Parking in busy urban centres has become a growing challenge for motorists, with limited legal parking spaces often forcing drivers to make risky choices.
In the rush to find a convenient spot, some motorists park their vehicles “just for a second” in unauthorised locations, without considering the impact on traffic or the safety of other road users.
Such indiscriminate parking can obstruct traffic, worsen congestion and create dangerous situations for motorists, pedestrians and other road users.
To curb rising traffic gridlocks and preventable road crashes, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has repeatedly issued strict warnings regarding improper parking. Beyond causing frustrating delays, parking in unauthorized zones violates the Nigeria Highway Code and attracts instant fines or vehicle impoundment.
To keep you out of trouble with road marshals and ensure safety on the highway, here are 14 places you must never park your car.
1. Road Junctions
Never park directly opposite or within 10 meters (32 feet) of a junction. Doing so blindsides motorists attempting to turn or merge, drastically increasing the risk of a side-impact collision.
2. Bends and Corners
Approaching a blind corner requires clear visibility. Parking your vehicle along a curve restricts sightlines for oncoming drivers, transforming a routine turn into a dangerous hazard.
3. The Crest of a Hill
The top of a hill (or a brow) creates a natural crest where visibility drops to zero for drivers approaching from either side. Parking here forces fast-moving traffic to brake abruptly over the ridge.
4. Narrow Bridges
Bridges are designed with precise clearance margins. Leaving a vehicle on or immediately near a narrow bridge chokes traffic flow to a single lane and poses severe danger if an emergency evacuation is required.
5. Railway Line Crossings
This should go without saying, but tracks are strictly off-limits. Parking across or too close to a level crossing risks catastrophic collisions with trains, putting lives and property at immediate stake.
6. Emergency Zones and Zebra Crossings
Pedestrian zebra crossings must remain clear so walkers can cross safely. Likewise, never park near the entry or exit points of emergency installations – including hospitals, roadside clinics, FRSC offices, police stations, fire stations, and fire hydrants.
7. Entrances to Markets, Schools, and Residences
Blocking a gate or market entrance disrupts commercial activity and traps property owners or school children. It is a direct infringement on the rights of other road users to access their properties freely.
8. Footpaths, Pavements, and Cycle Paths
Sidewalks are engineered exclusively for foot traffic and cycling. Driving or mounting your car on a pavement forces vulnerable pedestrians – including children and the elderly-to walk directly into dangerous motor lanes.
9. The Left-Hand Side of the Road at Night
Unless you are parked on a designated one-way street, leaving your car facing the wrong direction on the left-hand side of the road at night confuses oncoming drivers who rely on standard reflector alignment.
10. Flyovers, Tunnels, and Underpasses
Structural choke points like tunnels, flyovers, and underpasses lack adequate shoulders. Parking inside or right on top of them creates an immediate bottleneck and severely hampers emergency responses.
11. On Expressways
High-speed corridors are meant for continuous transit. Parking on an expressway is illegal, save for genuine mechanical emergencies where the vehicle must be pushed entirely onto the hard shoulder alongside proper warning triangles.
12. Zones That Narrow the Roadway
If your parked vehicle reduces the remaining width of the road to less than the space required for two standard vehicles to pass side-by-side, you are causing an illegal obstruction.
13. Double Parking
Never park alongside another vehicle already parked at the edge of the road (double parking). This bad habit cuts down multi-lane roads into single-file crawls and invites aggressive honking and traffic gridlock.
14. Near Road Construction Sites
Active construction zones are heavily congested with heavy machinery, workers, and sudden lane diversions. Parking near these zones creates blind spots and threatens the safety of road construction crews.
Improper parking is more than just a minor inconvenience – it is a punishable traffic offense under Nigerian law that can attract fines or towing. The next time you are struggling to find a space, remember that walking an extra few meters is a much safer alternative to risking an accident or returning to find your car impounded.
