As a Bay Area accident attorney, the Law Offices of Daniel Vega sees awful injuries that could have been prevented had drivers exercised more care. Here are 4 tips to keep yourself and others safe when you’re parking.
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Pedestrians who exercise vigilance when walking on busy streets often let their guard down in parking lots — to their serious detriment. To make up for their lack of vigilance, increase yours!
Even if you don’t see anyone, drive as if a young mother pushing a shopping cart could, at any moment, jump out in front of your vehicle. That brings us to point number two…
2. Consciously slow down.
When you enter a parking lot, consciously slow it down. You might have been traveling at 40 mph on a surface street, and then you slowed down to 20 mph in the parking lot. In your mind, you feel like you’re going slowly. But 20 mph is still pretty fast — especially in a place where young mothers are pushing children in shopping carts.
3. Expect other drivers to behave horribly.
Drivers are already distracted enough by their cell phones and music. But when they transition from shopping to driving (and vice versa), they can be more distracted than usual. Expect the unexpected, and give people a wide birth.
4. Exercise safe driving protocol — and then some.
You already know to avoid driving under the influence or driving while texting or blasting loud music. But you may want to take this vigilance a step further. Turn off your radio entirely, and stop having conversations with people in the car, so you can concentrate.
If you or somebody you love suffered through a personal injury accident, your San Francisco injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Daniel Vega can help you understand your rights and seek compensation. Give us a call today to set up your free consultation with our team.