According to a new study carried out by AA Motor Insurance, some 75 per cent of motorists clamped within the last year feel the circumstances were unfair.
The sample survey involved close to 20,000 drivers and also suggests that 7 per cent of drivers here have had their vehicles clamped in the last 12 months. It also shows the practice as being more prevalent in Dublin where both public and private clamping is in operation.
Of more than 7,000 Dublin based drivers polled, 11 per cent said they'd been clamped at least one within the last 12 months. The figures compares to 5 per cent in Cork and Waterford, 4 per cent in Galway and 3 per cent in Limerick.
The AA reports that the most common reoccuring comment among those who felt cheated by clampers was obscured or unclear parking signage. The second most common complaint concerned expiry times, with some claiming they were clamped just minutes after their disc had run out.
Pleading ignorance was cited as the most common excuse used to try and get out of a fine. The second most common approach people admitted to trying was yelling at the phone operator, followed by turning on the water works and fabricating a bleeding heart excuse.
The AA poll also shows that 9 per cent of women who tried to negotiate their way out of a fine, chanced their arm with a few crocodile tears while 5 per cent admitted to a little cheeky flirtation.
Note: Did they get away with it? We don't know ... but we expect not!
