Parking Education to Get Push

The International Parking Institute (IPI) announced a new partnership January 3rd with the Mid-Atlantic Foundation for Safety and Education (MAFSE), which is affiliated with AAA Mid-Atlantic, “to collaborate on the development of parking education programs for drivers.”

“Being knowledgeable about parking is an essential and often undervalued part of being a good driver,” explains Shawn Conrad, executive director of IPI.

I was especially interested to read that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says “parking-related crashes account for more than 20 percent of automobile insurance claims.”

Read IPI's full announcement here.

Iraq Vet Killed in Starbucks Crash

Image: The Fillmore Gazette

Fillmore, CA: A 30-year-old off-duty deputy sheriff crashed his SUV into a Los Angeles-area Starbucks last night after he apparently fell asleep at the wheel, killing Sergio Mendez, a 30-year-old Iraq war veteran who was pinned between the vehicle and an internal wall in the Starbucks.

According to The Fillmore Gazette, the Dec. 13, 2011, crash sent the SUV “through the east wall of the business, traversed through the customer lobby area, and came to rest inside at the front door.”

Two other Starbucks patrons were injured during the crash, though neither seriously, according to ABC News. The vehicle's impact was reportedly so strong that officials had to red-tag the building.

More details: Los Angeles Times | KTLA-TV

[Thanks to Charles Carter for the heads-up on this news!]

GMA Spotlights a Close Call

Thanks to Helen Sullivan, communications counsel at the International Parking Institute, for sending me the link for this video from yesterday's ABC Good Morning America show that captures a December 2, 2011, crash into a San Diego, California restaurant.

It's a classic scenario: The driver reportedly hits the gas pedal instead of the brake as she pulls into a parking spot in front of a restaurant. Her car bounces right up over the shallow curb and launches through the glass doors — plowing directly into a man who's exiting through those doors — and crashes inside, barely missing other patrons but sending chairs and tables flying.

I wince every time I watch it (having stood in that guy's shoes, so to speak) — but he reportedly avoids serious injury, as do all the other people involved. That's what I'd call a miracle!

Recent Crash Examples - November 20, 2011

(Image: abclocal.go.com/wpvi - So. Philadelphia, Nov. 4, 2011)

A quick posting of 10 recent examples.

Kilgore, TX: Three hospitalized when driver crashes SUV into auto parts store (CBS19 - November 19, 2011)

Salem, OR: 36-year-old driver crashes through front windows of UPS store (StatesmanJournal - November 15, 2011)

S. Philadelphia, PA: 81-year-old driver dies after crashing into clothing store (ABC - November 4, 2011)

Medford, MA: Two injured when SUV slams into vacant store (Patch.com - November 2, 2011)

Durant, OK: 18-year-old driver loses control of truck, crashes into donut shop (KXII-TV - October 27, 2011)

Byron Twp., MI 30-year-old driver careens into motorcycle shop, narrowly missing employee (MLive.com - October 26, 2011)

Boston, MA: Driver injured after crashing his vehicle into Sewfisticated Discount Fabrics (Boston Globe - October 23, 2011)

S. Daytona, FL: 74-year-old driver's pedal confusion results in crash through front of thrift store (MyFoxOrlando - October 20, 2011)

Sherwood, OR: SUV crashes through front wall of Sleighbells Christmas store and into the main counter (KPTV - September 26, 2011)

Mission Viejo, CA: Rock 'n Road Cyclery crash witnesses say fatalities narrowly avoided when senior driver crashes through store — only a week after it had been remodeled. (Patch.com - September 14, 2011)

Thanks to WBFO 88.7!

Welcome to visitors finding StorefrontCrashes.com via Eileen Buckley's Oct. 7th story on WBFO 88.7FM about Buffalo's recent rash of vehicle-into-building crashes!

Sincere sympathies to the people and businesses affected by these crashes in your region, with special condolences for the loved ones of those who were lost.

Tragedy is hard to accept under any circumstances, but all the more so when you know that this type of accident just should not happen.

We take our safety for granted — especially when we're in a restaurant or other business — until reality literally comes crashing in at us. It's quite a shock.

Please feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email (mark -at- storefrontcrashes -dot- com) if you need a hand tracking down info as your community grapples with how to respond to — and hopefully prevent — the storefront crash problem. I'll help in any way I can.

Meanwhile, please be safe. And thanks again to WBFO!
–Mark

NY Town to Explore Crash Barriers

After a rash of storefront crashes in western New York state — including one that resulted in two fatalities — the Town of Amherst had apparently seen enough. The town board directed its planning staff last week to begin modifying site plan regulations to require barriers or other protective devices for new construction, according to BuffaloNews.com.

This is the first municipality I've heard of to take such a step, although I need to research this nationally to see if other jurisdictions have explored, proposed, or passed similar requirements. For now, this stands as an excellent — albeit still unfolding — case study of local government action. I'll share more details as they become available.

Many thanks to Eileen Buckley, news director at NPR station WBFO 88.7FM, for alerting me to this development. She interviewed me this afternoon for a story that will air tomorrow morning.