The mistakes that generate the most charges

Before you park

• Reading the lines but never finding the sign
• Checking the time but not the day — many restrictions differ at weekends
• Assuming a supermarket car park has no time limit
• Assuming a permit for one bay type covers another
• Missing a controlled parking zone entry sign on the way in

At the machine or in the app

• Mistyping the registration — a single wrong character is enough
• Selecting the wrong car park in an app that lists several nearby
• Walking away before the payment actually confirmed
• Not checking whether the ticket needs displaying on the dashboard

After a notice arrives

• Ignoring it and hoping it goes away — this removes your options rather than the charge
• Appealing to the wrong body because the notice type was misidentified
• Missing the discount window while deciding what to do
• Sending a long emotional letter with no evidence attached
• Not keeping a copy of what was sent, or the date it was sent

The habit that prevents most of it

Two photographs before you walk away: one of the sign, one of your car in the bay. That is the whole discipline. It takes seconds and it is the difference between a challenge that has evidence and one that has an opinion.