Part 2
Drivers Beware
Park away from the busy areas. Most drivers crowd into the spaces closest to store entrances, leaving other sections of parking lots virtually empty.
Parking can be really tight, leading to damage just from opening the door, damage to your car, or theirs. And let’s face it, it is pretty tough to see around two huge SUVs, or hard to back up when there is a very long car behind you.
Your vehicle is much less likely to be knicked or dinged, and you will have better visibility all around if you take a spot in a little-used section.
Parking away from other vehicles is particularly important in post office, convenience store and dry cleaner parking lots. Vehicle turnover is very rapid in these lots, with people in a hurrry, and all that extra activity increases the odds of an accident.
Always concentrate on your driving, not on your list of chores, and look where you are going. Distracted driving is responsible for many parking lot accidents. In looking for an open spot in the next row, we lose focus.
Or someone is walking by, and in an effort to avoid them, we might hit a car or shopping trolley.
Any momentary distraction is all it takes for someone to step or pull in front of us in a crowded parking lot. If your car is moving forward, your eyes must be looking forward, not from side to side.
Again, parking in the least crowded area of the car park will help. If you don’t have a choice, park further away from the stores, and use your peripheral vision to locate open parking spaces.
Beware of rain or cold weather. Completely clear fogged or snow-covered windows and windshields are a hazard. There is a tendency to rush out of parking lots, but driving with partially blocked windows and/or windshields greatly increases the odds of having a crash.
Always carry water with you in the car in the winter, keep your windscreen wash well full, and make sure you put a little drop of antifreeze in it in the winter. Even spray up from the road can be blinding, especially in sunlight. Keep that windscreen clear at all times.
