Drivers don’t normally think of parking lots and garages as risky places for car accidents, but maybe we should.
Each year, thousands of people are injured and hundreds are killed in motor vehicle crashes that take place in parking lots and parking garages. In Wilmington, data on parking lot accidents did not appear to be readily available. However, with the city’s many malls and shopping centers — especially in the busy River District — the risk for a parking lot accident that results in injury is high. Car crashes aren’t the only injury-causing accidents that occur in parking lots. Slip and falls are common, too. Oftentimes when people slip on ice, stumble after stepping in a deep pothole, or get tripped up by debris, it’s because the store/property owner or manager failed to meet their “duty of care” to keep the premises reasonably safe from hazards. The winter holidays are a particularly risky time to be in parking lots. The number of reported accidents typically spikes on Black Friday and remains at an above-average rate through the New Year, according to the National Safety Council. The NSC recently conducted a driver survey to learn more about motorists’ attitudes and actions in parking lots. What they learned is that distracted driving may be a major contributor.Parking Lots and Distracted Driving
>The NSC opinion poll says people are comfortable with distracted driving in parking lots. Here are some of the things people admit to doing while driving in a parking lot:
When parking lot accidents happen, it is important to treat them with the same seriousness you would any other crash. By law, any accident that causes bodily injury or property damage over $1,000 must be reported to the police.
