While roads are synonymous with danger, parking lots may be perceived as comparatively safe spaces: off-road, low speed, low peril. And yet, parking lots account for 20% of all vehicle crashes, and are rife with potential hazards – including pedestrian injuries and even deaths.
Our analysis unpicks the reasons why parking lots represent such a high-risk environment, and digs into the details behind the two primary reasons for so many accidents and deaths: distracted driving and parking lots that are not fit for purpose.
Different Types of Distracted Driving in Parking Lots
Driving a powerful, dangerous vehicle features inherent risk: make a mistake, and an accident can easily happen. And yet, drivers get complacent, and do other things while driving.
As National Safety Council data reveals, the complacency factor in parking lots is particularly high. Here are some of the bad habits adult drivers indulge while driving their cars around parking lots.
- 66% – Make a phone call
- 63% – Program their GPS system
- 56% – Write and send text messages
- 53% – Engage in personal grooming
- 52% – Use social media
- 50% – Send or read emails
- 49% – Take photos or watch videos
There are some interesting generational differences. Study data shows that teen drivers more often (59% of the time) engage in personal grooming while negotiating parking lots; however, teen drivers are less likely (60%) to talk on their phones while driving in parking lots.
Some of this behaviour can be linked to unease: as our data analysis reveals, 48% of drivers find parking lot driving to be stressful. Since the average American driver spends 17 hours a year searching for a parking lot spot, that’s a fair amount of stress.
Stressed, distracted drivers are susceptible to causing accidents – with 50,000 driving accidents occurring every year in parking lots. And those accidents lead to 165 Americans injured daily, and 500 lives lost each year.
Large Parts of Many Cities Are Now Parking Lots
Parking lots tend to cover a lot of space – particularly in cities. On average, inner-city spaces in U.S. cities featuring a population over 1 million people are 22% parking lots.
Our analysis of study data from the Parking Reform Network reveals just how much some cities are composed of parking lots. Here are the ten cities most made up of parking spaces.
- San Bernardino, California (49%)
- San Juan (41%)
- Arlington, Texas (42%)
- Lexington, Kentucky (38%)
- Columbia (37%)
- Wichita, Kansas (35%)
- Virginia Beach (35%)
- Melbourne (35%)
- Worcester (35%)
- Anchorage (34%)
Parking Lot Design Creates Unnecessary Problems
Although study data confirms significant levels of distracted, stressed parking lot driving, compromised driver habits are not the only determining factor. Poor parking lot design and maintenance is also a huge issue.
Common design problems include indistinct and inadequate pavement striping, poor or nonexistent signage, and poor lighting. Other consistently prevalent factors include potholes – which AAA Newsroom figures suggest costs drivers $26.5 billion in repairs each year – cracks and debris, and weather-related hazards like puddles, snow and ice.
All of these factors can lead to accidents and pedestrian injuries, with slips, trips and falls all too common in parking lots – as exemplified by two accident cases at Buc-ee’s parking lots.
74-year-old Stephen Chlebus slipped and fell off a curb at a Florida Buc-ee’s, a fall that led to a $2,500 medical bill. With the case still pending, Chlebus’ lawyer cites the fact that a lack of distinction between the curb and the parking lot caused the accident – and that with better markings, no accident would have occurred.
And court documents in Tennessee suggest that another claimant – Lisa Carrell – is seeking $500,000 damages after tripping over the edge of an indistinct and poorly-placed wheel stop. Should a hefty payout ensue, the lack of adequate parking lot design might well be lamented – and belatedly fixed, at additional cost.
The dangers of the parking lot are further emphasised by our analysis of Nerdy Dad RP case study data, which carefully scrutinizes the many perils of the school parking lot.
For numerous reasons, school parking lots are complex spaces, defined by a busy confluence of vehicles, adults and children. Due to the frenetic combination of different kinds of activity, schools need well designed parking lots. And yet, so often school parking lots leave a lot to be desired, with accidents and injuries the result – 20% of all school-related pedestrian accidents happen in parking lots.
The study pinpoints numerous problems. In many cases, school parking lots don’t feature properly delineated zones that clearly divide pedestrians from traffic.
Crosswalks are also often poorly marked or non-existent, putting children – not necessarily always fully focused on their own safety, and 67% of the time unsupervised – at unnecessary risk as they weave between cars.
At a badly-designed parking lot, there may also be blind spots, poor lighting, inappropriately situated dumpsters, and confusing right of way issues to contend with. Add a distracted, stressed driver to the scenario, and disaster looms.
According to our analysis, reversing cars is a significant problem in such circumstances. 91% of all parking lot collisions are due to cars backing up, with 9% of all pedestrian parking lot deaths due to the same factor.
Some Ways to Improve Parking Lots and Avoid Disaster
There’s plenty of room to improve parking lot driving – and that starts with the driver. Avoiding device distractions would go a long way to bring accident numbers right down. And, as study data has established, driving in parking lots can be stressful. To combat that aspect and regulate their nervous system, there are simple things every driver can do to relieve stress.
From deep breathing and even meditation while stuck in a slow-moving or stationary parking lot queue, to planning ahead and making use of soothing music, there are proven ways to take the edge off a frustrating and claustrophobic driving experience.
When it comes to driving, solving accidents caused by cars backing up would go a long way to improving parking lot safety. And affordable car technology such as parking sensors and reverse cameras significantly reduce car accidents – by 78%, according to study data. Reverse cameras offer a real-time visual of the area to the rear of the vehicle, which covers blind spots and enables precise maneuvers.
Finally, parking lot design can be massively enhanced with just a few simple, effective measures. Providing good, well-placed lighting, a clear and safe distinction between areas, clearly marked lanes, highly visible and clear signage, and well-defined pedestrian crosswalks can be crucial.
As can the introduction of strict traffic direction rules and more protection against potentially dangerous weather. Ultimately, parking lots needn’t be chaotic and dangerous places – with a few key, entirely feasible solutions readily available.
At Levine and Wiss Accident and Injury Attorneys, we’re well used to helping people with parking-lot accident claims. If you’ve suffered an injury in such a situation, get in touch with us today.