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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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is highly\u00a0 car-dependent,<\/a> especially for city dwellers and work commuters. Grocery stores and shopping malls are also likely to entail navigating sprawling parking lots<\/a> or multi-level garages.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n One reader asked Curious Texas<\/a>, \u201cHow do I find my car in a parking garage?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we found out.\u00a0<\/p>\n How can I prevent losing my car in a parking garage?<\/p>\n Parking garage design engineers have long anticipated \u2014 and attempted to prevent \u2014 the possibility of losing your car in a garage.\u00a0<\/p>\n James Adams, a vice president at Corgan,\u00a0said 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\u2019 700 Jackson Street garage<\/a>, among others.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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\u2019 experiences.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSimplicity 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,\u201d Adams said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Corgan\u00a0Director of Brand and Graphics Robbie Good also spoke to the importance of signage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne 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.”<\/p>\n He said assigning state symbols to garage levels \u2014 such as mockingbirds, longhorns and bluebonnets \u2014 has been proven by researchers to be an effective means of helping drivers recall their vehicle\u2019s location.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n There are a number of ways to leverage these design features to your advantage when parking.\u00a0<\/p>\n The security team at Galleria Dallas has a number of tips on how to ensure you can find your car in a large garage.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sara Frederick Burgos of the Galleria\u2019s PR team said the mall\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taking a picture of these indicators is helpful, Burgos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said knowing the make, model, color and plate of the vehicle you drove is imperative to ensure you can find it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n