You know you need to stay alert on the road, but what happens when you’re in a parking lot? Many drivers inadvertently let their guard down when searching for a parking space. In stressful times, such as during holiday shopping, parking lot etiquette and even parking lot safety are cast aside. The low speeds can make a parking lot seem safer than the open road, but accidents happen frequently in parking lots and garages.
Keep yourself, other drivers, and pedestrians safe when you’re in a parking facility by following these 12 tips for parking lot safety.
Common Parking Lot Accidents and How to Avoid Them
Don’t let slower parking lot speeds make you dismiss parking lot safety. Although parking lot accidents typically cause less damage than those occurring on the open road, the resulting injuries and property damage are still very real. Parking safety helps prevent common injuries, such as whiplash and broken bones, as well as auto body damage.
Did you know that one out of every five car accidents occurs in a parking lot? That works out to around 50,000 parking lot accidents a year, resulting in over 60,000 injuries and more than 500 deaths annually!
Common parking lot accidents include:
- Rear-end collisions while backing out: Often caused by poor visibility or distracted driving.
- Scrapes from tight turns: Especially near walls, pillars, or other parked cars.
- Door dings: From opening car doors too quickly or from someone parked too close.
- Accidents caused by poor visibility: Think dark corners, bad weather, or oversized vehicles blocking your view.
Prevent fender benders and avoid car damage in a parking lot
Parking lot safety is all about remaining alert and following simple precautions:
- Stick to marked lanes
- Drive slowly
- Avoid distractions like texting or programming your GPS
- Choose well-lit areas whenever possible
Practicing good parking lot etiquette — parking between the lines, using turn signals, keeping your temper under control, and checking your surroundings before backing out — can help you prevent fender benders and avoid accidents altogether.
Our simple parking tips will show you not just how to avoid car damage in a parking lot but also how to stay safe.
1. Stay Off Technology
Safe driving in general, and parking lot safety specifically, requires a more mindful approach to technology use.
It’s easy to get distracted by technology like your phone, GPS, or infotainment system when you’re driving through a parking lot, but this causes you to lose focus on the area around you. Instead, pull into a parking space and put the car in “Park” before you set your route to your next destination, text to let a friend know you’re on your way, or get your favorite songs playing. This reduces distractions and allows you to pay more attention to what’s going on around you..
2. Pick a Well-Lit Area
Good lighting is essential to parking lot safety. When parking at night or in the evening, choosing a well-lit parking area helps avoid car theft and vandalism.
Lots of light from a streetlight or parking lot lamps also makes it easier to see and navigate any objects or hazards around your car.
3. Lock Your Car
Locking your car is a simple parking tip that helps prevent theft when you’re parked in a lot. Take the time to roll up your windows and check that you have your keys before walking away from your vehicle.
Locking the doors while you set up your technology also helps keep you safe from potential car thieves or other criminals.
4. Look Both Ways
You know you need to look both ways before crossing a road as a pedestrian. You want to look in every direction when you’re in the driver’s seat in a parking lot. Many parking lots have intersections without stop signs or crosswalks. Frustrated drivers, distracted pedestrians, and loose shopping carts mean you need to be on high alert as you navigate the lot.
5. Stay in the Lanes
Parking lot safety requires all drivers to abide by the rules. Use the aisles of the parking lot or garage to navigate to your preferred parking space. Don’t cut across lanes or through spaces to shorten the drive. It’s much more difficult for other drivers or pedestrians to know where you’re going if you don’t stay in the driving area.
If both you and another driver are cutting lanes, your risk of an accident increases. If both of you are looking the wrong way and going against the traffic lanes, you could end up colliding. Staying in the designated driving aisles reduces the risk of an accident or fender bender and keeps you safe.
6. Check For Hazards Before Backing Out
Before leaving your space, check your surroundings for low obstacles, such as shopping carts, curbs, or debris. Use your mirrors or backup camera to be sure the area is clear before backing out.
7. Pull Through if Possible
Backing out of a parking spot is the riskiest action drivers must take in parking lots. It leaves you with blind spots that make it difficult to see pedestrians or other cars. When possible, pull through the spot in front of you when parking to avoid the need to back up when you leave. It’s a good parking lot safety tip, so long as you make sure the coast is clear and you’re not surprising another driver in that aisle.
8. Keep Valuables Out of Sight
Place valuables or items likely to be stolen from your vehicle in an unseen area of your vehicle. Your trunk is the perfect place to store large items or valuables if you have a sedan. SUV, van, or pickup-truck drivers may want to use under-seat storage or invest in dark-colored blankets that match the interior of their vehicle. You can use the blankets to cover your valuables when you leave your car in the parking lot. But it’s safest to remove anything you don’t want to lose or get your window broken over.
9. Watch Out for Pedestrians
Parking lots are often full of people walking on the road as they make their way to and from their cars. With so many distracted pedestrians walking in all directions, it’s more important than usual to pay attention to people in the roadway.
Follow defensive driving tactics to help you stay alert and on the lookout for pedestrians who aren’t paying attention. Many people are looking at their phones, listening to music through headphones, or dealing with young children when they’re in a parking lot. They may not be paying attention to cars, so you need to be extra careful to avoid them.
10. Slow Down
Of course, you slow down a lot when you leave the road and enter a parking facility, but parking lot safety often requires you to go even slower. Pedestrians, shopping carts, distracted drivers, and unpredictable vehicles can appear suddenly. After entering the parking lot, consider tapping the brakes or taking your foot off the gas again to reduce your speed even more.
11. Obey Traffic Signs
Stop signs, yield signs, and directional arrows are vital to parking lot safety. They’re there to make the flow of traffic safer for drivers and pedestrians alike. Watch out for road signs in the parking lot and follow their directions. Not only will you help keep the parking lot traffic moving, but you’ll be less likely to be involved in an accident.
12. Know What to Do in an Accident
No matter how well you follow directions, watch for other cars, or pay attention in the parking lot, there’s always a chance you’ll be in an accident. Make sure you know what to do in a parking lot accident before you have to deal with the stress of a collision.
Our top 12 parking lot safety tips go beyond careful driving. Following the rules helps other drivers know what to expect from you, which helps to keep everyone safer.
Is It Illegal to Cut Across Parking Lots?
If you observe parking lot safety, can you cut through the parking lots to avoid the lights? It may be tempting, but you need to resist.
Cutting across a parking lot usually means entering from one road and exiting onto another without stopping to park or visit a business. Many drivers cut through a parking lot to avoid a red light, but that shortcut is not as harmless as it seems. Visibility is often limited in parking lots, and other drivers don’t expect through traffic. Cutting through often violates basic parking lot driving rules, potentially puts pedestrians at risk, and compromises overall parking lot safety.
But is it illegal to cut across parking lots? It depends on where you’re driving. Many cities and states explicitly prohibit it, while others penalize it only when it causes a safety risk.
Parking Garage Safety: Tips for Enclosed & Multi-Level Structures
Our parking lot safety tips apply even to multi-level parking garages. However, the garages’ dim lighting, tight turns, and limited visibility make driving in multi-level parking garages more challenging than open lots. These parking garage safety tips can help you avoid accidents and other unsafe situations.
- Use your headlights in dimly lit garages, even in daytime.
- Tap your horn lightly when approaching blind corners or ramps to alert oncoming vehicles.
- Park in well-lit areas near the exit or entrance when possible. Safe parking at night starts with maximizing visibility.
- Avoid parking next to oversized vehicles, like vans or trucks, which can block your view of people and other cars moving nearby.
- Choose the safest-looking route to your destination. If you must take the elevator or stairs, take the one that’s best lit and most visible.
- If emergency call buttons are available, usually near stairwells or elevators in airports, hospitals, and medical centers, take note of their location before leaving your car.
Even at low speeds, parking lot accidents can cause injury and significant damage, making parking lot safety essential. For added protection in the event of a parking lot accident, check that your car insurance is up to date and contact a friendly Wawanesa agent to review your coverage to ensure you’re fully protected.
