Parking Lot Incidents

I was involved in such an incident once. I was blocked waiting to get into a space when a car backed into my door, resulting in a cost of repair exceeding $1,000! Another time, I backed into a telephone pole which was right in the middle of the fair grounds lot. A new bumper was entirely at my expense.

There are ways to reduce your risk of parking lot accidents. Remember that most shoppers are in a hurry. They seldom give right-of-way to pedestrians or other drivers. At grocery stores and at shopping malls, late afternoons and weekends are the busiest, so I try to shop during off-peak hours.

I like to find a parking space that permits driving forward when leaving. Backing out of a space puts me at risk. Pedestrians and other vehicles may be moving slowly, but can still surprise me as I am backing up. Any vehicle, especially the very popular minivans and sports utility vehicles, may create an obstacle to clear view as you are backing out of a space. Often, it is hard to see around them, even with twisting and turning and using the rear-view mirror. And some drivers who are trying to reach a prime parking spot may be traveling quite fast in the lot and may not notice me backing out.

I try to make eye contact with those who are in my path as a good way to avoid conflict. I often use hand signals to indicate my intentions, even when just pushing a shopping cart. I never assume that a driver will or can see me and I never assume that a driver will automatically give me, the pedestrian, the right of way.

Fletch Safety Tip #6:

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