A study carried out by AA Motor Insurance on close to 20,000 drivers in Ireland suggests that 75% of drivers believe the reasons behind their car being clamped were unfair, and resorted to tears, tantrums and flirtation to dodge clamping fines.
The survey revealed that 7% of drivers in Ireland had their vehicles clamped within the past year. It showed Dublin as the city with the highest rate due to both private and public clamping in operation. Out of over 7,000 drivers based in Dublin, 11% had been clamped within the past year compared to 5% in Cork and Waterford, 4% in Galway and 3% in Limerick.
Drivers who felt cheated blamed unclear or obscured parking signs followed by concerns over expiry time: claiming they were clamped minutes after their discs had run out.
A lot of motorists pointed out that arguing to get out of a fine was pointless. Pleading ignorance was the most common approach used, while the second most popular was yelling at the phone operator followed by "turning on the water works and fabricating a bleeding heart excuse".
The survey also revealed that 9% of women resorted to crying as a means of negotiating, while 5% admitted to a little flirtation.