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Ho ho ho! Christmas shopping parking: tips from IAM RoadSmart

Blog post posted on 28/11/17 |
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Advice

Christmas shopping can be a really festive start to the season and planned well you can get everything done without breaking the bank on parking. This week’s tips give advice to all those planning on making a day of getting all the Christmas shopping done, from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman.

  1. Deciding where to park can have a huge impact on cost, I have known parking charges cost more than some presents themselves. Have a look and see if your town have special offers on parking around the festive season – some towns have reduced rates on certain days and for late night shopping.
  2. Think about where you leave your vehicle in a multi-story car park – Always choose your space on when you plan to return, it is never nice to return to the only car left on the top floor of a now relatively empty car park.
  3. At any one time, 30% of drivers on UK roads are in city centres searching for a parking space, on average it takes 10-15 minutes to find somewhere to park and during busy periods that time frame gets bigger! So make sure you add the time it will take to get parked up into your time plan for the day.
  4. Choose a car park which has a certificate backed by the police for safety such as Park Mark, their car parks use clear directional signage and traffic flow techniques like one-way circulation so drivers are not confused about which way to go.Pedestrian access and exit routes are clearly indicated with signage and controlled routes such as painted paths, which help to keep you safe. A car park finder is available here http://www.parkmark.co.uk/car-park-finder
  5. Try to avoid returning to your vehicle to leave your presents while you continue on, unfortunately thieves do watch for this sort of thing – leaving valuables in a car is never a good idea especially after you spent all that time and effort in choosing the right presents.
  6. Some car parks are not as well-lit as others so it’s a good idea to put your lights on and give your eyes time to adjust to the different light level. Keep a look out for pedestrians thinking more about their shopping list than their safety – especially excited children.
  7. Choose your parking neighbours and space carefully; a car which is looked after and in good condition is less likely to have a door open into yours. Also, although never on purpose, a car with child seats in it might have children who are not quite as careful in charge of the door.
  8. Reverse park or drive in? Use the option which suits you best – if you need to put your shopping in the boot when you return consider driving into the space, reverse parking is not always the best solution.
  9. Avoid leaving your ticket in the car and make sure you put it somewhere safe – if you are a regular at losing tickets, take a quick photo of it so you have all the details to hand just in case it is not your day again.
  10. If you have used a pay and display – set an alarm on your phone to remind you what time it runs out, it can be very easy to let time slip by without you noticing.

Richard said: “As Christmas approaches it becomes more difficult to ‘pop’ into the town centre, parking spaces can be in short supply and a queue to get in or out takes away from the pleasure of choosing a gift. Park and ride is often a good option and some local authorities will set up a scheme especially for Christmas. If you are able avoid the weekend, it is often easier to find a space whilst most people are dealing with their daily commute.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1.       Richard Gladman is IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards.

2.       IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com  

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://wwwiamroadsmart.com/local-groups  

Media contacts:

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 

press.office@iam.org.uk  / www.iamroadsmart.com  

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ENDS ALL