News flash -- starting soon, anyone who wants the privilege of holding a Maryland driver's license will have to demonstrate that he or she is, in fact, capable of driving on the streets and highways of Maryland.
This change in policy will apply to first-time drivers as well as foreigners and others currently required to take an off-road test to obtain a state license. (People who hold licenses from other states and Canada are exempted.)
Some of us might have assumed that such a thing was already required. When I obtained my license in a different state many years ago, I was certainly expected to navigate real city streets, featuring real cars, real road signs and real pedestrians, at least for a few minutes.
Full disclosure: I am the father of a 15-year-old who will become eligible for a learner's permit in six months. Before she is loosed on an unsuspecting public, I want her to be able to do more than take a few turns around a test course and parallel park a couple of times. You should too.
The MVA is a much-maligned agency, often for good reasons. But it got this one right.