Parallel parking returns to DC driving skills test

Parallel parking has returned to the D.C. DMV’s driving skills test.

The first D.C. road test to include parallel parking since 2009 was administered on May 18, the DMV announced in a newsletter Friday.

“It is an important skill to learn and does require practice,” the city’s DMV said of the decision to test drivers on parallel parking.

The skill was cut from the test in 2009 due, in part, to a lack of space. Earlier this year, a new DMV facility opened at the Deanwood Center in Northeast. The new location now has space for parallel parking tests.

New drivers, or those whose licenses have expired more than a year and a half ago, are required to take the test.

Vance Gootman, a junior at School Without Walls, was the first person to take the test with the new guidelines. He passed, according to the DMV.

Julie Gallagher

Julie Gallagher is a freelance digital writer and editor for WTOP.com. She previously covered the 2020 election with CNN and has bylines in The Lily, WIRED, NBC Washington, The Baltimore Sun, Washington City Paper and more.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up