If you do enough driving, especially in crowded cities, every so often you see an open spot on a street that lends itself to creating a parking masterpiece. It’s the kind of maneuver that puts most people on the edge between appreciating the difficulty and being annoyed that anyone would have the gall to leave their car that way. You know what I’m talking about.
Unfortunately for all of the parking artists out there, most of your moves are totally illegal parking and it can cause you a lot of headache down the road. Traffic violations are clearly not on the same level as something like murder but they can still have a detrimental affect on your daily life if you don’t take care of them the right way.
What is illegal parking?
While there are different types of illegal parking, the general gist is that you’ve left your car in a position that either poses a nuisance or hazard to the general public. Obviously if you’re in the process of driving under the influence and you end up parking on someone’s lawn, that’s a tad different than situations that produce the run of the mill parking ticket.
Some of the less creative examples of illegal parking are:
- Parking in front of a fire hydrant, which is prohibited because, well, fires happen. A fire truck needs access to water and doesn’t want to have to hit your vehicle to get to it.
- Parking in a school zone, which is designed to make the roadways safer for children, teachers and school staff while school is in session.
- Double parking, which is when you park blocking a lane next to a car already legally parked on the curb.
- Parking in a loading zone can have several consequences for businesses. If the delivery driver has to wheel or carry a large order from a distance, there’s a greater risk of injury, time schedules get off track, certain products can spoil if they arrive late, and if an oversized delivery vehicle is forced to illegally park it can cause an accident.
- Parking in a handicapped space without a valid placard. Does this one really need explaining?
The problem with illegal parking
So some of the dangers of illegal parking in crowded areas should be pretty obvious based on what we just discussed above. If you’re parked in a lane and cars have to go around you into oncoming traffic, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Illegal parking in suburbs can be just as dangerous and inconvenient, but if you are a habitual illegal parker, you already know this.
Coronavirus has caused a ton of inconvenience for many people and finding permissible activities has become a bit, shall we say, difficult? Now, even the Romancoke and Matapeake fishing piers that were open 24 hours will have limited access periods during COVID-19 due to overcrowding that is causing, among other things, illegal parking. This is why we can’t have nice things.
Then you have next level anger that builds in people when repeat offenders do things like block driveways, park straight out in cul-de-sacs, or park on both sides of the street making it tough to pass by. If you aren’t considerate you could end up on the other end of an irate homeowner’s gun barrel.
What could happen if you get a parking ticket?
Illegal parking that ends in being issued a traffic citation may result in a series of events that will seriously hinder your life. You can simply pay the fine or contest it. Depending on the route you take, if you miss a deadline or an appearance you could face:
- Increased fines and fees
- Your vehicle registration not being renewed
- Suspension of your driver’s license
Why risk handling any traffic violation on your own? You have a full life and busy schedule. Forgetting to pay a fine on time or not being able to get to a hearing shouldn’t cost you, and it won’t if you hire an attorney whose entire existence revolves around keeping on top of these details for you.
If you’ve been caught parking halfway up on a curb, you might need a new pair of glasses, but you definitely need legal representation from the highly experienced traffic violation professional, Drew Cochran, Attorney at Law. Schedule a free consultation today by calling his Annapolis or Ellicott City offices at 410-271-1892, or by reaching out to him through his firm’s contact page. Also serving clients in Centreville.
And remember – Keep Calm, and Call Drew.
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