Car Parking Dreaded by Young Drivers

July 17, 2012 - PRLog -- The research commissioned by The Co-operative Insurance found that 10% of young motorists confessed to getting mum or dad to park their car.  More than a quarter stated that they lacked confidence when it came to parking.

Whilst in recent years, the driving test has become more rigorous and now includes reverse parking into a space of about two car lengths, although it seems there is still some way to go to give young drivers self-confidence when it comes to parking.

Grant Mitchell, Head of Motor Insurance at The Co-operative, said: “Our findings show the extent to which new motorists worry about driving. Although young drivers have the reputation for being reckless and too confident, we can see that many young people actually lack the confidence they need on the road.

“Of course, the road can be a scary place when you first start driving, but it’s surprising that basic things such as parking or negotiating roundabouts are still a worry for motorists long after they’ve passed their driving test.”

Although research by LV= reveals that the average space for parking in residential areas has shrunk by 9% over the last 10 years.  Since 2001, motorists have seen the space available for residental parking decrease from 9.84 metres per car to 8.97 in 2011.  Much of this space has been taken up by the 15% growth in the number of cars now on Britian’s roads.  

A further factor is that cars are growing in length and have increased by 15 cms since 2001, the average new car measures 4.3 metres.   Drivers in London are most affected by the parking squeeze where Westminster for example has only 4.33 metres per car of available space, which has shrunk by a whopping 21% since 2001.  

John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= car insurance  (http://compareinsurers.com/Car-Insurance.aspx) said “Motorists are becoming increasingly squeezed when it comes to parking and in some areas the average space available is only a few centimetres longer than the average car.”

So the parking worries of our young drivers (http://compareinsurers.com/Car-Insurance/Car-Insurance-Ty...) may not always be about a lack of confidence, but parking is just one of their concerns.  Other big worries included tight gaps, roundabouts, driving in the snow and ice, unfamiliar roads and motorway driving.  

Grant Mitchell from Co-operative Car Insurance (http://compareinsurers.com/Car-Insurance/Car-Insurance-Pr...) said “There are simple steps that young people can take to overcome their driving fears, for example, practising driving in different weather conditions before taking their driving test.”