Light vehicle accidents continue to surge on our vehicle parking areas, especially vehicles running into each other in the course of reversing out of parking areas. On August 25, 2016 two vehicles had an impact whiles simultaneously reversing out of the parking area as our parking areas are front-in parking types.

Maneuvering out of a car park is difficult even with most experienced drivers. Most of us don’t do much reversing when we consider that a fraction of our driving time is backwards and the statistics speak for themselves.

Almost a third of all accidents with light vehicles involve reversing while parking and maneuvering in car parks. While these accidents happen at low speeds, the design of vehicles with possible blind spots means that a small error can result in accident causing damage to the car. Low speed is often associated with a low perceived risk and often we fall foul of mentally switching off in the car park.

So, how can we ensure that we avoid accidents while maneuvering out of car parks? Being aware of the drawbacks and following a few simple safety steps can make a difference. You may be an experienced driver and it might be years since you passed your driving assessment but the message remains the same: use your mirrors before signaling and finally maneuvering out of the parking space. Watch out for other cars coming from the opposite direction or vehicles just entering the parking area.

Finally, I would like to throw this challenge to us and it is: “Which of the two parkings is safer: front-in parking or reverse parking”?Do a bit of research and I bet you the answer is not far fetched.