Many pedestrian crashes occur at unmarked crossing locations. Safety experts generally recommend crossing the road at crosswalks and other marked locations to ensure that drivers notice pedestrians.
Parking lots are a shared space where people and vehicles are in constant movement. Drivers in parking lots should be aware that there are pedestrians heading in and out of the nearby building and should monitor their surroundings carefully for optimal safety. Unfortunately, according to research into distracted driving, people no longer pay attention in parking lots to the degree that they should.
Parking lot distraction can be deadly
Drivers self-reporting on their technology habits admit to texting while driving and other forms of distraction on the road. However, only a minority of motorists submit to distracted driving on the open road.
A much higher percentage of drivers admit to engaging in a variety of digital distractions in parking lots. They may go beyond just texting or dialing a phone. People admit to scrolling through social media in parking lots or watching short videos.
Many drivers take their safety for granted in parking lots, possibly because they assume that police officers are unlikely to issue citations for violations in a parking lot. However, parking lot distraction can result in drivers striking pedestrians, causing injuries and property damage.
Even when pedestrian collisions occur in the parking lots of private property, the people affected may have grounds to hold a driver at fault accountable. Filing an insurance claim or possibly even a lawsuit can help people affected by pedestrian collisions cover medical expenses and other economic damages caused by a crash.