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Parking bays are shrinking as cars are expanding



Research by Accident Exchange in a recently released report has revealed that there are 675,000 accidents involving motor vehicles that are the result of parking. The figures will come as no surprise to most of us that have used public car parks and supermarkets, as we try to negotiate our cars into the parking bays which are marked out.
Whilst it is true that there has been a rise in the numbers of us using 4x4s and SUVs the problem still gives cause for concern for the majority that are driving small and medium saloons as we try to open our doors when a “Chelsea Tractor” has pulled into the space next to you. The recommendation from Whitehall is that that a parking bay must be at least 4.8m (15ft 9in) long and 2.4m (7ft 10in) wide, but even modest cars such as the Vauxhall Corsa are significantly larger than their counterparts just 15 years ago and will not fit into the bay, the same applies to across most cars manufacturers, even the Ford Mondeo at 4.86m in length is 6cm too long for bays that meet the minimum limit!
Has the recommendation become outdated now that it is accepted that cars are larger than in previous times when the guidelines were put in place. These accidents are costing insurers a total of £1.4billion a year, and we understand that the recommended size of a parking space was 9′ x 18′ or 2.75m x 5.50m, why is it then that the smaller size of parking bay still persists? Cynics have the answer of course, they point out that more cars can be packed into a car park, which of course means more money for the provider; this argument does not hold water with the supermarket though, as these are normally free. However with many of the most popular cars and SUVs exceeding the standard bay measurements, or are so close to the limit it can be impossible to open a door to get in or out if other vehicles which are parked alongside, car parks, including supermarkets are becoming “no go” areas for many people.
The answer has to be to increase the size of the parking bays, but, in multi storey car parks increasing the bay size would still not solve the problem of manoeuvring today’s cars around the pillars and tight ramps. Perhaps we shall have to forego our larger and more comfortable cars and revert back to the much loved 60’s mini.
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