{"id":20846,"date":"2026-04-08T13:15:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/?p=20846"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:26:09","slug":"accident-dans-un-stationnement-qui-est-vraiment-responsable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/accident-dans-un-stationnement-qui-est-vraiment-responsable\/","title":{"rendered":"Accident in a parking lot: Who is really at fault?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A little \u201ctap\u201d while backing up. A door that opens a bit too eagerly. Or that classic moment when two cars back up at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>

Accidents in parking lots are common\u2014and rarely as straightforward as they seem. So, who\u2019s at fault? It\u2019s almost never black and white.<\/p>

A parking lot isn\u2019t a rule-free zone<\/h4>

Contrary to what many people believe, a parking lot (whether commercial or private) isn\u2019t a playground without rules of conduct.<\/p>

Even though it\u2019s not a public road, the principles of caution still apply:<\/p>

Drive slowly
Watch out for pedestrians
Respect the unspoken rules of the road<\/p>

In the event of an accident, insurers analyze the circumstances\u2026 not just \u201cwho was there first.\u201d<\/p>

\u27a1\ufe0fThe classic scenario: two vehicles backing up<\/strong><\/p>

This is the classic scenario.<\/p>

Two drivers back up at the same time and\u2026 collision.<\/p>

\ud83d\udc49 In this situation, liability is often shared.
Why? Because each driver has a duty to ensure the path is clear before backing up.<\/p>

The moral of the story: if you\u2019re backing up, you\u2019re responsible for what happens behind you. Even if the other driver is too.<\/p>

\u27a1\ufe0f Moving vehicle vs. stationary vehicle<\/strong><\/p>

Here, it\u2019s generally clearer.<\/p>

One car is stationary in its space
The other is moving and collides<\/p>

\ud83d\udc49 The moving vehicle is usually at fault.<\/p>

But be careful: there can be nuances. For example, a car that\u2019s parked improperly or encroaching on the lane could share some of the blame.<\/p>

\u27a1\ufe0f Car doors: more dangerous than you think<\/strong><\/p>

A door that opens at the wrong moment can cause damage\u2026 and arguments.<\/p>

\ud83d\udc49 As a general rule, the person opening the door is responsible for ensuring it\u2019s safe to do so. Yes, even in a quiet parking lot.<\/p>

\u27a1\ufe0fWhat about pedestrians in all this?<\/strong><\/p>

In a parking lot, pedestrians are king\u2026 but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re invisible.<\/p>

The driver must:<\/p>

Be extremely vigilant
Anticipate unpredictable movements<\/p>

\ud83d\udc49 In the event of an accident involving a pedestrian, the driver is often held liable, barring very specific exceptions.<\/p>

Why it\u2019s rarely 100% clear<\/h4>

Parking lot accidents are often judged based on:<\/p>

The drivers\u2019 accounts
Visible damage
Witness statements (if any)<\/p>

But there\u2019s also the ultimate judge of the 21st century: surveillance cameras, which will quickly settle the matter.<\/p>

\ud83d\udc49 Result: liability is more frequently shared between both parties.<\/p>

And what about your insurance in all this?<\/h4>

This is where it gets important.<\/p>

With auto insurance tailored to your situation, damage to your vehicle may be covered, just as your liability coverage protects you in the event of fault, and your case will be reviewed according to the rules established by the GAA<\/a> (Groupement des assureurs automobiles).<\/p>

But most importantly: you don\u2019t have to handle this alone.<\/p>

Our AGV Tip<\/h4>

In a parking lot, it\u2019s better to lose 10 seconds than to cause an accident.<\/p>

Take the time to check your blind spots, back up slowly, and be alert to anything that\u2019s moving or might move. Because in the end, no matter who is \u201ctechnically\u201d at fault, a fender-bender never has any real winners.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

An accident in a parking lot is rarely a matter of clear-cut blame. It\u2019s a matter of context, caution, and sometimes, shared responsibility.<\/p>

Our brokers will be your best allies to support you.
1-800-360-6880<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A little \u201ctap\u201d while backing up. A door that opens a bit too eagerly. Or that classic moment when two cars back up at the same time. Accidents in parking lots are common\u2014and rarely as straightforward as they seem. So, who\u2019s at fault? It\u2019s almost never black and white. A parking lot isn\u2019t a rule-free […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":20848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[248,266,305,46,254,105],"class_list":["post-20846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vehicle-insurance","tag-accident-en-2","tag-automobile-en-2","tag-car-insurance","tag-insurance","tag-protection-en-2","tag-responsability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20846"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20866,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20846\/revisions\/20866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}