Looking For More Holiday Stress? 'Stalking' for parking spots is on the rise

New National Survey on Stressful Parking Strategy

MERIDEN, Conn., Dec. 8 -- The latest Response Insurance National Driving Habits Survey shows a dramatic increase in the number of parking space "stalkers" poised to follow you to your car this holiday shopping season.

The first Survey, conducted in 2000, had just 9% of drivers admitting to following shoppers back to their spaces to get their spot (AKA "stalking"). But this year the number jumped to more than 15% -- and for the first time men have caught up to women in this stress-provoking approach to snag the best spot in the lot.

The four main parking space strategies identified by Response are "Search & Destroy" drivers who cruise the aisles for a space; "Lie & Wait" who position themselves at the end of an aisle waiting for an opening; the "See It & Take It" driver who simply takes the first space they see; and the "Stalker."

Ray Palermo, Director of Public Relations for Response Insurance, noted that of the four strategies, stalking was "the only one that was stressful to everyone involved." According to Palermo, "The 'Stalker' has the added disadvantage of stressing out the person they're getting the space from, even before they reach the spot." The least stressful method according to the company? Just take the first spot you see, and walk.

The previous Survey had 12% of women and 5% of men stalking, but this year those numbers were almost even with nearly 16% of women and nearly 15% of men following shoppers in their cars as a strategy to get a good spot. Drivers age 25-34 are again the most likely to stalk (23%), as are residents of urban areas (16%).

Response Insurance is a direct to the consumer auto insurer that regularly provides to the public news and information regarding driver safety and transportation issues. They issue safety tips, reports, analyses, and conduct original research as a public service. This Response Insurance National Driving Habits Survey of 1,000 adults was conducted 8/18-21/05. The survey has a margin of error of + / - 3%.