The Psychology Of Parking
May 22, 2009 
Author 
In I’m reading a fascinating book titled Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt. It’s essentially the psychology/sociology of traffic, and offers the most in-depth look at interactions expressed through driving I’ve ever read.
An interesting bit from the book explains something you’ve probably experienced. Andrew Velkey, a psychology professor at Virginia’s Christopher Newport University uncovered the following conclusion after he studied the behavior of parkers at a Wal-Mart in Mississippi (paraphrased):
Something curious happens in parking lots. It seems that the people who actively look for the “best” parking space inevitably spend more total time getting to the store than those people who simply grab the first spot they see.
Two distinct strategies were observed: “cycling” and “pick a row, closest space.” Although the individuals cycling were spending more time driving looking for a parking space, on average they were no closer to the door, time-wise or distance-wise, than people using “pick a row, closest space.”
I enjoy walking, so I’m not a part of the traffic dance you see in your local parking lot – however this is a great insight into the decision making processes of people in relatively unstructured settings.
My personal view of this situation is I don’t necessarily think it is the laziness factor causing this, rather it may be social conditioning of how “great” it is to get the perfect parking space. You often hear people talk about finding the perfect parking space as if it is some sort of trophy. And yet, the reality is they are doing themselves a disservice because it takes more time to find the parking space than it would have to simply pick a row, closest space and then walk to the destination.
What are your thoughts – do you think people are lazy, unable to judge distance or is there something else going on here?
whitney elizabeth replied | May 22, 2009 (2 comments)
i always chalked it up to people being lazy if they keep searching for the “perfect” parking spot…but after reading this it does make me think more about how personalities might play a role in this :)
Brandon Cox replied | May 22, 2009 (2 comments)
A little off subject, but I think people lack chivalry too. I’m a 31 year old (somewhat) healthy guy. It’s pretty much rude for me to park up front and watch the elderly shuffle from a football field away. Not sure how that factors into the equation, but had to vent… ooh, is that a close spot I see?
Kristin Currier replied | May 23, 2009 (20 comments)
Funny that you wrote about this or that anyone would do a study on it at all! I thought I was the only one who actively observed the parking habits of people.
I’m a pick-the-first-spot kind of gal. Or, I’ll park farther away where there are less cars so my door won’t be dinged. Either way, my goal is to get it over quickly and I don’t mind the walk.
In my observation, I think you are correct with your “Trophy” theory. I had a friend who, when driving, would drive each column to find the “perfect spot”. She was goal-oriented and methodical in how she did this, not traits of the lazy. She was like a hunter trailing quarry. When she found the spot, it was like she won a prize. But it would take her forever to get out of the car -put on lipstick, assemble her bag, find her sunglasses- that she could have walked to the store 5 times if she had parked farther.
Of course, she was over 300 lbs. and did NOT like walking. And, that is telling in itself. How many people who search for the perfect parking spot are heavy?
Another couple I drove with did this also. They drove each column to finally wedge their giant SUV into a spot they could barely fit. Then, they would attempt to get out of the SUV, but because they were so heavy AND had parked in such a tight spot, they had to ding both cars on either side squeezing their rears out of their doors. Which didn’t faze them. Then, it was off to the restaurant for a meal of Chicken Fried Steak, while half the parking lot was empty just a few slots away.
websites for kids virtual worlds replied | May 24, 2009 (11 comments)
I prefer walk and public transports. Much more convenience for me, personally, in Singapore. The parking is damn expensive here…
Richard replied | May 26, 2009 (1 comment)
I’ve got a wierd one, this was very odd but amusing.
I first noticed an intentional awkwardly distant parking decision from a young couple while vacationing on the cape last year. It condounded me as the couple had carrried a ton of beach gear included chairs, blankets radio, beach ball, kite, cooler etc, all that distance when there were plenty of close spots next to the dunes. Although I did not realize it, I actually had visited a partially nude beach on Cape Cod, in Truro. As I came to find out, they had literally chosen the farthest spot purposefully to gain courage over thier long trek onto the beach, and, although the girl was keen on stripping bare, the guy hesitated quite a bit and was procrastinating the inevitable. She loved he was anxious.
I also have seen this kind of thing at funerals, when persons want to walk and think, alone time to and from maybe.
Adam Singer replied | May 26, 2009 (594 comments)
@whitney elizabeth – yes, I too initially thought it might be laziness, which is probably one factor, but there is definitely more at play here.
@Brandon Cox – walking is good for us anyway, I’m for it.
@Kristin Currier – if this interests you, definitely read the book – our driving habits reveal much about our personalities.
@websites for kids virtual worlds – yes, public transport is good, when it works.
@Richard – that is an interesting scenario – parking further away to vent nervousness. Never considered that but it makes sense.
Tony replied | Jun 4, 2009 (1 comment)
I believe it’s a societal conditioning. Makes sense when you consider there are popular phrases like “Prime Time Parking” and “Rock-Star Parking”.
Joe LaValley aka @j_lavalley replied | Dec 25, 2009 (1 comment)
For me, the issue almost always comes down to having sufficient space either AROUND my car (in a lot—to, hopefully, avoid “door-swing dings”) or, more critically, (in a city) to enable relatively comfortable parallel parking. Proximity to destination is rarely the issue “driving” my parking choice(s). My $0.02….