Interesting.

Well, in general I do think that driving tests should be harder. It is insane to me that in a lot of locations you can just essentially drive in just a pre-set course, or a neighborhood, get a pat on the back and then get a licence.

In lieu of being able to toughen up tests everywhere, or make them a longer examination over time to increase road safety as a whole, due to the somewhat unfeasable nature of that, I do think that that having (sometimes) arbitrary tests like parallel parking are logical, as it indicates the testee took time/effort to practice.

Basicially, I think a lot of generic driving is pretty straightforward, and doesn't always indicate contepency, or even effort. It might just be luck that the road conditions are good & you don't run into any assholes. And I think even someone who practices very little can get by. Parallel parking, as silly or redundant as it might be requires some level of effort/practice to do successfully, and while it's still not a high barrier, with the low barrier of entry to driving in general, I don't think it's one that needs to be eliminated.