If you’re in a parking lot, it might not seem the most obvious place to have a car accident. After all, you’re presumably not driving very fast. It’s not like you’re out on the highway and cruising along at 70 miles per hour.
However, more accidents happen in parking lots than you might imagine. When they happen, you will need to figure out the culprit. That becomes even more vital if you’re in an at-fault state where the guilty party’s insurance must cover the damages.
Deciding to sue following a parking lot accident might happen if you feel the other driver caused the crash, but they or their insurance company won’t admit it. Whether you have to bring legal action following one of these accidents or not, though, if you know what causes many of these collisions, then you will know how to avoid most of them in the future.
Let’s talk about some of the most frequent causes of parking lot crashes right now.
Teens or New Drivers
There’s a category of individuals who cause a lot of parking lot accidents, and that’s teen drivers. If you have a teen driver in a parking lot, then maybe they only have a learner’s permit, or perhaps they have a license now, but they just got it. They’re probably pretty excited if it’s the latter, but they presumably don’t have very much driving experience yet.
They might not have a good idea of their vehicle’s size. That means they might misjudge their distance from another parked car and collide with it.
Some teens panic if they do this and drive off without leaving a note or waiting for the other vehicle’s driver to arrive so that they can exchange insurance information. Others will leave a note or wait for the other car’s driver if they’re more responsible.
New drivers often cause parking lot accidents as well, even if they’re not necessarily teens. If you got your driver’s license later in life, and you don’t have much time on the road up to this point, it’s more likely you will misjudge your distance from another vehicle in a parking lot and scrape or tap it.
If you’re a teen or a new driver, you will certainly want to keep all this in mind and exercise caution in parking lots.
Individuals Who Let Their Smartphone Distract Them
Many individuals let their smartphone distract them in the car. You probably know that you shouldn’t use your smartphone while you’re driving, but if you’re still in a parking lot, you might feel like it’s fine to send a text message or check your email.
To prevent this from happening, it’s best that you keep your phone in your pocket or turn it off entirely. You might also put it in the glove compartment, the center consol of your vehicle, or anywhere else where you know that it won’t distract you.
Individuals Who Let Their Car’s Navigation System Distract Them
You might also turn on your car’s navigation system when you’re in a parking lot. Many modern vehicles come with navigation systems, and you may choose to turn yours on if you’re in a parking lot and you’re not sure of the best way to get home. You might also turn it on if you’re driving somewhere that you’ve never visited before.
It’s fine to turn on your car’s navigation system, but only if you don’t let it distract you. That’s true in a parking lot, just like anywhere else.
If you turn on your vehicle’s navigation system in the parking lot and you’re looking at when you’re pulling out a space, then you might not see a car that’s crossing behind you until you’ve backed into it. Some vehicles will warn you about crossing traffic behind you, but you might not heed that warning in time. If you have an older car, then you might not get an auditory alert signaling that you’re about to hit something.
Food or Drinks in the Car
Maybe you’re in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. If you just went through the drive through, and you have your food, the smell might entice you to open the bag and to take a bite of your burger or to grab some fries. Maybe you have a drink that you’re trying to sip, even as you’re getting ready to leave the parking lot to get back out on the road.
If you let your food or drink distract you while you’re in the parking lot, that can easily cause an accident. It might happen so suddenly that you feel the impact before you even realize another car’s proximity.
Make sure that doesn’t happen by focusing not on your food or drink, but on the traffic in the parking lot around you.
Drivers Who Put the Car in Drive Instead of Reverse
You might cause a parking lot car accident if you put your vehicle in drive instead of reverse, or in reverse instead of drive. If you do that, then you might hit a parked car or a vehicle passing either in front of you or behind you.
It’s embarrassing when that happens, but it’s a fairly regular occurrence. It mostly happens if you don’t have much prior driving experience, but even a seasoned driver can do it if they’re daydreaming or if they have their mind on something else.
Anyone Having a Spirited Conversation
If you’re in a car with someone in a parking lot, then you might also cause an accident if you start having a spirited conversation with them. Maybe you’re in your vehicle with your spouse or significant other. You start talking and the temperature heats up.
If you’re engaged in a dispute in a car, then it’s natural that you won’t notice the vehicles around you as much. Try to disengage and say that you can discuss the matter later. That might prevent an accident.