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Avoid the perils of Christmas parking

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<B>PARKING PROBLEMS:</B> Finding a parking bay during the holiday season can be complete nightmare. <I>Image:</I>
<B>PARKING PROBLEMS:</B> Finding a parking bay during the holiday season can be complete nightmare. <I>Image:</I>

  25% drivers bump a car when parking
  Half admit to just driving off
  50% fear shopping car park prangs
  63% choose not to park in first space

LONDON, England - Citroen UK has launched a #ParkingHero campaign to build confidence and parking skills among drivers - but it's just as valid here in South Africa.

The UK's Institute of Advanced Motorists is supporting a series of parking-tip videos produced by Citroen UK in association with Arsenal Football Club.

The survey provides drivers with an insight into parking behavior as they tackle hectic car parks during the busiest shopping period of the year, says the automaker.

The automaker has also worked with the IAM to create a series of educational films, which feature three Arsenal Football Club stars and the new Citroen C1, to provide some top parking tips for drivers.

VIDEO: How to parallel park 
VIDEO: How to reverse park
VIDEO: Front bay park

Citroen says December can be an expensive month but as drivers hurry to the shops for last-minute presents it seems that this year’s ‘must have' toy might not be their biggest expense. They survey reveals that half the drivers that admitted to pranging a car when parking said they had driven off, leaving the innocent party to foot an unexpected Christmas repair bill.

It seems high stress levels aren’t reserved for the supermarket checkout; nearly half of respondents believe it’s more likely they will have their car damaged in a supermarket car park than anywhere else. This sentiment is broadly the same for all ages of drivers across the country.

Next in line is the multi-storey car park, with 28% of the public fearing their car will sustain scrapes in this type of location. On-street parking came third at 17%.

DOES IT MATTER?

When searching for the perfect parking spot, 63% of drivers tended to look for spaces with no other vehicles nearby rather than using the first space found, says Citroen. That means, on average, only 37% of drivers are not worried about where they park their vehicle. Interestingly, the highest percentage of ‘careful’ parkers is in the 18 to 24-year-old bracket, which includes new drivers.  

Citroen’s #ParkingHero campaign has been created to highlight the daily issues UK drivers face when parking. It also demonstrates the importance of parking-aid technology, which is available on the latest models in the Citroen range – including Airbump panels on the new C4 Cactus.

Airbump is designed to protect against minor bumps and scrapes, helping to reduce stress and the expense associated with car park dings.

Citroen UK’s survey was conducted with 2000 respondents, equally split by gender.

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