All over the United States, parking lots are dangerous places for cars and it’s no different in Tucson.  You have people pulling into spaces, people double parking, certain maniacs (you know who you are) cutting across parking spots, and all sorts of chaos happening—not to mention pedestrians, kids on skateboards, and runaway shopping carts.  Yes, parking lots are just asking for trouble.  So what do you do if your car has become another casualty in the great parking lot wars?

With all the odd maneuverings happening in parking lots around Tuscon, it’s no surprise that hundreds of cars we’ve repaired suffered from parking lot damage.  You have people pulling into spaces, people double parking, certain maniacs (you know who you are) cutting across parking spots, and all sorts of chaos happening—not to mention pedestrians, kids on skateboards, and runaway shopping carts.  Yes, parking lots are just asking for trouble.  So what do you do if your car has become another casualty in the great parking lot wars?

First, call the police and exchange insurance information.  Even if the damage is minor, be sure to exchange insurance information.  Most car insurance companies won't require a police report for a minor parking lot accident.  Many times the police will tell you to exchange information on your own.  But you can tell the insurance company that you did call, but that the police didn't respond. And if the cops do show up, you've got a police report that lays out the facts.  If police don't respond you should exchange names, contact information, license numbers, and insurance companies and policy numbers.  If there are witnesses, get their names and phone numbers as well.  If you hit an unoccupied car, most states require that you find the owner or leave a note so that he or she can contact you.

Have you ever come out of a store, walked up to your car, and discovered that someone left a nasty dent in your car door.  I’m sure we’d all prefer to believe that our neighbors in Tucson and the Green Valley area would never be so inconsiderate, but I bet that this kind of thing has happened to most of us.  Or maybe you got caught in a hailstorm that left some welts on the hood of your car.  Or perhaps you got caught in what seemed like a hailstorm, but it was debris from a dump truck in front of you on the highway. 

Paintless Dent Repair