Numerous people drive or walk in a parking lot daily, however we typically let down our guard and overlook the threats that we deal with when doing so. Surprisingly, one in 5 vehicle mishaps in the United States take place in car park lots.

Frequently drivers and pedestrians are distracted in parking lots, with eyes increasingly on cell phones or attention where one is headed, and this lack of focus increases our threat of collision and injury. Below are security suggestions for both pedestrian and drivers to follow when in a car park:

Pedestrian safety in parking lots:

– Beware and mindful of your environments when walking in a parking area, and put your mobile phone away to avoid distraction.

– Do not presume that drivers can see you when you can see them. In a lot of cases, the pedestrian sees and hears an automobile prior to a driver can see the pedestrian due to blind areas in cars.

– Treat the parking area like a street. Look both methods before. crossing, use crosswalks, and use pathways whenever possible.

– Walk down the parking lots aisles and not in-between vehicles. when walking to and from your car.

– Attempt to prevent locations where it would be hard for a motorist to see you,. for     example in packing dock areas. Try to stroll in groups when in. a car park, which is more visible to drivers.

– Avoid a slip/fall injury by preventing stepping on painted lines in wet weather. Also, use proper footwear to offer adequate traction in winter damp weather.

Driver Safety in parking lot:

– When looking for a location to stop, it is typically safer to park even farther away where there is less pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

– Whenever possible, prevent moving in reverse and pull all the way through the parking  space. If you can not, now is the time to back into the space.

– Motorists of motorbikes and bikes are to follow the very same traffic rules as cars.

– Decrease! The speed limit is 10 miles per hour in the parking lots. Any faster speed may result in a fatal injury to a pedestrian.

– Reduce speeds in bad weather. In wet weather condition, vehicles have a greater possibility of skidding.

– Turning off the radio and opening your windows can be helpful to hear sounds that can assist you prevent a crash.

– Keep your mobile phone out of sight and out of hand to prevent distraction. 25% of crashes in parking lots happen when a driver is moving in reverse?

Prevent Backing:
Drivers are limited in their ability to see and react to risks when moving in reverse. Ideally, avoid backing out of an area by pulling through when parking. When a pull-through area is not an option, back into a space when parking.  At this time you have better control and view of the area. If you must revoke a parking area, walk around the car prior to getting within, split the window and tap the horn. before moving gradually in reverse, keeping your eyes focused for moving vehicles or pedestrians close by.

Parking Garages:
Parking garages are typically more difficult to drive and walk through safely due to minimal clearance and visibility. One must have additional care in a parking garage.

Parking areas are fraught with factors that make them danger zones: the presence of pedestrians; the relaxed attitudes of drivers who no longer are in traffic; blind spots and reduced sightlines because of parked vehicles; delivery trucks; more frequent turning; and, of course, distracted drivers and pedestrians.

The National Safety Council polled nearly 2,500 drivers about their attitudes toward distracted driving. Of those, 67 percent of adult drivers said they felt at risk from other drivers who are distracted by technology, and 25 percent said they put themselves or others at risk because of their own use of technology while driving.

But for every variety of distraction – phone calls, texting, grooming, use of social media, etc. – both groups showed a much higher likelihood of technology use in parking lots than on the highway or surface streets. Simply put, people feel as though they can let their guards down in parking lots.

“Parking lots are an afterthought to a lot of people,” said James A. Solomon, director of Defensive Driving Program Development and Training at NSC.

They also are part of the employer’s premises, according to OSHA, and thus part of the employer’s establishment for recordable purposes. If an employee has a recordable injury during work hours in the company parking area – whether driving, exiting or entering a vehicle or walking – the incident is considered work-related.  CWP

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