22 August 2011

Half of Brits Think “My Parking Is Mine”

The sense of entitlement among British motorists is great as new research has found that 44% of people do actually believe they 'own' the nearest public parking

The sense of entitlement among British motorists is great as new research has found that 44% of people do actually believe they ‘own' the nearest public parking space to their home.

British drivers have a very peculiar feeling of ownership in regards to the public road.

Almost half of drivers (44%) believe they ‘own' the nearest public parking space to their home, according to latest research by Churchill Car Insurance.

In fact, the property ownership feeling is so strong that about one in five (18%) feel emotionally stressed if a stranger parks outside their home, according to latest research by Churchill Car Insurance. A further 18% were actually blocked from entering or leaving their property during the last year as someone had parked across their drive.

**Home traffic wardens******

Furthermore, 5% of people are what the study refers to as ‘home traffic wardens'. These people use their car, traffic cones and road signs to block the space in front of their property to prevent other people parking there.

Defending ‘their' space has been the reason to start an argument with a neighbour for 4% of those interviewed.

Measures are even more drastic with people that are not neighbours. Over 2% have put up notices on their property banning motorists from parking near their home, even though they are not legally entitled to do so.

"Parking issues can lead to heated arguments, but people need to be tolerant of drivers that are parking entirely legally, even if it is directly outside their property. Drivers need to be considerate when parking, making sure they are not obstructing any access to driveways or parking bays,” said Tony Chilcott, head of Churchill Car Insurance.

Being possessive about where do we park our car is not going to make a big difference to its security. Having good car insurance and driving carefully is what really matters regarding safety on the road.