You never plan to forget where you parked your car, but it happens multiple times in a variety of places like shopping malls, airports, sporting arenas, or parking garages. It can be hard to locate your car in a sea of vehicles. Particularly if your car is a common color or design. In those moments of alarm, you swear you're never going to let it happen again.
When you have chores to do and you're in a hurry: the last
thing on your mind is making sure to remember where you parked your car. You
find the first spot available. Run off to do whatever you need to do. Then when
you want to go back to your car, you can’t locate it. Are you ever upset? There are a few tricks for
easily finding your car the next time in a large parking lot.
1.
Park
Near a Light Pole or Landmark: When
you are searching for a parking spot, don’t just make a beeline for the one
closest to the entrance. Be deliberate about where you park, and choose a spot
next to a light pole or landmark for reference.
Many
larger parking lots have big, numbered poles scattered throughout, and parking
next to one of them can offer you an easy point of reference. If your car has
keyless entry and if that keyless entry engages the horn or makes a beep, use
it to your advantage - listen for your car. Can’t get a strong signal? Place the key fob at your
head to increase the range.
2.
Avoid
The Crowds: Not only is it easier
to find a parking spot away from the most crowded areas, but it also often
means that you will be able to leave the parking lot faster. Crowded areas are
more congested when it is time to go home. You will thank yourself later if you
avoid them from the start.
3.
Use Your Smartphone to Plot Your Location: Most
smartphones have some form of map technology. You can use these apps to “drop a
pin” in your current location before your leave your car. You can save the
location of the pin and use it to navigate back to your car later. Certain
iPhones (iPhone 6 and later) can remember where your car was
parked using location services and Maps, and if drop pins are
available, that’s a useful tool as well. There are also free apps available for
Android phones that serve the same purpose, but you’ll need to remember to
engage with these apps before you close the door and walk away.
4.
Make Your Car
Stand Out: You might have a
car in a popular shade of gray or white, but that doesn’t have to be the only
defining feature of your vehicle. One surefire way to never lose your car in a
parking lot again is to make it truly unique.
You don’t need to add a roof rack, paint it an odd
color, or lift it either to get the same effect as a flag of your favorite
sports team. Keep one of the small, plastic window mounted flags with you in
the trunk and mount it after you park. This will help you find your vehicle
faster when you are scanning the rows of similar looking vehicles.
5.
Park Near an
Exit: Parking near exits in a parking
garage is another great trick you can use. Yes, it will require a bit more
walking to where you're headed, but there are usually more free spots near
exits, so you can pick one that is near a lamp, a colored pillar or something
of the sort.
The last trick in prevention is to throw a glance to your
car while you're leaving it. This will help you remember where it is even if
you don't pay conscious attention to it. It allows you to see your car the way
you would see it when you come back, not when you're leaving with your back
turned to it. It's a simple tip, so start practicing it. By practicing this, it
becomes automatic, and it can be a big help.
6.
Calm Down: You've
done everything you could to prevent forgetting where you parked your car. Now
you can't remember where it is. Fright happens, and you become a sobbing mess. Panicking,
cussing, and getting angry won't help you at all. Calm down and let your brain
work. Your brain is a great tool even if it forgot where your car is right now.
It will help you find your car, but you have to let it function in order, and not
chaos. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes if you think that will help. Let the
calm overwhelm you. Are you ready to move on?
7.
Try To Remember: Were
you thinking frantically about where your car is? Were you angry because you
forgot it again? It's much easier to remember things when there's order. If you
followed the steps so far, you're calm and ready to move on. Instead of trying
to remember where your car is just by forcing your brain to remember, be
systematic.
You know where you are and why you are there. Remember where
you were before you got to where you are. Did you come there straight from
home? Did you have something else to do before? Perhaps you went grocery
shopping, and then you came to a coffee shop to see a friend. What were you
thinking about before you got here? Were you thinking about your grocery list,
or other things you have to buy?
Were you thinking about who you have to see, or what you
have to do? Now that you know these things, what did you see on your way from
your car to where you are now? Maybe there were people in funny clothes. Maybe
you saw a bird somewhere, or maybe you saw a weird looking vehicle.
There are countless things you could have seen, but you're
the only one who knows what they were. When you remember your state of mind
after leaving your car, and things, people or animals you saw on your way, you
can think of places where it happened. Maybe those people were near the
shopping cart area. Or that bird was sitting on a lamp. This is how you get the
cues to help you find where you parked your car.
8.
Retrace Your
Steps: You've got your cues, and now is the time to retrace your
steps. Follow the cues you remembered, and look for your car. No one knows your car better than you do. When
you were leaving your car to enter the building, maybe you turned left, or
right. Now, do the opposite.
Retrace your steps until you know the approximate
area where you parked. When you know
you're somewhere close to it, focus on specific cars. Look at all the cars on
your left, look at all the cars on your right, then look at the cars in the
neighboring rows. If you still can't find it, ask for help. Usually there are
other people there, perhaps even employees of the place you were just visiting.
Tell them what color, make and model your car is, and if there are any unique
marks on it like that stuffed toy you put in the back of your car.
Congratulations, you found your car.
“The road to success is dotted
with many tempting parking spaces.” (Will Rogers)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“How to Find a Parked Car: 5 Steps to Help You
Remember Where You Parked Your Car” by Alex Jefferson
·
“How to Find Your Car in a Parking Lot” by
Amber Dowler
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