Many accidents that occur in parking lots involve distracted motorists. The National Safety Council says that a focus on avoiding distractions in these areas as well as technology that can prevent such crashes could help reduce those accident numbers.
Parking lot accidents can involve two cars or a car and pedestrian. The latter are very common, and get a lot of attention because the pedestrians in these cases may suffer serious injuries as a result of these accidents. According to a National Safety Nonoil poll, 66 percent of motorists admit that they use their phone calls for various activities while driving in a parking lot. About 63 percent would fiddle with their GPS systems while at the wheel of a moving car, 56 percent would text at the wheel and more than half would scroll through social media on the phone or send and receive emails while driving in a parking lot. Close to half would take photos or watch videos while driving in these areas.
Motorists tend to have a false sense of complacency when they are driving through a parking lot. Speeds are lower, and there is minimal traffic in a parking lot. The idea that nothing could possibly happen when you are driving at low speeds or backing out of your spot while distracted is very strong in many motorists’ minds. Those crash risks increase during busy shopping times, like the holiday season when traffic is even higher. The risks are compounded by the fact that holiday shoppers are usually in a hurry to back out or get home.
Distraction is often responsible for back-over accidents that occur when a moving car runs over a pedestrian who is behind the car that is backing out. Children are often involved in such accidents. A child who is standing or walking behind a vehicle that is backing out may not hear the car or may not realize that he needs to get out of the way of the car. The motorist who is backing the car may not notice the child until it is too late.
Many automobiles now come with back-over accident prevention technology. These systems use a camera or sensors to detect when there is a person behind the car, making it easy to spot pedestrians in time to avoid an accident.
Avoiding distractions while driving at all times, and not only when your car is speeding down a highway, is one way of avoiding such accidents. Keep your phone on mute as soon as you start your car, and never operate your car, even in a parking lot, while looking at your phone.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons who have suffered injuries as result of car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If your loved one has been injured in a car accident caused due to another motorist’s negligence, talk an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. You may qualify for a claim for damages that include medical costs, lost income and other types of damages.