Tis the season to be jolly rude
Car park rage takes the fun out of festive shopping
iPeace on Earth doesn’t extend to shopping centre car parks during the festive season, according to research from leading national car insurer AAMI.
“As droves of holiday shoppers go in search of that last-minute Christmas bargain, an astonishingly high number of Australian drivers admit to rude, crude and even illegal behaviour in their sometimes selfish attempts to snare themselves a better car park,” AAMI spokesman Mike Sopinski said .
“More than half of Australian drivers (55 per cent) say another motorist has stolen a car park when they were clearly waiting for it, which is evidence of the self-centred mentality that seems to prevail at shopping centres and supermarkets at this time of year.
“While it’s bad enough that car park theft is so rampant, worse still is that four in five drivers nationally (80 per cent) have witnessed other drivers using disabled parking spaces without a permit, and one in nine drivers (11 per cent) think it’s OK to use parent-only marked car parks even though they don’t have any kids.
“Specially-marked car parks exist for those with special needs and it’s a sad reality that Christmas shoppers seem to turn a blind eye to this in an effort to improve their own shopping experience,” Mr Sopinski said.
“It is this sort of behaviour that gets the blood boiling and results in the many dings and prangs we get this time of year,” he explained.
While drivers might be forgiven for parking in a space that is clearly intended for someone else, it is less easy to overlook those drivers who damage another parked car and fail to leave their details.
“38% of motorists say their car has been damaged while parked in the past year and what’s worse, fewer than one in ten (9%) of the offending drivers left their details,” Mr Sopinski said.”Moreover, almost 20% of drivers we surveyed (18%) admit that if they dinged another parked car and no one saw them, they would think twice about leaving their details.”
AAMI claims data for the 2009/2010 financial year shows more than 45,000 claims related to parked cars, representing around 13% of all motor claims. Tasmanian drivers fared the worst, with more than 18% of all claims related to parked vehicles.
“While this time of the year is full of fun and festive cheer, it can also be a very stressful and busy time. We would encourage people to be a little more patient and considerate of others as they do their Christmas shopping. You’d be surprised how much of a difference a smile and a little courtesy can make to everyone’s day,” Mr Sopinski concluded.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Mike Sopinski, AAMI Media Manager, 07 3135 3997 or 0421 052 598
