When you consider driving hazards, parking lots might not be the first setting that you think of. However, every year, thousands of parking lot accidents happen that lead to injuries and even death, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). It would be best if you were especially careful this time of year, like the grocery store and mall parking lots see an increase in vehicle traffic. To help you stay safe, we're looking at how parking lots tend to happen to begin with and what you can do to stop.
- Distracted driving is higher in parking lots than on regular roads and highways. Drivers tend to think it's safe to make a phone call, adjust their GPS, change their tune, text, set alerts/reminders, check emails, browse social media, and do whatever when driving in the parking lot. That is not the case! Please do not start doing these things unless your car is parked safely.
- Confusion is another widespread reason why parking lot accidents happen. Who has the right of way? Is it the driver in the traffic path or the person backing out? The answer is usually never the individual backing out. The motorist leaving a parking spot has full responsibility to check their surroundings before entering traffic flow.
- Obscured visibility is quite common in parking lots, with other parked cars blocking your view of traffic. Please be sure to turn your head and make wise judgments before very slowly backing out.
- Just because there aren't visible speed limit signs in a parking lot doesn't mean that you can speed. In most cases, moving at a rate of 20 miles per hour shouldn't be a huge problem. But you will need to adjust your speed if lots of pedestrians and cars are pulling out in front of you. You should try to aim to stay below 15 miles per hour at all times.
As you can probably suspect, limiting distractions, driving slowly, and being cautious of other drivers, pedestrians, and obstacles are the best ways to lower your chances of being involved in a parking lot car accident.
For helpful tips and reliable auto services, you can count on the experts at Autoworks of Issaquah. You can call us today at (425) 270-8911 or request an appointment online for all your general maintenance and repair needs.