Using Technology To Avoid Parking Lot Accidents

Car accidents that occur in parking lots attract the same consequences as car accidents that occur elsewhere. However, liability for parking lots accidents tends to be more difficult to prove than that for accidents that occur on the road. This may be because parking lots either don't have well-marked lanes or are poorly designed. In fact, some jurisdictions don't even issue tickets (tickets are usually helpful in proving negligence) for parking lot accidents.

Therefore, it's in your best interest to avoid parking lot accidents at all reasonable costs. One way of doing this is by using these three forms of technology:

Parking Assistance Systems

Parking assistance systems are designed to help drivers to park easily and safely; they are especially useful for parallel parking. Most of the systems aren't completely autonomous; they require inputs from both the driver and the parking assistance computer to park. Mostly, you have to control the car's speed while the system helps you know when to stop, turn, and reverse. The system may also alert you when they sense objects near the car so you can avoid crashing into the objects.

Rearview Cameras

If you want something to help you when parking in reverse, try rearview cameras. Just like the name suggests, these cameras are designed to capture pictures of objects behind your car and display them on your screen. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, they are even more helpful at avoiding objects behind the car than parking sensors.

Therefore, rearview cameras can help you avoid knocking over pedestrians, crashing into other cars, or knocking over carelessly abandoned shopping trolleys. If your car didn't come with the cameras, there are aftermarket varieties you can install one; prices rarely exceed a few hundred dollars.

Ultrasonic Systems

The last example is a system that uses ultrasonic waves to sense nearby objects. That way, even if you don't have a reverse camera, you can tell when you are about to hit an object so you can avoid it. The ultrasonic systems emit ultrasonic impulses that get reflected off nearby objects, which the onboard computer uses to gauge the proximity of the said objects.

If you do get into a parking lot accident, handle it just like you would handle any other car accident. If the police don't show up, it's likely that the premise's private security may show up. In that case, get a copy of the report they will generate; although it might not provide a definitive proof of liability, it may help shed more light on the details of the crash later on.  

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