Marking your spot on a mobile device and parking near landmarks are just two of the tips experts have for ensuring you remember where you parked.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is highly car-dependent, especially for city dwellers and work commuters. Grocery stores and shopping malls are also likely to entail navigating sprawling parking lots or multi-level garages.
Not only can avoiding scraping cars against cement beams and maneuvering tight turns on entry ramps cause stress, the sheer number of cars in these lots can make it easy to lose sight of yours.
One reader asked Curious Texas, “How do I find my car in a parking garage?”
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Here’s what we found out.
How can I prevent losing my car in a parking garage?
Parking garage design engineers have long anticipated — and attempted to prevent — the possibility of losing your car in a garage.
James Adams, a vice president at Corgan, said design is especially important for public parking structures because they serve first-time visitors every day. Corgan is a Dallas-based architecture and design firm responsible for the design of Dallas’ 700 Jackson Street garage, among others.
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Adams said navigation for drivers should be intuitive, emphasizing the importance of clearly marked entrances that guide drivers to available parking. He also said safety, good lighting and clear visibility improve drivers’ experiences.
“Simplicity in parking structure signage is very important. Patrons need to be able to easily understand the logic of how floors and areas are labeled so they can remember where they parked,” Adams said.
Corgan Director of Brand and Graphics Robbie Good also spoke to the importance of signage.
“One of our first considerations is how each level is identified so patrons can differentiate one level to the next,” Good said. “Color is a great basic tool but sometimes an additional cue is needed.”
He said assigning state symbols to garage levels — such as mockingbirds, longhorns and bluebonnets — has been proven by researchers to be an effective means of helping drivers recall their vehicle’s location.
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There are a number of ways to leverage these design features to your advantage when parking.
The security team at Galleria Dallas has a number of tips on how to ensure you can find your car in a large garage.
Sara Frederick Burgos of the Galleria’s PR team said the mall’s security team recommends paying attention to design features including color codes or the level and section of the garage. On top of these design features, other landmarks such as signs, stores or even structural elements like poles can help distinguish your spot, she said.
Taking a picture of these indicators is helpful, Burgos said.
She said knowing the make, model, color and plate of the vehicle you drove is imperative to ensure you can find it.
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AARP offers additional tips on its website.The organization for older adults recommends making your car easily distinguishable, whether by choosing a vehicle color other than the common white, black and gray or adding accessories such as bumper stickers. AARP also suggests parking further away from crowded areas.
Burgos recommends dropping a pin on Google Maps or other mapping software to mark your car’s location. AARP notes that Apple Maps has begun to automatically mark parked cars.
What do I do if I lost my car?
Even after following preventative measures, it’s possible to lose sight of your car.
Should this happen, Burgos recommends activating your car’s key fob to trigger its emergency alarm and lights.
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To extend the range of your key fob’s signal, you can hold it under your chin, causing your head to act as an antenna, according to AARP. The water in your head amplifies the fob’s radio waves.
AARP suggests methodically going through a garage row by row to decrease the chance you miss your car as you search.
If this doesn’t work, security teams such as the one at the Galleria are available to help, Burgos said. AARP notes that office receptionists, facility workers, airport attendants and security guards are also frequently available to help depending on your location. Some garages have emergency call stations accessible for help.
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