, though superficial, sense of accomplishment that can be hard to come by.
For the rest of the article, click here.
