Shortage of spaces causing increase in ‘Parking Rage’ 

Pressure on available parking spaces in residential areas is causing neighbour disputes as motorists attempt to stake a claim to a parking space outside their home.  With many UK motorists already paying out for parking fines and car park charges every year, drivers are fed up of having to battle to park near their home.

Direct Line spoke to over 2,500 motorists and found that more than one in 10 has a neighbour who will go to extreme lengths to stop somebody pinching their parking spot on a public road – using items such as rubbish bins and traffic cones to reserve a parking space.

Drivers said that parking is a contentious issue amongst their neighbours with close to six in 10 (58 per cent) commenting they get irritated or angered by other motorists ‘stealing’ the parking space directly outside their home.  Indeed a quarter (27 per cent) of motorists say they believe this public parking space actually belongs to them and no one else should be allowed to park there.

Close to a fifth of these drivers have become so irritated by a driver taking ‘their parking space’ they’ve left a letter of complaint on the perpetrator’s windscreen and one in 10 have deliberately blocked-in their neighbour’s car in retaliation. 
  
In the past 12 months alone six per cent of all motorists have experienced parking rage with a neighbour.   Close to half (46 per cent) of these incidents were caused by a resident blocking an entrance or exit to a neighbour’s home and more than one in 10 (13 per cent) held a dispute because of a neighbour parking badly and using two spaces.

Parking problems are an increasing issue with over half (49 per cent) of motorists saying parking in their area is worse than it was five years ago, with six per cent of motorists in the south of England actually moving house as a result of the parking problems.

However, neighbourly disputes are not the only issue when it comes to limited parking.  The problem has also caused an uplift in cars being hit whilst parked on residential streets.  Around 9% of motorists admitted to hitting a parked car in the last five years, a total of 300,000 dents or scrapes.  However many motorists forget their morals when it comes to hitting a parked car.  Out of those who had hit a parked car, 40% said they didn’t leave their details, rather they just drove off.

Emma Holyer, Direct Line Motor spokesperson said:

“Parking is a major issue for today’s motorists.  We are all fed up of paying excessive charges for parking in town or at work and then coming home to find we can’t park anywhere near home.  Local authorities seem quick to fine anyone who has parked illegally in town but when it comes to residential areas they are unaware of the problems motorists face.”

For more information, log on to www.directline.com/car

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Emma Holyer/Direct Line Press Office
0208 256 2182 / 07894 158605
Email: emma.holyer@directline.com

Notes to Editors:
The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line car insurance by YouGov.  A nationally representative sample of 2,514 GB adults were questioned online between 4th to 6th October 2006.   Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population.    YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.