Taking the "parallel parking" test, getting a driver's license is not easy

With the addition of the "side-by-side" test, the passing rate at driving training centers has decreased compared to before.

However, both learners and representatives of driving training centers believe that adding this new test content is necessary.

“Parallel parking” causes the rate of failure to increase dramatically

On April 22, for the first time, the People's Police Academy Driving Test Center (Ministry of Public Security) organizeddriving testunder the new program.

Parallel parking is the test that causes many candidates to lose points (In the photo: a female candidate appears quite nervous while doing the parallel parking test)

One of 252 students participating in the courseB2 test, Mr. Le Hong Diep in Cau Giay (Hanoi) entered the driving test with a rather nervous mood. In the first tests, Mr. Diep showed confidence when passing the tests of starting, going uphill, crossing the wheel track, parallel parking... Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but when it came toparallel parking testThe accident happened. Because the car stopped in the wrong position, when reversing into the shape, the wheel got stuck on the line. He moved forward and then reversed to adjust the car into the shape but Mr. Diep struggled for a long time but could not do it.

Because the car stalled and the wheel was on the line for too long, the system signaled "revocation of testing privilege".

Leaving the testing ground in a sad mood, Mr. Diep confided: “The hardest part of this test is to calculate the angle and determine the landmarks to back into the shape. Knowing that the content is new, I also studied quite carefully, but when I took the test, I was still nervous and did not steer properly, letting the wheel hit the line twice, leading to losing composure, prolonging the time and failing.”

Similar to Mr. Diep, many students taking the B2 license test at the People's Police Academy Driving Test Center on the morning of April 22 also failed the "side-by-side parking" test. According to the results of the Examination Council, as of 10:00 a.m. on April 22, out of a total of 82 people taking the B2 license test, 14 people lost points in this test, of which 8 people directly failed the "side-by-side parking" test. The difficulty of this test caused the passing rate to only reach nearly 66%, a very low rate, because previous testing courses at this center usually reached 75 - 80%.

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Vehicle and Driver Management (Vietnam Road Administration) said: “Most of the cases of losing points in the “parallel parking” test are due to the error of pressing the line and exceeding the test time. According to regulations, cases of pressing the line in this test will be deducted 5 points and for every 5 seconds that the vehicle has not left the line, another 5 points will be deducted. If the wheel is left on the line without moving, the score will be deducted continuously. In fact, many students have had up to 10 points deducted for the error of pressing the line.”

Regarding the “side-by-side parking” test, Mr. Tuan said that the difficulty level was equivalent to the “stopping and starting uphill” and “longitudinal parking” tests. Since the testing program had an additional test, the failure rate increased, which is understandable.

Similarly, in the first new content test at Dong Do Driving Test Center (Bac Ninh) held on April 23, the percentage of candidates passing the "side-by-side parking" test was only 65%, causing the passing rate in the B2 driving test to only reach over 69%, while previously this rate was always at 75 - 84%.

Mr. Tong Ngoc Dong, Head of the Vehicle and Driver Management Department (Bac Ninh Department of Transport) confirmed: “The lower passing rate is due to the addition of the “parallel parking” test. Having an additional test increases the factor that causes candidates to lose points, which means an increase in the failure rate. In addition, it is also possible that the teachers’ experience in teaching this content is not much, so this rate reflects reality.”

How to pass the "parallel parking" test?

As someone who just passed the driving test and did not lose points in the "parallel parking" content at the People's Police Academy testing ground, Mr. Hoang Van Dang, 47 years old, in Lang Son shared his experience: "To pass this test, you need to firmly grasp and remember the instructions that the teacher has conveyed. Besides, to ensure mastery of the skills, you need to ensure practice time for this content from one to two sessions at the testing ground."

Ms. Dao Hai Yen on Hang Bong Street (Hanoi) who took the test at Dong Do Driving Test Center also said: "To pass the test, the most important thing is to park in the right position, park the car parallel to the curb. When reversing into the shape, you need to pay attention to both rearview mirrors, and control the clutch pedal to adjust the car as desired."

Parallel parking is the test that caused many candidates to lose points on the April 22 test day at the People's Police Academy Driving Test Center.

Mr. Than Van Hanh, Deputy Director in charge of training at Dong Do Training and Testing Center (Bac Ninh) said: "To do well in the "parallel parking" test, you must first be calm and park in the right position. If the candidate parks in the wrong position, correcting the mistake in the "parallel parking" test will be very difficult and often makes the candidate lose his composure, leading to incorrect instructions."

According to Mr. Hanh, this test is different from the "longitudinal parking" test (reversing the parking space) where you can turn the steering wheel to the right or left to adjust, but with the "horizontal parking" test, you can only turn the steering wheel to the right, return the steering wheel and look at the image. Before reversing the car into the image, the candidate must park in the correct position. When reversing, they must observe the two rearview mirrors to make the appropriate steering movements.

Mr. Le Quang Dung, Head of the driving test yard of the People's Police Academy Driving Test Center, shared that to achieve proficiency in the parallel parking test, one must ensure the number of "flight hours".

When taking the test, you must observe both mirrors to check the car's exterior (body) before reversing into the image and must feel the driver's position. Regarding the parking position before reversing into the image, you must ensure a reasonable distance from the curb. If you master the skills, this test is even easier than "parallel parking" because you only have to align one side.

According to VOV