NJ has some of the worst parallel parkers in the country

Parallel parking is the bane of our existence. It’s one of the most difficult things to master.

When I first received my driver's license I remember I would drive around the block 17 times just to avoid having to parallel park.

Parallel parking remains one of the biggest challenges to any driver, even the most experienced. And of course, it’s the thing that most commonly trips up new drivers taking their road tests.

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But in New Jersey, there’s no escaping it. We all have to do it from time to time unless you’re okay with driving around like a maniac and walking miles just to avoid it.

So, why are we still so bad at it, even on our busy roadways? Turns out, New Jersey drivers are some of the worst parallel parkers in the country. Only five states have drivers who are worse at it than we are. How embarrassing is that?

It’s one of those anxiety-inducing maneuvers, and apparently, thousands of people worldwide search for tips on how to parallel park every single day.

A new report by Compare the Market AU looked at Google search data related to ‘parallel parking’ in the U.S. and found out which states are still struggling to master this skill.

They used keyword tools to analyze search data across Europe, the U.S., and Australia, focusing on searches for parallel parking per capita.

They looked at the average monthly search volume for each car model in each country between July 2023 and June 2024.

And guess what? New Jersey ranks among the top states that struggle the most with parallel parking. Here are the states with the most searches per 1,000 people:

— Massachusetts: 1.38 per 1,000 people.

— New York: 1.1 per 1,000 people.

— Vermont: 1.07 per 1,000 people.

— Hawaii: 1.04 per 1,000 people.

— Alaska: 1.01 per 1,000 people.

— New Jersey: 0.93 per 1,000 people.

— Delaware: 0.89 per 1,000 people.

— North Dakota: 0.86 per 1,000 people.

— Maine: 0.85 per 1,000 people.

— Minnesota: 0.84 per 1,000 people.

You know how they say practice makes perfect? Well, it’s pretty clear that no matter how much we practice parallel parking, some of us just can’t seem to nail it.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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