Three quarters of UK drivers have parking problems with neighbours

Three quarters of UK drivers have had an argument with a neighbour about parking, according to a new survey.

The study, carried out by OSV Ltd, found the problem stems from the fact that many drivers consider the road space outside their homes as their own territory.

According to the survey men are three times more likely than women to be involved in an argument with neighbours over parking, with 69% admitting to going out of their way to prevent others from parking in ‘their space’. Some have gone as far as buying their own traffic cones to stop other people from parking in the space outside their home. Others have bought ‘private parking’ signs, blocked the space with bins or bicycles and even painted their house number on the road.

“Brits have a reputation for keeping cool and not complaining, so it’s quite revealing that such a huge number of us have got into disputes with our neighbours over parking,” said OSV co-director Debbie Kirksey.

“Rather than waging parking wars, we could try talking before our problems escalate, because in the end we have to be happy where we live, and there’s more to life than a designated parking space!”

Worryingly, the survey found that over half of drivers have had to call the police to deal with parking issues.