Unless you’ve been living under a rock for most of your life, you probably know that Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has earned the reputation of being the busiest (and most dangerous) shopping day of the year.
That day is fast approaching this year and I wanted to give you some information to help you stay safe while shopping this holiday season.
Most auto accidents reported during the busy shopping season are car accidents in crowded parking lots.
On a normal day, 1 in 5 car accidents are in parking lots. You can imagine how the number rises during the busy holiday season.
While the majority of parking lot accidents tend to be low-speed collisions, they can still result in expensive damage and possibly push up your insurance rates.
If you’re planning on hitting the stores this shopping season, keep these tips in mind and use them to have a happy, safe shopping trip.
- Look carefully when backing out of a parking spot. Check both ways before starting to exit the parking spot and drive slowly.
- Pay close attention to other cars as well as pedestrians. Always yield to pedestrians in a parking lot, even if they are not in a crosswalk, no matter how frustrating.
- Keep an eye out for cars driving diagonally across the parking lot.
- If your car is equipped with a back-up camera, be sure to use it.
- I saved the biggest, best tip of all for last… Shop Online! Avoid the crowds and potential accidents altogether by never leaving your home to get your shopping done.
Be Safe this shopping season! If you do need to make a claim, call the agency right away.