Protecting Your Car From Parking Lot Accidents

You’ve just finished some Holiday shopping at the mall, and are backing out of the parking space with your next destination already fresh in your mind. Bam! Another driver smacks into your car’s right rear quarter panel, jolting you back to reality. What happened? According to the National Safety Council (NSC), one-in-five car accidents every year take place in parking lots or parking garages. Over 60,000 people are injured in those mishaps, many of them pedestrians, and 500 people die as a result. But why are parking lot accidents so common, and what can we all do to avoid them? Here’s what auto insurance industry experts have to say.  

Parking Lot Accident Causes

When backing out of a parking space, are you also talking on the phone? Are you singing along with the radio while pulling into a spot? Distracted drivers, like in most other driving situations, are the number one cause of parking lot mishaps. Other reasons why parking lots are unusually hazardous include:

• Presence of pedestrians, notably at night
• Drivers going too fast
• Poor field-of-vision due to parked vehicles
• Bad lighting and drivers not using their headlights
• Piles of scooped snow in the wintertime  
• Impaired drivers or pedestrians due to alcohol or drugs

All drivers probably experience at least some, if not all, of these accident-contributing factors. Now let’s investigate how we can make parking lots a safer place to be.

Slow Down and Be Extra Cautious

Although it’s simply common sense, many drivers don’t take the necessary precautions when driving in parking lots, starting with slowing down. You should drive at school-zone speeds while operating a vehicle in any parking area, including garages, and take a few extra seconds checking all your mirrors, backup camera, and blind spots before backing out of a space. That’s all notably important to avoid hitting a young child who may have wandered behind your car. And finally, turn on your headlights even during daylight hours.

Embrace Your Vehicle’s Safety Technology

Newer cars and trucks have some amazing onboard safety technology to assist drivers. What better place to put these innovative features to work than in a crowded parking lot? To avoid runaway shopping carts, running children and other vehicles, use these onboard systems to guide you:

• Rearview backup camera
• Radar and ultrasonic warnings that beep when an object is detected
• Cross traffic alert sensors that trigger warnings, or even apply the brakes automatically, when another vehicle is approaching or too close

Parking Lot Logistics

How many times have you driven around a lot for several minutes and the only open spot is next to someone who parked crooked? You know how frustrating that can be, along with the fact there could be a fresh ding adorning your door when you return from shopping. Don’t be that inconsiderate driver. Pull straight into parking spaces, while centering your vehicle between the yellow lines. In addition to that form of parking courtesy, use these lot logistic tips to protect you and your vehicle:

• Look for a pull-through spot, so you won’t have to back out later
• Park far away from other vehicles if possible. Walking is good for you anyway, and it’ll reduce the odds of your car getting hit by another driver, or dinged by a stray door. But on the flipside, as a pedestrian watch for drivers who aren’t watching for you.
• Keep an eye out for stray carts, especially on windy days. They can do several hundred dollars of body damage to your car if they get a good rolling start.

Find Reliable Parking Lot Accident Repairs Nearby

Even when taking all these parking lot accident precautions, mishaps happen. If you’re involved in one, take your vehicle right away to one of the 19,000+ auto body and glass repair shops featured in the nationwide Carwise referral network. Technicians there have the equipment, know-how and experience to restore your damaged vehicle like new again promptly and reliably.

Search your zip code now for a customer-reviewed auto body or glass repair shop nearby: www.carwise.com.