Toth Collision Center

Will "The Barnacle" Replace the Parking Boot?

Have you had your vehicle booted because you didn't pay your parking tickets? If so, our condolences, because getting booted is an unpleasant and lonely feeling. At Toth Collision Center, we see cars getting the old parking boot in Akron, OH  once in a while and it's never fun, so here is a blog about a new invention that will still do the same job but a little more gently.

The parking boot is universally considered to be an outdated and basically inefficient device, especially if you ask startup Barnacle Parking Enforcement. From Barnacle's perspective, we should get rid of the old parking boot and use its new product instead, which they have named The Barnacle. It's definitely a lot more high-tech than a parking boot, but it's also a little strange as well.

Utilizing two fairly basic industrial-grade suction cups, The Barnacle device clamps onto a car's windshield enables the car to be towed, unlike with a parking boot. The Barnacle comes with a special screen to inform the parking offender about why it was installed, and also comes with credit card reader, so they can pay on the spot to have it immediately removed. If the offender attempts to drive off before paying, an alarm will sound loudly and local police are informed via a wireless network.

Daniel Rettig, a parking enforcement officer from Coral Gables, Florida believes in The Barnacle and thinks it would make his job much easier if his county was using it. "These boots can damage the people's cars and when that happens the city is on the line for it," he said. "The Barnacle is a very good example of where technology can make all of our lives a lot easier. Plus, it would make our department more efficient, rather than wasting a lot of time setting these boots and chasing these people."

Well, it sounds like The Barnacle is a definite improvement over the parking boot and if parking enforcement departments all over the country will lock on to the idea, it might be an idea that will stick. If the parking boot gets the boot and The Barnacle is able to efficiently and affordably replace it, we might see this new high-tech device on a car near you. (And hopefully it won't be yours!)

The Barnacle is certainly peculiar, but honestly, anything is better than getting booted, right?

Sources: Drive, Yahoo and Forbes