Shopping, whether it is for daily personal, family needs or for a special occasion, can be both a pleasurable and painful experience. Cars crowd not only the roads but also parking lots, and drivers that are intent on getting the spots closest to the location can create hazards for everyone.
Parking Lots Can Be A Nightmare
Everyone has at one time or another witnessed the events that can unfold in a parking lot – from the car that attempts to cross from one end of the parking lot to the other by using empty spots, to the car that will not stop using the horn to make others move. Others may have been unfortunate enough to witness a car accident because another driver could not pay attention or stop quickly enough.
Unless shopping is put off until the wee hours of the morning, parking lots are situations that must be dealt with. Follow these tips for safe driving in a parking lot:
- Pay attention! No one is watching the “coolness factor” of other drivers. The parking lot is not a destination – the store is. Also, turn down the music. Heavy thumping bass causes headaches and hearing loss.
- Park between the lines.They are big enough to hold a standard-sized family car or even a bigger SUV or family van. If towing a trailer or driving a motor home, pull to the very end of the lot and park lengthwise between two or three spaces, away from all other cars.
- Drive slowly. Maximum speed in a parking lot should be no greater than 15 miles per hour. It is a parking lot, not a drag-racing course or a freeway. Do not show off for friends by whipping around as fast as possible.
- Don’t ride the bumpers of other cars. This is a parking lot, not bumper cars at the local amusement park.
- Drive in the lanes – not all over the parking lot. Things can happen in an instant in parking lots, and serious accidents and injuries can result.
- Save the handicapped spots. Do not use them just because it is raining, cold out or because someone will not walk with you.
- The “fire lane” is for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Even if what is being driven is big enough to pass as a fire truck, it’s still not a fire truck. If that lane is blocked and there is an emergency in the store, there will be trouble – and tickets for those involved. Note: In the case of transporting someone that is not able to walk very far, the proper procedure is to pull up to the door, turn the hazard lights on, let them out, turn the hazard lights off, and then pull away. Do not block the lane for hours because of laziness.
- Use the horn sparingly. Tap the horn only when absolutely necessary to gain someone’s attention – do not sit there blaring it repeatedly because the person in front of you is not moving. Chances are the person in front of them is not moving either.
- Turn signals are not optional. In complete contrast to the use of the horn, the turn signal is a good tool in a parking lot. Use it to signal if waiting for a spot to open. Use them to signal which way a turn will be made coming out of a lane. In short, just use it. There is no such thing as overuse of a turn signal in a parking lot.
- Do not steal parking spots. If someone has been waiting for a spot by courteously giving the driver room to back up, sitting quietly with their turn signal on, they deserve the spot. Do not wheel into it at the last second.
- Pedestrians have the right of way. As always, pedestrians are more important than the vehicle.
- Drive on the right side. Nothing is more frightening than watching a car barrel towards another straight down the center of the lane.
Make Parking Lots Safe For All
Even if someone else in the parking lot is being completely unsafe, causing drivers to mutter angrily under their breath (or yell out the window), that is not a reason for others to act the same way. Remaining calm and collected, no matter what disaster unfolds, can save time and lives in the end.
Germaine Felder - I am a stay-at-home mom with one wonderful husband and one beautiful son. I have always been interested in writing, both fiction and ...
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