As more and more carparks are switching to barrier entry and cashcard payments, the art of tearing coupons may one day be lost.

Some of us are "guilty" of trying to outsmart the system when it comes to displaying parking coupons.

But what we did not know is that what we have been wrong all this while. A few of us probably thought that we can get away with things because we are lucky enough to siam the saman auntie.

Here are three common myths of parking coupons that motorists have that may land them in more trouble.

1. There is a 10 - 15 minute "grace period" when you display coupons

Parking your car at 9:00 am and thinking of "stretching the dollar" by starting the coupon at 9:15 am instead?

Don't.

It is a commonly held myth that parking wardens would "give chance" for coupons that started slightly later. The leeway was believed to have been 10 to 15 minutes. Common justification is "my watch faster mah".

Well, nope.

Here's the summons for someone who put a coupon for 9:00 am when the saman auntie came around at 8:48 am:

How much fine can such an offence incur? $30-$40.

That's worse than putting insufficient coupons ($6-$40 fine).

2. Tearing multiple coupons of the same timing is proper practice

Too lazy to mentally calculate the intervals between each coupon? Too bad.

Another commonly held myth is that saman aunties will help calculate how much time your coupons are worth when you punch multiple coupons with the same timing.

As the law states: "Where 2 or more coupons are displayed on a vehicle to cover the period during which the vehicle is to be parked in a coupon parking place, the time of commencement indicated in the second and subsequent coupon or coupons shall run immediately after the time of expiry of the period of parking indicated in the coupon of the prior period of parking."

Check out the comments of some smart alec motorists on the Facebook page Kuanyewism:

3. Leaving gaps of time between each coupon is a legit way to stretch your parking time

Here's another "trick" many people will try to employ. "I don't believe I'll be so suay that in the 15 minute gap I leave between my two $1 coupons, a saman auntie will appear", is what many drivers think.

Unfortunately, if you display two coupons "where the time of commencement indicated on the subsequent coupon did not run immediately after the parking period indicated in the prior coupon", you are liable to a fine of $6 - $40.

Now that you realise these are all myths,

good luck to you if you try to hiong the saman aunties the next time.

Top image from Laura

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