Tips for City Drivers on Protecting Your Car

Dents and Dings

If you are commuting or parking in the city, or anywhere really, you are bound to come across a situation where your can get dinged.

Here are some things to avoid:

• Tight Parking spots – In highly populated areas where parking is scarce, you are more likely to come across tight spaces that leave little room to even open your doors. Avoid these at all costs even if it means parking farther and walking a little more to get to your final destination. If you have to park in a tight space, make sure to have the vehicle properly aligned with the parking lines. You may also want to take a of pictures of the scene including the license plate of the cars parked next to you in case you come back to find dents or dings on the either side of your car. Also, consider researching and using a service to help you find parking so you aren’t forced to settle with a questionable spot.
• Shopping Carts – You can’t control where other people haphazardly place their shopping carts after loading their car, but you can find ways to keep your car safe. Avoid parking near the reserved shopping cart return spaces where carts tend to pile up. Also, if you park in space where a shopping cart was idly left in front or on the side, take it with you into the store and use it for yourself or leave it up front.

Towing and Tickets

City dwellers, especially those in downtown areas, know well of the dangers of being ticketed or towed. Here are some things to be on the lookout for:

• Parking restrictions – Make sure to abide by all parking instructions whether they be to pay the fee before use, to only park during certain hours, only park in a certain direction, or other restrictions that may be in place. It is recommended that you take a picture of the area where your car is parked on the off chance that you are ticket or towed even though you are parked legally. If you are ticketed or towed in error, you may be able to get any associated fees dismissed if you have proof you were parked legally or no notification was provided of certain parking restrictions. If you do find yourself in need to fight a parking ticket, look into services and apps like WinIt.
• Plates and Tags – Even if you follow all parking instructions, you may still get ticketed or towed if you have any issues with your license plate or decal sticker. Far too often, vehicle owner’s forget to renew their registration and can be cited or towed for expired tags. Each state is different on when you are required to renew but it is best that you stay on top of this to make sure you avoid being expired. Set a reminder on your phone or take other measures to make sure you don’t forget to renew. Services like eTags  can help you renew you fast and provide a digital copy of your registration card in case you need to show proof to someone.

City Traffic

Everyone hates traffic. Aside from the complete inconvenience of drudging along at 10 mph for stretches at time, you are in greater risk of being involved in a crash when it’s bumper to bumper. Even though crashes at low speeds come with less risk of bodily injury, a small tap on the bumper from a distracted driver behind you can set you back lots of time and money. Stay out of traffic by doing your best to avoid rush hours and also try apps like Waze that which communicates where the traffic jams are based on input from other users.

from Motorlogy http://www.motorlogy.com/tips-for-city-drivers-on-protecting-your-car-4198/
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