Posted on Friday, July 21st, 2017 at 1:57 am
If you have tried to find a parking space in downtown Sacramento, you already know that it can be extremely frustrating to search for a place to park. ABC10 News reported on the issue and the steps the city is taking to try to make it easier for drivers to park in the downtown area.
The Cost of Searching for a Parking Space
INRIX Research released a report stating that Americans spend an average of 17 hours searching for parking spaces each year. The report was based on survey results from 6,000 drivers in 10 cities in the United States (a total of 18,000 drivers in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom participated in the survey). Other interesting and surprising statistics from the survey include:
- The cost in lost time, emissions, and fuel from riding around looking for a place to park is estimated to be $345 per driver.
- Americans overpay for parking by about $20 million per year.
- The annual cost of searching for parking spots in the 10 U.S. cities surveyed is estimated to be $72.7 billion.
- 40 percent of drivers say they do not shop at some places because of the difficulty of finding a parking space near the retail facility.
- Los Angeles and San Francisco were in the top three (second and third place respectively) cities for having the longest search time for a parking spot and highest cost per driver.
What is Sacramento Doing to Resolve the Parking Problem?
Obviously, city leaders want to resolve the parking problem because they do not want people avoiding downtown businesses because of a lack of parking. In October of last year, the city launched a program to help ease the parking problem in the city.
A website allows you to browse available parking lots in Sacramento so that you can reserve and pay for a parking space before you leave home thereby avoiding the need to drive around in search of a parking space. By using the advance reservation system, drivers receive a 25 percent discount on parking costs. The city plans to release a new app this fall that allows drivers to also search for available street parking spaces (although street parking will not be guaranteed).
Parking Lot Accidents in Sacramento
In addition to the cost of searching for places to park, drivers must also bear the cost of parking lot accidents. With more cars trying to access parking lots, the risk of being in a parking lot accident increases. Common causes of parking lot accidents include:
- Failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians and other drivers
- Speeding and reckless driving
- Distracted driving
- Failing to check before backing out of a space
- Trying to cut-off other drivers to secure a parking space
- Limited visibility when parking or backing out
If you are involved in a parking lot car accident, remain at the accident scene and call the police. You need to report the accident to ensure you have a record of the crash for insurance purposes. Even though the crash may be a low-speed collision, you could suffer a bodily injury that requires expensive medical care and lost time from work. You are entitled to seek compensation for those damages from the driver who caused the crash.
Call a Sacramento Parking Lot Accident Attorney for Help
Parking lot accident claims can be difficult because insurance adjusters tend to dismiss these claims as “minor” accidents. Do not let an adjuster or other driver convince you that you are not entitled to a settlement for your claim.
Call The Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 or by visiting our website to request your free legal consultation with one of our car accident lawyers. Our law firm serves clients in Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, El Dorado Hills and other communities in the greater Sacramento area.
Source: “Downtown parking: a headache Sac city is working to cure,” by Becca Habegger, ABC10, July 15, 2017
