Bad parking wastes a fifth of car spaces

DRIVERS often grumble about never being able to find a place to park.

But the problem could actually be the result of poor parking skills rather than a lack of spaces, a study suggests.

It found motorists are so bad at parking that almost a fifth of the space available for cars goes to waste.

Experts reviewed 120 roads where kerbside parking bays were ‘full’ and there was no space between any two vehicles to fit an additional car.

They calculated how much extra space would be available if every car on the street used park assist technology that automatically guides the vehicle into a space. The study found that across the country up to 17 per cent of parking space on streets – enough for thousands of cars – could be freed up if all drivers used the technology.

London and Birmingham had the greatest average distances between parked vehicles, with the potential to increase capacity by 20 per cent.

Brighton had the most efficient parkers, with 11 per cent extra capacity left on ‘full’ streets in the city centre.

A total of 47 per cent of drivers claimed poor parking by other drivers had been a major frustration in the past year, according to the research. Of 2,000 adults questioned for the study, 38 per cent said they had deliberately left space around their car to stop another vehicle parking next to it.

Thirty-one per cent said they had picked a parking spot because of the quality of the cars on either side, while 13 per cent had parked over two spaces to save a spot for someone else and 11 per cent had put bins in the road to keep a space clear.

The study also found 10 per cent of drivers had parked in a space that was too small so that other people could not move their cars.

Some 73 per cent said they deliberately left space behind their car to manoeuvre, according to the study commissioned by Direct Line Car Insurance.

Just over a fifth of motorists said they had left their vehicles further away from home to avoid having to parallel park in a challenging space, while a similar proportion had asked a friend or member of their family to park for them.

A total of 18 per cent of drivers said they had given up trying to park because they were put off because someone was watching.

Parked over two spaces