Did you know you could potentially be fined if you wrongly use a parent and child parking space?
One mum was fined £260 because she left her child in the car whilst she did a 20-minute food shop. You can read more here.
But fear not, as the LeaseCar.uk team have revealed how to keep your money in your own pocket.
What are they?
Parent and child parking spaces are bigger spaces that are normally the closest to shop entrances, allowing families to enter the shop without having to navigate a large car park.
However, the wider spaces are often used by nervous parkers or lazy shoppers – especially if the weather’s bad.
Where are they?
Parent and child car parking spaces are often found in private car parks meaning the owners are able to set their own parking rules.
They are legally able to specify that a child must leave the car with the parent to be able to use the space and are able to give penalties for disobedience.
What’s the punishment?
Car owners who use the space wrongly could be handed a Penalty Charge Notice, with the car parking spaces often being monitors by cameras.
Some car parks even have dedicated wardens or use store staff members to make sure the rules are being abided by.
Grey areas
The upper age limit for the child can be debated, and is different from car park to car park, but tends to be around 12 years old.
There is a grey area around whether heavily pregnant women can use the parent and child car parking spaces, but it should be generally accepted if the pregnancy is visibly obvious.
Our Advice
The best piece of advice we can give you is to make sure you have your child with you, and you take them in-store.
Also, make sure you read the car park’s signs, note the terms and conditions and follow the rules.
If you’re not a hundred per cent sure on what the rules are, to help save being fined, park in a normal space.