Dedham Police Advise on Parking Lot Safety

According to Dedham Police records, from January 2012 to now, 11 incidents occurred in parking lot areas.

"These incidents account for 39 percent of the total pedestrian accident reports received by the Dedham Police Department over this time period," police said in a statement.

Three of the incidents involved pedestrian injuries. 

The Police Department would like to present the following safety tips related to parking lots:

Pedestrians:

Parking lots should be viewed in the same manner as streets;

Pedestrians should take the same precautions in parking lots that they do on streets;

Use caution and be aware of your surrounding in parking lots;

Do not assume drivers can see you.  Vehicle blind spots can interfere with operator vision;

Walk down parking lot aisles rather than in-between vehicles;

In bad weather, wear proper footwear to provide proper traction;

Drivers:

When possible, pull all the way through a parking space so that you can exit the spot driving forward.  Avoid driving in reverse if possible;

Drive slowly;

Reduce speeds in bad weather;

Look for parking areas that do not have heavy pedestrian foot traffic;

Park in a well lit area.