Is It OK To Reserve a Parking Spot By Physically Standing In It?

It already sounds ridiculous from the get-go but you’d be surprised how this stupid practice has unexpectedly become more common than it should nowadays. As you can tell from the headline, yes, there are some people out there who try to reserve a parking lot by standing on the spot.

Understandably, it’s something that has been causing arguments among people. It isn’t appropriate for a pedestrian to simply stand on a space and claims to reserve it without an actual vehicle, right?

Well there are some who actually believe otherwise!

Some people are reserving parking slots by physically standing on the spot.

Of course, basic etiquette tells us that parking spaces are usually on a first-come first serve basis, unless the parking management implements formal reservation policies. This is the common practice whether it is a public or private parking area.

But it isn’t illegal to stand and reserve, you ask? Well this might sound surprising to some but there are actually countries where doing that it is against the law and, therefore, punishable.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, saving a spot by standing in it is prohibited.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, “violators can face a fine of $70”.

Okay or unacceptable? Ultimately, the answer depends on where you are.

But when you do so (for instance, to reserve a spot for your friends while they circle the vehicle around), you have to consider certain matters.

To begin with, you need to mind your safety. Plus yeah, you might as well be prepared about getting into a confrontation with other drivers like in the footage below.

Of course, it is also worth-noting that in 2006, a man from San Francisco ended up losing his life after a parking space clash regarding the practice, SF Gate reported.