One of my biggest frustrations when driving around Fort Worth does not happen on the roads at all - but rather in the parking lots of malls, grocery stores and other businesses. As an auto accident and personal injury lawyer, I am always concerned by dangerous driving habits I observe in other motorists, but the potential for disaster in a parking lot is particularly worrisome. Not only is there a risk of a collision as people back out of their parking spaces, but there is also a high chance of hitting a pedestrian and causing significant or life-threatening injuries.
From what I've observed there are two types of drivers who are particularly dangerous when driving around parking lots. First, there are the obnoxious drivers who view a parking lot assume they have perpetual right of way. They speed down aisles and refuse to yield when someone else is in the middle of backing out of their space. The second type are those who engage in distracted driving while navigating parking lots - texting on their phone, for example, instead of paying appropriate attention to where they're going. I've even seen people try to back out of a parking space with one hand while holding their cellphone with the other mid-conversation.
So what can you do to protect yourself from these dangerous drivers?
The most important thing is to make sure you keep your wits about you in order to spot any potential accidents so that you can prevent them from happening. Even if you are driving slowly and obeying all warning signs you should still make sure that you are watching out for other vehicles and pedestrians. Children are particularly likely to run out into the path of an oncoming car in a parking lot as they mistakenly believe it to be a safe area. If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a parking lot fender bender or worse, then it is important that you treat it as you would any other traffic wreck - get the other driver's insurance information, take photos of the damage and seek medical attention if you need it. Because parking lots are considered to be private property police will likely refuse to provide an accident report, so collecting the contact information of any witnesses is advisable in order to determine fault in the event of a claim.
Mark Anderson is a board certified trail attorney who has been helping injured drivers and motorcyclists across North Texas since 1991. For a free no obligation consultation on your PI or wrongful death case, call the Anderson Law Firm toll free on 800-354-6275 or locally on 817-294-1900.