Parking lots are surprisingly dangerous places for drivers, with the busiest of lots the scene of frequent accidents. And accidents in parking lots will cause your car insurance rates to rise just as much as will accidents on busy highways or side streets. Fortunately, preventing accidents in a parking lot requires little more than normal safe-driving habits.
As any resident of Lakewood knows, the area’s shopping malls, lifestyle centers and strip malls become busy places on weekends, holidays and after normal working hours. This is good for merchants. It’s not so good for motorists trying to navigate the sometimes confusuing parking lots outside Lakewood shops.
Parking lots are notorious for blind spots. It can be difficult for motorists to get a clear view of their surroundings when their parked car is surrounded by mini-vans and SUVs. Parking lots are also often home to confused pedestrians who can’t remember where they parked. These pedestrians often forget to focus on the other vehicles in the lot as they chat on their cell phones or search fruitlessly for their own cars.
Add to this the generally crowded condition of parking lots throughout Colorado and you a recipe for a high number of fedner benders or worse.
The best method of preventing accidents in a parking lot? First, drive slowly, at all times, when you are navigating a parking lot. Parking lots have many hidden corners from which other motorists can come. Secondly, make sure to back out of any parking space very slowly and cautiously. This way you’ll have enough time to react should a pedestrian or car get too close.
And finally, never talk on your phone while drivnig through a parking lot. You need to be fully aware of your surroundings, and you can’t be that if you’re sharing the highlights of your day with your spouse or sister.