Most people wouldn’t consider a parking lot dangerous, but the statistics tell a different story. One in five accidents occurs in a parking lot or parking garage, usually because drivers are going too fast for the situation.

Unfortunately, posting speed limits don’t work. That’s because speed limits are often artificially set and set too low, leaving drivers to feel free to ignore them. But there’s another solution that does keep drivers and pedestrians safe: parking lot speed bumps.

Installing a few speed bumps in your lot might seem like a small thing, but they can really make a difference in keeping your parking lot safe. Learn why they’re an important addition to the lot here!

Drivers Can’t Ignore Them

What’s the penalty for ignoring the posted speed limit? Unless there’s a police officer or a speed camera around, there isn’t one. Drivers can and will drive at the speed they think is safe for the road conditions that exist. But parking lot speed bumps change that equation because speeding over them is a great way to damage your vehicle’s undercarriage.

Drivers might not care about obeying a sign, but they will absolutely care about keeping their car safe from potential hazards. If you place speed bumps in your lot, drivers will have no choice but to slow down to keep their cars safe, which means greater reaction times for everyone.

Drivers and Pedestrians Have More Time to See Each Other

In this day and age, pedestrians aren’t always paying close attention. They’re often looking at their phone, their friends, their surroundings in nature, almost anything but the road in front of them. When drivers are going too fast, pedestrians who have wandered into the street don’t always have time to get out of the way, nor do drivers have time to stop.

Parking lot speed bumps can help. With properly spaced speed bumps, you can force drivers to go at a speed that gives pedestrians plenty of time to react to a car and drivers plenty of time to brake if the pedestrian isn’t looking. Both sides are much safer as a result.

Accidents Have Lower Amounts of Damage

There’s no way to prevent all accidents, but you can reduce the number of collisions. You can also ensure the few that do happen have lesser amounts of damage. Studies show that pedestrians have an 85% chance of a serious injury when hit by a car traveling at 40 miles per hour, compared to just a 5% chance for a serious injury if the car’s speed was 20 miles per hour.

The same holds for impacts between vehicles. The damage is likely to be greatly reduced whenever the speed is lower. It’s much better for everyone involved if an accident only involves a few scratches as opposed to major body work. At Preferred Paving, we’re proud to install parking lot speed bumps as part of keeping parking lots safe for everyone involved. Contact our team to put them in place!