Restaurants are not just places where people go to enjoy a meal; they are spaces where customers expect to be safe and comfortable. While much attention goes to the safety within the restaurant itself, it’s equally important to consider the areas surrounding the establishment, mainly parking lots. These areas, though often overlooked, can pose significant risks to patrons, particularly in the form of auto-pedestrian accidents. This article explores the steps restaurant owners can take to protect their guests from car injuries in parking lots, emphasizing the importance of speed control, distraction reduction, and strategic infrastructure improvements.
The Legal Duty of Restaurant Owners
As a restaurant owner, you have a legal duty in most states to protect your patrons from foreseeable risks on your property. This duty extends beyond the restaurant’s interior to include sidewalks and parking areas. Under premises liability law, you must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of your customers, who are legally classified as ‘invitees.’ This means that any hazards in the parking lot, including the risk of being struck by a vehicle, must be addressed proactively. Embracing this responsibility demonstrates your commitment to your patrons’ safety.
The obligation to protect patrons from harm becomes even more crucial when considering that parking lot accidents, particularly those involving pedestrians, are both common and underreported. Many incidents go unrecorded unless they result in fatalities, which skews public perception of their frequency. However, these accidents are not only foreseeable but also preventable. As a restaurant owner, this knowledge should empower you to take action and implement safety measures in your parking lot.
Understanding the Risks: Primary Causes of Parking Lot Accidents
By examining auto-pedestrian injuries in parking lots, we can identify three primary causes of these incidents: driving at unsafe speeds, driver distraction, and pedestrian distraction. Each of these factors contributes to the heightened risk of accidents in what should be a relatively safe environment.
- Unsafe Speeds: Speed is the most significant factor in determining the severity of injuries in parking lot accidents. Even a slight increase in vehicle speed can dramatically increase the force of impact, leading to more severe injuries or fatalities. For example, a vehicle traveling at nine mph generates 18 times the force of one traveling at three mph. Slower speeds reduce the likelihood of accidents and mitigate the severity of injuries when accidents occur.
- Driver Distraction: Driver distraction in parking lots is alarmingly common, with many drivers admitting to using their cell phones while navigating these areas. Distractions can be visual (looking away from the road), auditory (hearing something unrelated to driving), manual (handling objects other than the steering wheel), or cognitive (thinking about something other than driving). The widespread use of smartphones exacerbates this issue, as drivers texting or using their phones are less likely to notice pedestrians.
- Pedestrian Distraction: Pedestrians, too, are often distracted, primarily by their phones. A study conducted in Austin, Texas, revealed that nearly a quarter of pedestrians observed were using their phones while walking through parking lots. This distraction increases the risk of accidents, as pedestrians may need to be fully aware of their surroundings or vehicles.
Implementing Effective Safety Measures
Given the risks associated with parking lot environments, restaurant owners must implement adequate safety measures to protect their patrons. The most effective strategies focus on controlling vehicle speed, reducing distractions, and improving the physical infrastructure of the parking lot.
Speed Control: The Role of Speed Bumps
Speed control is the cornerstone of any parking lot safety plan. Speed bumps are a simple yet highly effective tool for slowing down vehicles. By reducing vehicle speeds to a “walking pace” of around three mph, speed bumps significantly decrease the likelihood of severe injuries in the event of a collision. Even if a pedestrian gets hit by a vehicle traveling at this reduced speed, the injuries will likely be minor and survivable.
Consider strategically situating speed bumps throughout the parking lot, focusing on placing them before pedestrian crossings, along roadways, and in long parking rows. These physical barriers compel drivers to reduce speed, creating a safer pedestrian environment.
Enhancing Visibility and Signage
In addition to speed bumps, other speed mitigation devices can further enhance safety. High-contrast LED signs warning of pedestrian crossings, stop signs at all pedestrian intersections, and high-visibility painted crosswalks are all effective measures. These tools increase drivers’ awareness of pedestrian zones and encourage more cautious driving.
Improved lighting is another critical factor in parking lot safety. Many accidents occur during low-light conditions, such as at night or inclement weather. By increasing the brightness and coverage of lighting in the parking lot, drivers can better see pedestrians, reducing the risk of collisions.
Protecting Pedestrians with Bollards
While controlling vehicle speed and improving signage are essential, restaurant owners should consider installing bollards at building entrances. Bollards are sturdy, vertical posts designed to prevent vehicles from driving onto sidewalks or into buildings. They protect patrons from runaway vehicles that might otherwise crash into the restaurant’s entrance.
Bollards must be commercial-grade and made of heavy steel pipes embedded deeply in concrete to be effective. Bollards that bolt to the ground may shear off upon impact with a heavy vehicle, rendering them ineffective. Properly installed bollards can serve as a last line of defense, preventing potentially devastating accidents at the restaurant’s entrance.
The Importance of Proactive Safety Measures
It is not enough for restaurant owners to rely solely on signs or assume that patrons will exercise caution on their own. The reality is that distracted drivers and pedestrians are standard, and relying on individuals to always act responsibly is a risk that restaurant owners need help to afford to take. Proactive safety measures, such as speed bumps, enhanced signage, improved lighting, the installation of bollards, and regular maintenance checks to ensure the effectiveness of these measures, are necessary to create a safer environment for everyone.
By taking these steps, restaurant owners fulfill their legal obligations and demonstrate a commitment to their patrons’ well-being. Ensuring parking lots are safe and secure can also have positive business implications. Customers are more likely to return to establishments where they feel safe, and by creating a safer environment, you can foster a sense of trust and loyalty among your patrons. This should motivate you and give you optimism about the positive impact of your efforts.
Conclusion
Parking lot safety is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of restaurant management. With the proper measures, restaurant owners can significantly reduce the risk of auto-pedestrian accidents, protecting their patrons from harm. Speed control through speed bumps, enhanced visibility with LED signs and improved lighting, and physical barriers like bollards are all practical tools for creating a safer parking lot environment. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that every customer can enjoy their dining experience without fear of injury, from when they park their car to when they leave the premises.
Source: Madison, Kevin. “How Restaurants Can Protect Guests from Car Injuries in Parking Lots.”
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