Valet Parking May Put You at Greater Risk to Traffic Accidents

April 2, 2009

It's most popular in trendy cities like Los Angles, Miami, and New York. But in recent years, all across the United States, more and more cities and communities have witnessed a surge in valet parking services.

And drivers everywhere are loving it. When you choose valet parking you don't need to worry about making a costly mistake behind the wheel that will send you to an online traffic school or online defensive driving program.

What was once reserved for the super-rich and elite in the chicest of neighborhoods is now offered to diners, shoppers and theatergoers in a time crunch in all sorts of communities. In many cases, valet parking service is extended to everyone when parking at a certain establishment is limited. And sometimes the service is offered for free.

For those drivers attending an online traffic school or defensive driving program who are unfamiliar with the concept of valet parking service, it's fairly simple. Rather than circling a parking lot in search of an empty spot and walking to your destination after parking your vehicle, you simply pull up to the valet desk, hop out of your car, and hand the attendant your keys (and usually a tip) in exchange for a slip of paper that identifies your vehicle. It's one instance where you don't have to worry about being issued a traffic ticket and being ordered to traffic school online because you're not the one behind the wheel during the parking job.

In a nutshell, think of it as a coat check for cars.

While drivers are getting used to not having to worry about parking, there is some concern from leading driver safety authorities on whether the convenience of valet parking is causing drivers to forget the very basics of driving.

The research department at TrafficSchoolOnline.com, the pioneers of America's first traffic school, is studying whether drivers who frequently use valet parking services are more prone to traffic violations and parking infractions that ultimately lead to a trip to online traffic school.

"We're currently studying our data and talking to our students to see if there's any link between valet parking and poor driving habits," stated Steve Soldis, CEO of TrafficSchoolOnline.com.

Driver safety experts agree that when drivers develop poor habits, it's difficult to correct them. For example, countless drivers have 'mastered' the rolling stop. If you've been behind the wheel, there's a good chance you've done it. We all have. After a series of stop signs, stopping and looking both ways feels a little bit too tedious. So instead of coming to a complete stop at the stop sign up ahead, we slow down, roll forward, look both ways while in motion, and then accelerate.

Convenient? Maybe. Against the law? For sure. But for millions of drivers, it seems natural because that's what they've done for years. Unfortunately, if you get caught by a police officer, you could be forced to attend a land-based or online traffic school like the one offered by TrafficSChoolOnline.com.

So what do rolling stops and traffic tickets have to do with valet parking? Well, when drivers get used to doing something one way, they forget how to do it another way. And for drivers who make valet parking the parking technique of choice, the results can be costly.

Parking comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Parallel parking. Backing in. Backing out. Parking on an incline. Parking on a decline. The list goes on and on.

Each type of parking job requires a certain technique and failing to do one properly could result in an accident or a citation from a police officer that will lead to a trip to online traffic school.

The study of the correlation between valet parking and traffic violations is still underway. Watch TrafficSchoolOnline.com soon for the findings.