Are you a small business owner that has fallen foul of the law thanks to confusing parking restrictions and over-zealous traffic wardens?
If you are, then you’re certainly not alone. A survey by Churchill Car Insurance has found that confusing parking signs have resulted in millions of drivers being given parking fines, or worse – clamped or towed in the past two years.
Hard-to-understand parking limitations have resulted in 22 per cent of drivers returning to find their car hit with a ticket, bolted with a clamp – or in some cases removed altogether. The result is millions of pounds in parking fines, with the cost of releasing an impounded car often costing north of £200.
If you’re based in London, those figures are even higher. Churchill discovered than 61 per cent of motorists living in the capital had been fined, clamped or towed in the last two years due to parking sign confusion.
Churchill also revealed that nationwide, a third of people avoid visiting their local town or city centre, purely due to confusing restrictions when trying to park their car. Almost one in 10 avoid parking in their own residential area because the parking restrictions are too puzzling.
Steve Barrett, head of Churchill Car Insurance, said: “It’s the driver’s responsibility to check which parking restrictions are in operation in a particular area. However, when there are multiple restrictions in operation on a single street, it can result in motorists being confused an unintentionally parking illegally, incurring parking fines that could have been avoided.
“The best advice is to be as vigilant for signs as possible and never assume if you’re unsure.”
If you are subjected to a parking fine or penalty that you deem to be unfair, be sure to take photos of where your car is (or was) parked, and of all the signs in the vicinity to help build your case for appeal.
