Holiday shopping can be exciting for the whole family. The holiday season brings excitement, joy, and a special feeling that no other time of year can match. However, for many, it can also be the most stressful time of year.
With a significant increase in traffic, over-excited children to distract drivers, and a sea of people all trying to get their shopping done, making your way through a parking lot this holiday season may be quite a challenge.
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that there are over 50,000 parking lot accidents in the U.S. each year, with a vast majority of them taking place during the holiday season.
To ensure that you’re able to enjoy the holiday season, our team here at Snider & Horner has put together some tips to keep yourself and your loved ones safe while traveling through parking lots.
Put Down the Phone
In a public opinion poll from the NSC, 66% of drivers stated that they use their cellphones while driving through parking lots. While it may seem like a parking lot is one of the “safer” places to use a cellphone behind the wheel, that isn’t the case. In fact, parking lots are some of the most common locations where distracted driving accidents occur.
Avoid the temptation to use your phone in parking lots, especially during the holiday season:
As a driver - There are many added hazards in parking lots during the holidays. Staying off of your phone will help you stay aware of what’s going on around you.
As a pedestrian - Many drivers are not paying full attention to the road ahead. It’s your job to stay as proactive as you can to avoid an accident. This begins with putting your cellphone away as you transverse parking lots.
Putting your phone away, as both a driver and pedestrian, will help keep yourself and those around you safer this holiday season.
Be Patient
The holiday season brings many emotions with it. If you’ve ever tried to find a parking spot during the holiday season, you will have likely found impatience. With everyone scrambling to finish holiday shopping, along with everything else happening, it’s not uncommon to find short tempers and a lack of patience in parking lots this holiday season. Drivers and pedestrians both can help keep themselves safe by staying patient.
Focus on what is going on around you, not how to get to the parking spot across the lot.
Slow Down
The holidays come with strict deadlines. However, this does not mean that you should sacrifice safety for speed. We understand that you may be stressed and that you want to finish your shopping as quickly as possible, but it’s important to do so safely.
Drivers - Slow down while you are driving through parking lots. It’s easy to view a parking lot like a “safe space,” where it’s ok to go faster or use your cellphone. Remember that you are still behind the wheel, you still have laws to follow, and most importantly, you have the safety of those around you to protect. Go the speed limit; it will help prevent an accident.
Pedestrians - While you may be eager to get back to the car after a long day of shopping, it’s important to do so safely. It’s essential to make yourself known to drivers in order to avoid an accident. This can be done by:
- Only using marked areas to cross
- Avoiding running
- Making sure drivers see you before you cross anywhere
- Avoiding walking between cars
While these tips may help decrease the chances of an accident, the truth is that they will not completely prevent an accident from happening.
Unfortunately, many drivers continue to drive distracted, which results in unnecessary accidents that would have otherwise been prevented. Don’t let another’s negligent actions change how you live your life forever.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, give Snider & Horner a call today (901) 730-8880. Our team can explain the ways we can help you recover over a free case evaluation.