Death By Parking

According to the National Safety Council, roughly one out of every five auto accidents occurs in a parking lot or parking garage. Such collisions result in an average of 60,000 injuries each year, as well as 500 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage.

The underlying cause of this scenario seems to be inattention. Simply put, as drivers focus on finding a space, they pay less attention to the cars and pedestrians around them. Moreover, many drivers feel safer in parking lots – traffic moves more slowly, and often in a uniform direction – leading them to become more lax about multitasking.

“People have their heads down,” said the president of the National Safety Council. “They’re on their phones whether they’re behind the wheel or whether they are pedestrians. There’s just a lot of inattention out there.”

The greatest danger is a false sense of security

Indeed, the statistics are staggering. A recently conducted survey revealed that two-thirds of drivers were comfortable talking on their phones while in a parking lot, and about half of all drivers would text, email, scan social media, or watch online videos. Grooming-while-parking also figured as a common (and commonly hazardous) behavior.

Given such activity, it is no surprise that 50,000 parking lot accidents take place in the average year. The best cases lead to minor headaches. A fender bender or a side-swipe might require little more than an insurance claim and the hassle of dealing with repairs. But it’s clear that thousands of Americans face more substantive problems, and must turn to qualified attorneys who can help them obtain compensation for medical bills and related expenses.

Staying safe may require technological intervention…or just attention

As people become more distracted, cars themselves are getting safer and smarter. With this in mind, the National Safety Council advises drivers to make use of technological innovations that can alert drivers to when they are about to collide with another object.

But it’s apparent that the greatest means of reducing risk in parking lots is to pay attention to one’s surroundings, rather than to one’s phone.