Parking Ticket Issues with Left-Hand Drive Cars

My husband recently bought a magic hand (I guess you could call it a grabber tool) to grab parking tickets at parking lots. Since the ticket dispensers in most parking lots are designed only for right-hand drive cars, if you drive a left-hand drive car, you have to park, get out, and walk over to get the ticket yourself. This can be quite a hassle.

I’ve occasionally seen left-hand drive cars using magic hands before, and I was curious how convenient they really are, so I decided to try one myself this time. By the way, this is the magic hand my husband bought on Amazon.

ENINE 2パック – ピックアップツール、82 cm折りたたみエクステンダグリッパツール、軽量の長寿命移動補助装置、爪ゴミのゴミピッカー、長腕到達爪

created by Rinker

ENINE

• Amazon
• 楽天市場
• Yahooショッピング

It’s about 80cm long, so it looks pretty long like this, but it can be folded in two for storage.

At this compact size, it’s not a bother to bring it into the car.

You actually use it like firing a pistol (though I’ve never fired a pistol myself), and when I tried grabbing various things, it gripped quite firmly and was easy to use.

My husband started using this magic hand right after it arrived.

He said, “I’ve been meaning to buy a magic hand for the parking lot I use for commuting, but kept forgetting. This one folds up, so it stores discreetly without spoiling the car’s interior vibe. It actually works pretty well. But you have to pull the car pretty close to the ticket machine for it to reach. If you don’t get close enough, you have to lean out quite a bit to grab the ticket.”

Unlike my husband, I’m quite clumsy, so I was a bit worried if I could manage it… but I had a chance to drive the Boxster recently, so I decided to give it a try then.

However, I didn’t want to inconvenience any cars behind me if I failed, so I chose a nearby parking lot that has a ticket machine designed for left-hand drive cars to test it out.

How the Magic Hand Feels to Use

I brought the magic hand into the car fully extended, but it was really long and got in the way.

Folding it is definitely better. Folded, it fit into the gap behind the passenger seat, so it was easy to carry without being a nuisance. So off I went.

It took about 15 minutes to reach the parking lot, but when I looked at the ticket machine, it was the type where you press a button to get the ticket. So I had to press the button with the magic hand too.

Since it would be dangerous if my foot slipped off the brake while leaning out, I pulled the parking brake, then extended the magic hand and pressed the green button. Surprisingly, it was easy to press.

After that, I successfully grabbed the parking ticket (I wanted to take a photo of grabbing it, but a car was behind me, so I didn’t). Because there was a car behind me, I panicked and somehow lost the ticket I grabbed with the magic hand. After parking, I frantically searched inside the car and found it on the passenger side floor. Phew…

Next time, I’ll make sure to put the ticket somewhere I can easily find it right after grabbing it with the magic hand (-_-)

On the way back, I managed to insert the parking ticket using the magic hand while holding it.

But if the parking lot doesn’t have a prepayment machine, you still have to get out of the car to pay, so the magic hand can’t fully solve the problem.

I was a bit clumsy with the magic hand since I’m not used to it yet, but I think I could use it without problems once I get the hang of it. Still, if you’re parking in Japan, I do think a right-hand drive car is more convenient… lol