Obeying Parking Lot Speed Limits?

Hey guys:)

Does anyone actually follow the speed limits in parking lots like I mean I see that most of them have speed limits of only 5-10kmh? Or has anyone actually seen someone follow the speed limit? How fast do you drive in parking lots?

When I drive in parking lots I go 15-20 km/h but I slow right down near pedestrians or if a car is about to pass me from the opposite direction, or if I see that a car is about to reverse.

Is the speed limit that low so that if there was some accident the parking lot owner i.e Wilson, Secure park etc or shopping center can be cleared of responsibility?

Comments

  • +11

    You should go slower, someone could reverse out in front of you not realising how soon you would get near them, and have an accident.

  • +8

    IMO, the carparks you refer to are pretty much a "shared" zone, you have so many blind spots, so driving slower helps avoid incidents and if there is a collision you would hope the severity of the damage or injury is significantly lower.

    It's scary to see the number of randoms walking into the path of vehicles a carpark.

    There are rules and there is also situational awareness (or lack of it).

  • +18

    When I drive in parking lots I go 15-20 km/h

    What are you going to do when a kid steps out from between two cars?

    People who speed in car parks are a special kind of stupid, same as those who don't look and drive through crosswalks with people trying to walk over them.

    • People who step out between 2 cars (or their parents who allow it to happen) are a special kind of stupid.

  • +5

    Have you ever walked though a car park while a car speeds pass you? Or have you only ever been in the speeders position?

  • +5

    Slow the heck down

  • I don't know what the actual speed I do is, but it's sloooooooow!

  • I drive fast enough to be able to stop instantly if a kid jumps in front out of nowhere. Don't even know the speed to be honest, it all depends on you, your experience and your car.

  • +7

    Drive slow as much as you can. Small cars parked between two SUVs cannot see their surrounding most of the time and are almost taking a gamble pulling out. I don't blame them either.

  • Obeying Parking Lot Speed Limits

    Yes

  • My usual lot has a posted limit of 8kph.
    No-one does it.

  • +2

    People in hospital car parks. So so slow. Usually (but not always) older people coming for outpatient appointments. They are generally unfamiliar with the car park, and don’t realise that they have another several levels to go past before spots will be available. Some should not be driving at all and have been advised as such by their doctor due to reduced processing speed, vision issues etc. Many hospitals or private car parks near hospitals have shared staff and patient parking, so it can be very frustrating for the staff who know how many levels they’ll be stuck behind the person who is driving super slow as they don’t want to miss a spot. A good time to practice empathy, patience and frustration management.

  • +4

    It's all about lowering risk. For instance by putting car parks for people with prams near the entrance, they're reducing the risk that some lunatic will come speeding along fiddling with their mobile / radio and mow down their baby. And while I've never seen speed limits enforced, if that happens expect to be in a world of hurt when all the witnesses step forward and mention how fast you're going.

  • I drive slowly in carparks.

    Hard to see kids / pedestrians because of large SUVs.
    I experienced several close calls when kids/ adults accidently stepped out in front of my car. Had a man jump out in front of my car on a dual carriageway (saw the bus on the other side). 3-4 year old kid running out from behind a shrub on a residential street. Dogs..cats..
    It does happen. I am not an annoying slow driver by the way, there are roads where you can speed with relatively low risk, but other places just too much risk.

    in underground garages most people don’t use their headlights, so it is very hard to spot them in time. Australian carpark design doesn’t have the right kerb radius so when you turn you end up encroaching into the opposite lane.
    Basically I drive slow in busy carparks so I can react to others doing something stupid.

    I dont care about the carpark speed sign, I will slow down to a speed that is appropriate. 20km/h could be slow in one area of the carpark and too fast in another area.

    • Most people when they get into a carpark seem to be incapable of indicating, giving way, or pulling their Getz around a corner on their own side of the road, so it pays to go slow if you don't have a good line of sight around the whole forward arc…

  • When I was a kid, I wasn't watching where I was going, nearly got flatten because the driver didn't have enough time to react and brake.
    Considering you are paying attention, going at 20km/h has a braking distance of roughly 10 meters, if you were going at 10km/h, braking distance is roughly 4.6m, that extra 5m can safe a kid from brain injury or a broken bone

  • Obeying car par posted speed signs. 3 kids have been hit by idiots in cars driving over the speed limit in my domestic complex.

    Do I…yes. Should you….yes.

    Do most drivers ignore Speed Limits….yes. Should they…no.

  • It is not about obeying the speed limit sign. It is about driving to the conditions.

    • 1st condition to consider….drive at or below max posted speed signs.

      Then all other conditions are considered as well…so back to OP question. Do you?

  • I normally drive below the speed limit in congested parking lots. Utilize common sense.

  • I don’t even look at the speedo in carparks. Too many other hazards and distractions. Besides, at carpark speed many Cars don’t register the speed accurately anyway.

    Just drive slowly.

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