Going holiday shopping or running an errand can result in you taking home more than you bargained for: a dented fender or even a minor injury.  But sometimes, these parking lot accidents can be devastating.  Every single day, someone loses their life when they were simply running errands, doing some shopping, or enjoying a night out. It’s a truly tragic statistic that may open your eyes to the hazards of parking lots. Parking lots and parking garages are the sites of approximately 50,000 accidents every year.

SOME SURPRISING STATISTICS

• One in Five Vehicle Accidents Occur in Parking Lots
• Over 500 People Die Every Year in Parking Lots and Garages
• 50,000 Car Accidents Occur in U.S. Parking Lots and Garages Annually
• Over 60,000 People Are Injured in Parking Lots Every Year
• 25% Of Parking Lot Accidents Involve Backing Up
• One-Third of Drivers Admit to Not Paying Attention While Driving in Lots
• At Least 80% Of Bumper Scratches Occur During Parking
• 14% Of All Car Insurance Claims Involve Parking Lot Incidents
• Parking Lot Accidents Peak at 5:00 PM on Saturdays
• Parking Lot Accidents Increase During the Holiday Shopping Season

Despite the many advances in modern cars designed to help drivers back up safely, backing up is still a common cause of accidents. People do most of their backing up in parking lots, garages, and driveways, so this statistic makes sense. It’s common for drivers to accidentally strike a pedestrian while backing out of their spot. People also may bump into another vehicle while trying to back in or out of a parking spot. A car driving through the parking lot may hit someone leaving their space. And one of the tougher incidents to avoid is two cars colliding if they back out of their spots simultaneously and do not see one another.

Distracted driving is another common cause of accidents in parking lots. The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that about two-thirds of all motorists who enter parking lots are distracted.  

LIABILITY

While there are some cases where it may be obvious who was at-fault, that is not always the case. The one thing to note is that if you are backing out of a space and hit another stationary or moving vehicle you are more than likely to be the one at fault for the collision. If you and another driver were backing out of a space at the same time, fault becomes difficult to determine or no fault is found in the case. If you hit a parked car with no one in it and do not leave contact information, you can be charged with a hit and run.

A significant number of injuries in parking lots are caused by drivers failing to observe their surroundings, often resulting in pedestrian injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 12,247 fatalities in accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians between 2016 and 2020.

Most parking lots are private property. As such property owners have a legal responsibility to maintain their land in a reasonably safe manner for lawful visitors like customers or tenants. If unsafe conditions on the premises caused or contributed to the accident, the property owner may be liable.

CONTACT YOUR ATTORNEY

If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident in a parking lot or parking garage, contact Dave Thomas at the Thomas Law Firm for a free evaluation of your legal rights.