How To Avoid Dallas Parking Lot Striping Liabilities
Many parking lots in the Dallas area get little respite from the comings and goings of vehicles. A hotel, for example, can have guests leaving or arriving at any time of the day or night, but staff members will also be coming and going for their shifts. A huge manufacturing facility may welcome few customers, but there could be hundreds of employees trading places every eight hours or so. Retailers, restaurants, and many other types of businesses may also be open for 16 hours or more each day. However, even if your parking lot is only open for less than 10 hours a day, it could still be a source of potential liability issues. Although it is necessary to evaluate every aspect of your lot for safety, potential liabilities involving Dallas parking lot striping are among the most important to remedy. In general, you can classify these liability issues as fines, judgments, and indirect costs.
How Can Dallas Parking Lot Striping Result in Fines?
When it comes to parking lot striping in Dallas, the Americans with Disabilities Act is one of the leading causes of fines. Some people, including a handful of novice local parking lot striping contractors, believe that they are only required to provide accessible spaces. However, the ADA also requires the application of a pavement stencil in each accessible space and the installation of signage. If your pavement markings, lot striping, and signage do not comply with ADA regulations, you could be fined. The ADA also strongly recommends other markings that parking lot striping companies can apply; you may not incur a fine if they are missing, but their lack could affect your relationships with your guests or customers. Although the ADA is the biggest challenge, it is important to remember that local fire and building codes can also involve your parking lot striping and pavement markings. Like the ADA, failure to comply with local codes can also result in fines. Thus, it is critical to hire an experienced Dallas Texas striping company with in-depth knowledge of the ADA as well as local ordinances.
How Can Dallas Lot Striping Affect Judgments?
One of the primary goals of parking lot striping for Dallas businesses is to provide a safe, orderly flow of traffic. Your parking lot traffic can consist of pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, and bicycles. Your lot striping and markings can provide critical information to pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists that can reduce distractions and confusion, thus enhancing safety. However, your Dallas parking lot striping and pavement markings need to be highly visible, correctly applied, and properly located. Visitors to your parking lot who suffer a physical injury or vehicle damage may expect you to provide financial compensation, especially if their injury or damage was directly related to your local parking lot striping. Damaged, faded, or missing stripes and markings can bolster their case if they decide to sue you for compensation. In addition, another type of lawsuit has been increasing in recent decades, and that is known as a class action lawsuit. Class action lawsuits against businesses with parking lot striping in Dallas that does not comply with the ADA must always be considered a possibility.
What Are Some Indirect Costs Related to Dallas Parking Lot Striping?
An experienced parking lot striping company knows that there are numerous ways that inadequate lot striping and marking can impact the customer’s finances. Here are just a few possibilities.
1. You could lose customers. People like to share their experiences with others, but studies have shown that they are more likely to share their negative experiences than their positive ones. A damaged car or a physical injury would definitely be considered a negative experience. Once, people would have had a limited audience to tell about their experience, often a small circle of friends and relatives. However, with the internet, they could potentially reach hundreds of thousands of people. If only a small percentage of these people decide against patronizing your business, your revenue could suffer.
2. Many businesses carry inherent risks to employees, but few workers expect to suffer an injury in the company’s parking lot. Unfortunately, poor parking lot striping in Dallas has been known to be the direct cause of an injury. An injured employee can impact your business in several ways. If you carry workers’ compensation or private occupational injury insurance, incidents can result in increased premiums. Beyond that, however, is the issue of how you will ensure that the injured employee’s job gets done. You could be forced to ask another employee to work overtime, hire a less-efficient temp, or turn away business.
3. Your reputation could suffer. Parking lot striping in Dallas provides passers-by with a snapshot of your property’s curb appeal. From one brief glimpse, people can form an impression of how much you value your customers, your employees, and yourself. You want their initial impression of your operation to be favorable. Since the first thing they will likely notice is your parking lot, it is only logical to hire a trustworthy Dallas Texas striping company.
Advanced Texas Striping specializes in Dallas parking lot striping, but we also offer parking lot layout, ADA compliance markings, warehouse striping, and parking lot re-striping. We are a veteran-owned, family-operated business serving the entire DFW metroplex. We are known for our integrity, our exceptional craftsmanship, and our exemplary service. If you are interested in receiving a free quote, you can submit the online form, call 817-600-5975, or email Mark@ATStriping.net.