Technology has become so integrated into modern cars that drivers are starting to rely on it and are less able to drive well without these tools and gadgets. When is the last time you used a paper map to get anywhere? Automatic wind wipers, automatic headlights and parking brakes are now so common that plenty of drivers don’t actually know where the manual operation switches are on their dashboard!
Some of the most common cutting-edge technology is targetted at reducing the anxiety many of us feel when parking. So with the ever-developing innovation of parking technology, are UK drivers becoming less confident in their ability to park manually? New research investigated just how much UK drivers worry about their competence to park their car and how much we are beginning to rely on technology to get by.
The results also shed light on the true extent of motorists’ misery when it comes to parking manoeuvres and the locations where drivers experience the most parking issues.
Parking practice
Whether you’ve been driving for a year, five years, or twenty years, there’s no doubt that at some point you’ve had that sheer wave of terror or anxiety pass over you whilst attempting to park. New research, conducted by automotive retailer Peter Vardy, found that nearly half of Brits now depend on technology to assist them with parking.
Think you’re alone when you purposely drive past a parallel parkable space to avoid the possibility of being embarrassed? You’re not! 42% of respondents stated that parallel parking made them anxious.
Other manoeuvres which British drivers would try and steer clear of included reverse perpendicular parking (21%), angle parking (17%) and forward perpendicular parking (9%). It’s no wonder Brits opt for technology to assist them with parking to avoid the embarrassing honking and beeping from impatient drivers!
Location, location, location
30% of respondents experience the most parking problems whilst visiting metropolitan areas. However, city centres are not the only places that are causing UK drivers to have parking panic, with supermarkets (23%) and shopping centres (17%) also being named as high-stress locations. The research also revealed that 1 in 10 unlucky drivers even experience consistent parking problems outside their own home.
Technology and parking
Despite the advancements of parking technology, meaning that we now have more help than ever when it comes to parking manoeuvres, the findings of the study show that many drivers may be over-relying on their car’s modern features in order to fit in a space. An estimated 12 million drivers currently active on UK roads can’t park without using the in-built parking sensors, with approximately a further 4.6 million drivers going one further and having to use parking cameras.
More worryingly, an estimated 2.6 million drivers give away all responsibility and activate the park assist features on the car when they want to park.
Whilst it could be a worry that overall parking skills could be diminishing over time due to an over-reliance on parking technology, it is also true that ever-increasing congestion is making parking harder. Spaces are smaller and the places you have to manoeuvre in are busier. So it is no surprise that these changing driving conditions are stimulating an increase in parking technologies.
It is important that drivers choose a car which best supports them, their motoring skills and the conditions in which they will be driving. Whether that be a smaller car with better manoeuvrability or a vehicle with the most up to date parking technology assistance, drivers should ensure they utilise everything that’s on offer to ensure a safe and secure experience.
