Speed cameras, talking satnavs, lack of parking spaces, spiralling fuel costs – there are many reasons for the British motorist to feel disheartened about driving. But a new company called FlashPark has come up with an invention that just may tip many motorists over the edge: a talking parking ticket.
The new parking ticket is able to deliver a 30 second message recorded by the parking space owner. A gentle ‘don’t do it again’ message can be selected, or alternatively, it can go into detail about the consequences of the driver’s choice of parking space.
As many traffic wardens are aware, drivers are often angered when they return to their vehicle to find a parking ticket on their windscreen, knowing they will have to pay half a day’s wages to the local authority. But being told off by a parking ticket may be too much for some drivers to bear.
FlashPark are also developing a ticket that can record a response from the car owner, in a move that may at least allow drivers to vent their fury – albeit at what is merely a parking ticket with an over-inflated sense of itself.
The new ticket brings to light just how much Britons are forced to spend on parking in the wrong place: namely £150 million each year. The DVLA provided the details of 1.5 million drivers to private parking enforcement firms over 2012.
One UK motoring group has suggested that the new parking ticket may also interfere with other electronics on board the average car. So in the future your Annual Breakdown Cover provider may be called upon to address problems caused by the once-humble parking ticket, alongside the many other situations that can lead to a breakdown.