We’ve all been there…. You’re in a parking lot and a car slams into a light post. Or a truck gets burglarized. Or a scooter takes a blind corner, drives into a magical portal, and vanishes into The Spirit Realm. Okay, maybe that last situation is a bit far fetched, but you’ve seen enough to know that parking lots can be a pretty dangerous place. Here’s the good news, though: with a little bit of planning and maintenance, they don’t have to be.
Take Care of Your Pavement
Does your parking lot have potholes? These dangerous divots can ruin a car’s wheels, suspension, and steering. And each of those structural problems could ultimately lead to a car accident—on or off your property. Potholes also simply look bad, which hurts your curb appeal. Bottom line, correcting these hazards can go a long way to assisting in your efforts with loss prevention. So, call Black Diamond, and we’ll handle all of your preventative maintenance, crack sealing, and more.
Find Ways to Manage People’s Speed
When a car is driving too fast, it increases the likelihood of collisions. It also increases the severity of those collisions. So, think about installing speed bumps in strategic places around your lot to slow things down. Depending on the type and size of parking lot on your property, you also might consider putting up speed limit signs. And have you thought about making the aisles shorter? According to SWOF Institute for Road Safety Research, long straightaways seem to encourage speeding (as do checkered flags, starter pistols, and prize money for setting the land-speed record).
Create a Safe Layout
Parking lot design is an absolutely crucial determiner of safety. Make sure both the stalls and aisles are wide enough for vehicles to navigate safely. You’ll also want to install a pedestrian walkway and pedestrian refuges so people on foot can easily avoid traffic. And make sure you don’t create the sort of blind spots that seem to welcome criminals.
Increase Visibility
To drive safely, people have to be able to see where they’re going. Does your parking lot have enough lighting? Does it have any dangerous corners? Does it have mirrors to help with those corners? Visibility is everything. Make sure you take all of these safety considerations into account when planning your parking lot.
Have a Security Presence
Have you thought about hiring a security guard or putting in surveillance cameras? Both can be great deterrents to theft and other nefarious parking lot activities. And if those aren’t in the budget, think about adding some signage that tells people they’re being watched. Believe it or not, even just a picture of eyeballs can help decrease crime: this was enough to reduce theft at one shopping center by up to 40%. So, maybe that approach can work for you, too.
Create Labels and Signage
Think about the expectations you have for your parking lot, and make sure they’re clearly communicated to drivers. If traffic should flow in one direction, you’ll need to paint some arrows. If you have a two-way street between the parking lot and a commercial building, you’ll want to label those lanes of traffic. And if your parking lot has intersections, you’ll want to post stop signs. You’re basically just trying to get everyone on the same page and identify hazards before they become accidents.
Clearly Define the Parking Spots
Take a look at your parking lot through the perspective of a new visitor to your property. Are the spots clearly labeled? Or has the paint started to fade? Are they wide enough to comfortably fit the largest SUVs? Or are they a little too tight? Are there parking blocks at the end of each space? Or do people have to guess where their space ends? Parking blocks are great because they reduce human error by physically stopping people’s wheels when it’s time. Also, if you really like concrete rectangles, parking blocks can be a beautiful decorative piece.
Poorly planned parking lots can be a dangerous free-for-all. But there are plenty of things you can do to turn the tide. If you need a little help giving your parking lot a makeover, reach out to Black Diamond today. But until then, we’ll probably keep parking in that really safe lot down the street.
