Dad got a citation for parking in a disabled parking space

[ecotourist]

The way I look at it, the person misusing a disabled parking spot is challenging Karma to give them a disability.

My xss-hat brother-in-law kept our father-in-law's disabled parking sticker when he died and used it to park where he wasn't entitled. He died before too long of a smoking and drinking related throat cancer. You really shouldn't tempt Karma.

I was a family practitioner for a decade. I never had anyone request a disable parking spot they weren't entitled to.

 

[y_p_w]

Debating the laws is interesting, because this just brings up the point that whenever you provide an entitlement to someone that needs it - the entitlement will become something that is now their "right" whether they need it or not. The fact that they would take a handicap space so a relative that doesn't need it can run into the store or whatever, is no better than someone without the placard taking the spot. Same in my book - irrelevant of what the law says.

And I am not talking about someone with COPD or balance issues or heart failure. Those people can be perfectly mobile but its pretty easy to tell with observation the might have some problems simply by how they move carefully and methodically vs someone that is skipping about like the rest of us.

There can be wrinkles to all this. The law in my state says the "disabled person" must be transported and just being in the car could be considered that. A lot of times my dad might wait in the car and then ask me to get something for him. I've been asked to pick up a prescription for him while he waited in the car or some other errand on his behalf. And most of the time I put it up it's because I dropped him off somewhere near where I parked, and that's clearly a legal use for it.

But mostly these days he's using it at metered parking spots where he doesn't have to pay for parking and can stay longer than posted limits. That seems to be the primary way they're used now since there are limited blue spaces and curbs.

 

[4WD]

Lots of handicap spots here. Even with the abusers there are usually enough with one open. However with pick up service at a lot of grocery stores these days I don't know why people with mobility problems don't take more advantage of it. Possibly they just like to get out once in a while I suppose, I would.

Same - even space to park the WWW’s (Walmart Watusi Wagons)

 

[dlundblad]

My cousin is a quadriplegic and did the same thing. Came out to the guy writing him a ticket. At the time he had a modified Chevy 2500 van with joysticks in place of the steering wheel so it was quite obvious. It is strange the plate and card are both needed to allow parking. Should be just a plate IMO.

Not saying it’s misused in OP’s case, but you do see it all the time at grocery stores especially.

At a previous job, there was a guy that had one for whatever reason. He was a machinist and on his feet all day so walking an additional 20 steps shouldn’t have been an issue. He took it upon himself to park at the only handicap space in the entire lot until management told him to stop.