How Stressed Is WA When It Comes To Parking? Are Men Better?

Have you ever heard of the "Parking Angel"?

Some have mocked me, but when I'm heading out to somewhere that I know parking is going to be a problem, I say a little prayer. Without a doubt, the parking angel has hooked me up EVERYTIME. Sure, many will say there is no such thing, and that it's all coincidence. It might be, but at least I don't suffer from the extra stress that this new study reports!

Parking is becoming a problem all over the state! In my home city of Yakima, the problem in the downtown area is constantly being debated with the idea of paid parking, and whether that'll fix it (most likely not), but it WILL add another stress to drive people’s blood pressure higher!

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The heart rate tells all

Autotrader.co.uk conducted a survey about people's heart rates, especially when it comes to parking, and the type of parking, and according to the results... "parking phobias are a real thing!"

"Across all activities, drivers' heart rate soared by almost 48% when tasked with the everyday parking activities that drivers seem to hate doing."
- AutoTrader.co.uk

With the breakdown of parking, parallel parking was the most stressful with the average heart rate increasing by over 57%. The interesting note with this study is how male drivers "felt the pressure more than women". MY OPINION FOR THIS REASON, based on my experience with driving with my female friends and family members... they don't take as much pride in their cars and wheels. If they hit a curb, "oh well"!

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Backing into a spot was more stressful for the surveyed drivers followed by traditional pulling forward into a parking spot. Sadly, the study didn't go into detail on the stress caused by attempting to do a wicked power slide into the spot.

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For the full breakdown of the survey and tips on parking, check out AutoTrader.co.uk and Tap the App and let us know your parking secrets. Is it so stressful to you, and how long do you drive looking for a spot before you just decide you didn't need to be there after all and go home?

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LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

Best Looking State Patrol Cars In (Almost) Every State

For the past 10 years, the American Association of State Troopers has held a contest to determine which state has the best looking patrol cruiser. Nearly every state police agency submits their best photo of their sharpest patrol vehicle a chance to win the coveted cover photo on the association's annual calendar. From cop cars rushing through blizzards to vehicles on the Grand Ole Opry stage, here are this year's nominees.

Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll

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