Besides the previously mentioned stand-up comedians reason, here is the answer from The Straight Dope website:

Let's get one thing cleared up right off the bat: you can drive on the driveway. Indeed, if you'll permit me to wax philosophical for a moment, this is the very essence of drivewayness--to enable you to drive from the street to your garage. Moreover, you can park on the parkway, if you're willing to risk the wrath of the law. I don't know that this clarifies things much, but it seemed like a point worth making.

I think the crux of the issue, however--I love using words like crux--is the dual meaning of "park."

Park in the sense of tended greenery and park in the sense of stowing your vehicle, though deriving from the same root, diverged in meaning long ago. In Old French, a parc was an enclosure. To this day a military park means an area where vehicles are stored and serviced. As early as 1812 there was a verb "to park," meaning to store one's howitzers in a military park. This carried over to carriages and ultimately to any sort of vehicle.

Our notion of landscaped parks, meanwhile, derives from the medieval practice of enclosing game preserves for the use of the aristocracy. The term was later applied to the grounds around a country estate, then to royal parks in London to which the proles were grudgingly admitted, and finally to any landscaped public grounds. The idea of enclosure is still evident in expressions like "ball park," for an enclosed playing field. Any more questions, smart stuff?


Here is their website

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_080.html

The driveway was actually ment for driving for its design. Driveways were first designed to drive by or breeze through the way when driving. Of course, the parking was added in this later in time.

Why are you Screaming in all CAPS?

Parking in your drive way is an efficient utilization of garage space for something other than car storage. In California heavy traffic often makes "parkway" an apt description.

Ever since that whole Renaissance thing we've just had trouble getting both cylinders to fire! Send linguists, mechanics, and love!

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+5

Why are apartments called such when they are so close together? The world may never know.

Lack of common sense w/ someone.

Let's examine this logicially. First let's define the words.

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PARKWAY: Dictionary Entry and Meaning

Definition: [n] a wide scenic road planted with trees

So a parkway is a road planted with trees to resemble a park-like setting.

You drive along the parkway to view the scenery.

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DRIVEWAY: Dictionary Entry and Meaning

Definition: [n] a road leading up to a private house

A driveway is a road leading up to a private house.

So if you don't stop the car and park it you'll hit the house.

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Hence, we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway.

I hope this explains it for you.

Definitions came from this site: http://www.hyperdictionary.com/

Plenty of answers are provided here: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/7027