A Holiday Safety Reminder: “Heads Up in Parking Lots”

Malls, shopping areas, airports and highways aren’t the only places that are more crowded than usual during this time of year. Parking lots are often filled to near capacity which means that there are more drivers looking for an empty space. That, combined with more people than normal walking to and from their vehicles, can lead to accidents for pedestrians and drivers.

This has become such an issue that Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett made reducing pedestrian collisions a priority of his administration.

In support of the Executive’s priority, the Public Information Office began working on a public education campaign in July 2013 to help reduce the number and severity of parking lot collisions. Staff started working with property managers and owners of private parking lots to develop the campaign due to the fact that 83 percent of the collisions in 2012 occurred in private, retail lots.

The campaign slogan developed reflects a simple, direct message that tells pedestrians and drivers what to do: “Heads Up in Parking Lots: Don’t run over people. Don’t get run over.”

Learn more about the parking lot safety campaign on the County’s website.