Assuming you have no disability, have you ever parked in a Disabled Parking spot

[malaise]

I can't think of a reason why anyone would do that.

[NaturalHigh]

1. Hell no. I spent six years in the Air Force.

If you got busted doing that on base, it meant an automatic thirty-day suspension of driving privileges.

[malaise]

4. ABC has a feature on police clamping down on these

despicable entitled scumbags. About time.

[oneshooter]

2. No

[Yo_Mama]

3. No - it just seems totally wrong to do so. n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

5. I did.

Once, in an unfamiliar ramp, and by accident. I felt like a moron when I got back & saw what i had done. Fortunately I wasn't ticketed.

[malaise]

10. The people on my TV were not that lucky

One couple headed for a hiking trail in a car registered to a much older person and were not happy when they returned. Good. Some were joggers or walking a dog - so fugging thoughtless, they make my head spin. Not one had an emergency.

[NewDeal_Dem]

6. I haven't, but I've seen the apparently non-disabled to it. I have a disabled relative, and

have on numerous occasions when I rode with her seen young and apparently healthy adults in handicapped parking.

[ncliberal]

33. Some disabilities are not obvious.

I have MS and Fibromyalgia but look healthy. I don't use handicapped parking always but do if I'm going to a ballgame or concert. Otherwise, I would be too exhausted to enjoy the event after making the trek from my car. Plus, some days I may have pain that is not apparent to other people. I also use handicapped parking if it's raining because I have balance issues.

A friend of my sister's has a hip problem and parks in handicapped parking. She cannot walk long distances but has actually been yelled at because she appears young and healthy to other people.

I admit I am wary of using one because I do appear healthy and don't want people to think I'm using a spot that should be used by someone else. In the end, I base it on how I'm doing on any given day and figure it's no one else's business.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

55. Exactly.

Not every disability is obvious to the casual glance.

[Kalidurga]

67. I have Fibro also.

I don't look terribly healthy, but I don't look terribly sick either. I also have arthritis a couple days ago my knees felt like they were on fire. But, I can still walk so I haven't tried to get the hanging placard for people that drive me places. I still take the bus and that involves a lot of walking for most trips. I dread the day that I can't walk for more than a couple of blocks, because I really don't want to deal with people giving me the stink eye for using a handicapped parking space.

[NewDeal_Dem]

76. which is why i said "not apparently disabled". My relative is over 80 and can't walk without

support, so you can see how it could be irritating when a 20-something zips up in front of us and dashes out of his car into the store.

Yes, maybe they're disabled, but they were certainly able to walk, and pretty quickly.

[MillennialDem]

118. Considered doing it recently after massive surgery on my leg (technically an anterolerateral

Last edited Sun Jan 11, 2015, 12:59 AM - Edit history (1)

thigh flap) but didn't. I could have probably gotten a temporary handicapped sticker/placard though had I asked.

[Freddie]

155. Very true

My sister-in-law has one as she has congestive heart failure and simply can't walk very far. She's not that old and looks healthy (no limp, cane, etc.) and gets dirty looks all the time.

[Ms. Toad]

75. Please work on erasing that presumption from your mind

People with invisible disabilities face significant discrimination - often more than people with visible disabilities because people assume they are entirely able bodied and shame them (on the one hand) and refuse to accommodate their needs (on the other) - because the presumption is they are faking it.

If someone has a handicapped hang tag or license plate, assume they are entitled to it. You do far more damage to people whose lives are already challenging when you sneer - or worse - at individuals who have mustered up the courage to use the accommodations they need. I rarely go anywhere where there are no open handicap spots - so from my perspective as the parent of a child with an invisible disability, there is more of an issue of underuse by people who need the spots because of attitudes like yours, than misuse by people who are not entitled to them.

[NewDeal_Dem]

79. The person I particularly remember had no tag or plate I saw. & I know what they look like,

as my relative has one.

My relative can't walk without support, so perhaps you can understand the irritation one feels when a twenty something zips into the space ahead of you and dashes into the store, able bodied enough to "dash".

Yes, it really happened. More than once.

[Ms. Toad]

95. If they don't have a tag that's fine.

Your comment was addressed it to people without visible disabilities, not people without tags. Being able bodied enough to "dash" is not necessarily an indicator that the person does not have a disability you can't see.

For example, having an identified parking spot adjacent a door may be the only way for a person with memory impairment to find his or her car. That particular disability might not impair the ability to "dash" - but being able to park the car in a clearly identified location may make the difference between being self-sufficient and being dependent on others.

I had vertigo for a year recently - I didn't have a parking tag, but because of the particular kind of vertigo I had, dashing was much easier for me than walking slowly. I was most at risk for falling when I stopped moving.

I'm not an expert on all disabilities that are invisible, but I know enough people with invisible disabilities to know how much harder their lives are because people heap scorn on them based on the assumption they are faking it. Scowls are bad enough - but many are also verbally attacked, or their cars damaged, because it is assumed that they are taking spaces that others need.

[NewDeal_Dem]

107. As my relation had to sit and wait for me to get a grocery cart so they'd have something to

lean on to get into the store from the middle of the parking lot, in traffic, thanks to some 20-year-old without a tag or apparent disability taking the space, perhaps I have your permission to be irritated too.

My relative has a disabled tag and it's not the first time this kind of thing has happened.

[Ms. Toad]

109. The key difference is "without a tag"

You omitted that critical fact from the comment I responded to, which was just railing against young people who appeared not to be disabled parking in disabled spaces.

Unfortunately virtually every person with a tag with an invisible disability is regularly treated as if they are cheating the system. Your relation's disabilities are no more disabling merely because they are visible.

I have no problem with rants against people not displaying any right to use the handicapped parking spaces who are using them. You only addressed the apparent lack of disabilities - not parking in violation of the law.

[JustAnotherGen]

183. Thank you

[malaise]

149. But what happens when young folks deliberately use the vehicle of a person

with a disability tag to park closer to say the 'hiking trail' (which was one case on the ABC news tonight). Clearly that also happens.

I agree with you that not all disabilities are visible but there are also loads of scumbags who violate the law.

[pnwmom]

137. Here is why that can happen -- for a perfectly legitimate reason.

If you are picking up a disabled person, you need to park in a disabled spot so that they can get out to it. I would drive my disabled MIL to and from her doctor's and other appointments. When I picked her up, I had to walk in without her because she was waiting in the lobby or office for me to get her.

We used her disabled tag whether I was picking her up or dropping her off.

[NewDeal_Dem]

162. as i said to the other poster, the young man had no tag.

people park in disabled spots fairly often, so I thank everyone for explaining why I shouldn't be irritated, but I'm really not as uninformed as you all seem to think.

[pnwmom]

169. The post I responded to said nothing about a tag. That would have made a difference, obviously. n/t

[CreekDog]

170. You being a doctor and they must be your patients?

What an amazing coincidence.

[LostOne4Ever]

7. Yes

[font style="font-family:papyrus,'Brush Script MT','Infindel B',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]Because my mother has MS and I am her main care taker.

Sometimes you do it because you are there to pick the disabled person up.

Sometimes to drop them off.

And sometimes out of sheer habit....which you immediately get your ass out of there when you realize you did that. [/font]

[malaise]

14. Not a problem for me

Your mom is disabled

[Thinkingabout]

18. I have also driven those who are disable and parked in handicap for them.

[SoCalNative]

152. Same here

My father was disabled and I often drove him places after he stopped driving.

I did,however, use his placard on occasion to park in non-disabled parking spots where there was a parking time limit or if I didn't have any change for the meter.

[CreekDog]

171. So you jeopardized his placard for a lack of spare change?

Whatever.

[SoCalNative]

173. Nope

He was already deceased and the placard had not yet expired.

[Duckhunter935]

176. so you abused the

placard and parking privileged. Not very nice in my opinion.

[SoCalNative]

178. Well lucky for you I don't live in the US anymore

so you're safe from my scofflaw ways

[Duckhunter935]

180. lol

[CreekDog]

185. No, the placard wasn't valid when you used it

That you're splitting hairs on this will undermine anything you argue about on DU for the foreseeable future.

[Butterbean]

8. No, never. n/t

[hollysmom]

9. Well... I used my Mother's disablity sign when I broke my both my feet and an ankle

to visit her in the hospital, the regular parking was so far way, I could barely hobble there on my crutches. It was bad enough I could not get a regular cast, but had to get a driving cast because there was no one to drive me there to speak to her doctors. Mother was dying.

Is that good enough?

[malaise]

13. But you were temporarily disabled

That's OK I hope.

[hollysmom]

20. well, it was not my sign.

it would have taken a lot of effort to get my own, would have lost lots of time at the DMV, visiting the doctor to get the note, I didn't have that time, I needed to spend that with mother. My sister told me it was very wrong. Of course she did not believe my feet and ankle were broken, I didn't carry the x-ray around with me and she had never broken a bone or sprained an ankle and jsut thought I was being thoughtless. Now that she is older and I actually died, she is cutting me more slack. Never been a hypochondriac, when I thought something was wrong, it was always found by a doctor, some times when thought I was well, the doctors would find things wrong with me, but that is another story. Sister was very lucky/healthy in life and did not believe most doctors were necessary. So when we went to the hospital, made her drive and drop me off at the door, ha ha.

[Hekate]

49. You absolutely did the right thing, imo. See my post below. nt

[Ms. Toad]

78. You're posting from the grave?

("Now that she is older and I actually died&quot

Sorry...I couldn't resist

[hollysmom]

111. I died a few times, since I lost conscious, I can only repeat what I was told.

I was resuscitated each time, but slept it off until they cleaned my blood. accidental over medication. I followed doctors direction, they over dosed me. told me to take twice a day, once a day was too often.

[Ms. Toad]

112. Fair enough. n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

11. I can't think of any time that I have.

If I ever did, it would have been for the briefest of moments.

[MohRokTah]

12. Many times.

Parking lot for the train station where I pick up my wife. I'll sit backed into a handicap spot with the car running in park when I'm picking up my wife. There's usually about ten open handicap spots at that time and, should a handicap person want the specific spot I am in, I can be out of it in seconds. I'd never sit in one of those spots in the morning as that is when everybody is parking their cars and catching the trains to the city.

But I never ever park in a handicap spot, turn off the car, and leave it.

Never.

Edited to add: Cops have seen me do this many times and never react, though they are quick to ticket anybody who does not have the appropriate handicap tag and actually turn off the car and get out.

[shanti]

15. No never

But I've seen a lot of abuses of them.

[DawgHouse]

16. No.

But I know that not all disabilities or illnesses are visible.

[kydo]

17. nope

and I generally don't park close. I don't mind the walk.

Even when I broke my ankle. I could have gotten a temp handicap tag. But I had one of those boots and could move about just fine.

People that don't need to park in handicapped spots and do any way are jerks.

Mostly they think they are denied something by a free loader. No really, many people that have said they do it say the same thing, "I was in a hurry and no one was parked there no big deal was in and out fast." Or the "most people that have handicapped tags don't really need it." Sad thing is one person who said people that don't really need handicapped tags cause they were faking it, was doing the exact same thing, he didn't need it but had a fake one anyway. He said he needed it when he couldn't find a place close to park. Again

[malaise]

19. I agree with you

100%

[elias49]

21. Guilty.

I've gone to our local "Jiffy Mart" late at night...zero cars in the small lot and 2 or 3 more "HCap" spots unoccupied. It's convenience....and I clearly was not disadvantaging anyone.
I've also been known to roll through stop signs and once I went to an 'express checkout' at the grocery store with over the allowable number of items.
I would never inconvenience anyone purposely. Not that kind of person. But something about me also is defiant of strict rules that, if ignored, have no chance of bothering anyone.
I know. A real would-be rebel at 62 years old.

[MiniMe]

22. The only time I have is when I was driving a disabled senior citizen, and then I used her placard

One of the ones you hang on your rear view mirror. But only when she was in the car with me. And once I took her home I gave her the placard back, she used to keep it in her purse.

[malaise]

24. I'm OK with that

Others would abuse it

[CaliforniaPeggy]

23. Never. I have, however, called the cops when I see cars that don't belong in those spots. n/t

[malaise]

25. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah - love it

Why did I guess you would!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. Hahahah!

What was your first clue???

[linuxman]

26. I'd do it when delivering a pizza and it was closest to the door.

The world continued spinning. 3 handicapped spaces in front of a store the size of my living room seems a bit excessive.

[malaise]

27. That's where we differ

All I would see are the signs and I'd obey them.

[linuxman]

29. That's where we differ.

I don't blindly follow rules for their own sake. The spirit and purpose of the rule is what's important.

[chillfactor]

90. and you are just the person I despise..

you have NO RIGHT to park in a handicap parking site for YOUR convenience...and do you know why many of those spots are so large?...to accommodate people in wheelchairs...God forbid if you are ever disabled...you would be the one complaining the loudest about people parking in YOUR handicap spot...many times I have searched for a handicap spot only to be denied because someone as disrespectful as you are has taken the spots...

[linuxman]

123. Calm down.

I'm not exactly double parking on the handicapped spaces in front of the wheelchair basketball annual convention. I deliver pizza in the fucking sticks. The ADA stipulates a number of spots in front of every store which have to be for the handicapped. Based on my location, they are never fully utilized. Based on the amount of business done at those locations, I have NEVER seen more than one car in front of any of the spots. I'm in and out of the delivery in ~ a minute or less. Why should I bother when nobody ever parks in them? There is no reason not to based on my circumstances. Why would you despise me? I'm just some guy you never met.

Would you be happier if I went and filed for a placard (I easily could get one with my service related injuries but choose not to) so that I'm not violating the sanctity of your spot while working? I'd still be taking up the spot, though I'd be entitled to (but not in need of it). I've yet to have anyone waiting behind me to get in the spot, but that's how it goes in the boondocks where our walmart is the Dollar General.

[Reter]

181. He was delivering a pizza, so that's only a minute

Would you be as hard on him if he blocked a fire hydrant or blocked someone's car? That's illegal too.

[tblue37]

73. You never know, though. I use my cane most of the time now, but for quite a while

I would have good days and bad days. A couple of times I locked up coming out of a store after going in without my cane. I had to ask a passerby to help me to my car, which was parked inconveniently far from the door. One woman just asked for my keys, hurried to my car, then drove it back to me. People can be jerks, but they can also be awfully kind. She did ask me, though, why I hadn't parked in a handicapped spot. I hadn't because I was not using my cane that day, and I didn't feel like getting hassled by someone who didn't know that I am often not able to walk far. That day I had been doing so well that I didn't even think to bring a cane with me.

Now, though, I always have one of my spare canes in the trunk of my car. That's because on a good day when I was hurrying to make my first class, I forgot to grab one of my canes on the way out. I was fine during my first three classes, but I had to teach the fourth one sitting down (which is very much not my style), and then had to have help getting down to my office. Fortunately I was able to call a friend to go to my apartment for a cane and bring it to me. (A lot of my friends have keys to my place.) Ever since then I have always kept one spare in my car and one in my office--just in case.

But the thing is, I don't always need to use my cane. I can go for several hours, sometimes even a whole day, without ever using one. But at any moment my hips or knees can lock up so I cannot walk without support, or my lower back can become too painful to allow me to take another step. I usually carry my cane around now when I am away from home, even when I am not using it, just in case. But still, when I haven't needed it for a while, I might carelessly rush out to the car without one--or from my car to my office without one.

That's why I always keep one in the trunk of the car and one in the office.

But it is also why someone might on occasion have seen me park in a handicapped spot when I seemed to be able to walk just fine. It doesn't happen now, because I don't go into stores without my cane any more, but I sometimes did in the past, and when I did, I bet some people thought I was being a jerk using someone else's placard to park in a handicapped spot. I was using my own placard and just being careful, since I would not be able to get back to my car easily if I locked up on the way out.

Not all handicaps are obvious.

[tblue37]

74. BTW, we don't leave the placards hanging, because they become brittle from sunlight and heat and end

up breaking. We keep them in the door pocket most of the time, then hang them from the mirror when we need to park.

[Ms. Toad]

83. Do you have any basis for believing they print the signs themselves?

Many states do provide hang tags for the rear view mirror - and those tags are provided to people with both visible and invisible disabilities. Unless you have a basis for believing they print the signs themselves - other than that you don't perceive they have a disability - please save your scorn for people without tags parking in handicapped spots.

[missingthebigdog]

88. Really? You think they print the signs themselves?

Not all disabilities are obvious. People who think the way you do are the reason I don't use a placard, even though I qualify for one.

I have three adult children with autism, one of whom is very severe. Having a placard would make it immensely easier for us to take them to the places they need to go, but having a confrontation with some judgmental stranger in a parking lot would likely result in major meltdowns.

Looks can be deceiving. Give people the benefit of the doubt.

BTW, Using a counterfeit placard carries an even larger penalty than parking in a handicap spot. Can't imagine many people taking that risk....

[Duckhunter935]

30. no

I have integrity

[alfie]

31. No, and recently turned the offer of a handicap sticker.

At my annual check up my nurse practitioner asked if I wanted one...I had just turned 70. I laughed at him and said I could still walk across a parking lot.

[malaise]

32. Love it

Why deprive someone who really needs the spot

[cherokeeprogressive]

34. Wouldn't dream of it. Conversely, I wouldn't call someone out for doing it... did that once.

It turned out I called out a disabled person who had forgotten their placard.

[malaise]

36. Hubby and I called out this guy who we knew wasn't disabled

and then we apologized after we saw him helping a disabled relative out of the car.

[cherokeeprogressive]

37. I felt like such a dufus after calling this person out... no amount of apologizing made it better.

The guy was very accepting of the apology though; he even thanked me for looking out for other people who might be challenged.

[pnwmom]

142. So you answered your own question. This is the most common reason

that able-bodied people use these spots-- because they're the driver for someone with a disability.

[malaise]

148. None of the persons on ABC news tonight had someone

with a disability in their car. Some had even borrowed an older relative's car for their own convenience. Mid-thread I pointed out that I ought to have included the possibility of driving a disabled person with a tag in the OP.

[easychoice]

38. No! that is terribly inconsiderate

Some people have never been ill and they don't understand the troubles of the disabled.It ain't fun people.
Peg's right,call the cops on the slobs.

[pnwmom]

138. Apparently very few people here have ever been the driver for a disabled friend or relative.

We have no choice but to use their disabled placard, whether we're dropping them off or picking them up. And when we're picking them up, it appears that we are an able-bodied person misusing the placard -- till we walk out of the building with the disabled person.

[csziggy]

39. Only while I was waiting for knee replacement surgery and just after

When the surgeon scheduled the first knee replacement, he also filled out a form for a temporary handicap permit. Those last six months and he told me that I would need to renew it before I recovered from the first knee replacement. It actually lasted just long enough - the week before it ran out I was parking on the far side of the lot and walking for the pure joy of being able to do so!

Both before and since, I check out cars parked in disabled spots. If I don't see a permit, I take out a piece of paper and note down the tag number. A couple of times I've done that, people have rushed out of the stores and driven off really fast. Once, the driver came over to talk to me - while waiting for their disabled relative to get situated in the car.

For those who complain that they see people with permits that don't seem disabled - it can be the relative of the permit owner that you see. Or the disability is not visible. My Mom can no longer walk very far because she has a heart valve problem. She can still be very spry, but her heart just can't pump her blood and she runs out of oxygen. Although she no longer drives whoever does drive her is allowed to use her disabled permit to park closer to the door.

There are plenty of people with COPD or other invisible health problems that have legitimate permits and NEED them.

[malaise]

41. Nice post

Truth is I should have written the OP slightly differently because sometimes folks drive persons with disabilities.

[csziggy]

59. I learned a lot going from almost completely disabled to not at all!

Before my knee replacements, I couldn't stand for long and forget walking distances. After, I can walk as far as I could when I was young! While in the rehab hospital they gave me all the therapy and training to be ready for if I am back on the disabled list.

It gave a great perspective on how it can be for a lot of people that will never get better. That's is a major reason I keep an eye on the disabled parking spots. Maybe the non-disabled will only be there for a few minutes, but the disabled have enough problems and may not be able to wait that few minutes to take care of their business. I was lucky - my husband could drive me, drop me off at the door, then park and come meet me.

Now my sister is having to ferry our Mom around. She can't leave Mom at the door of places since Mom's dementia is getting worse. Mom has been known to forget she's with her and wander off in a store or other locations. And she can't walk very far without stopping to rest. If my sister's husband or I am with them, it's OK, but when my sister is driving alone with Mom it's a major problem.

So I've seen different sides - the non-disabled, the temporary disabled, the caretaker of the disabled.

[malaise]

86. Hubby had a horrible soccer injury and was using crutches for eight weeks

He had a very different view about disabled folks after that.

[csziggy]

98. It does change your attitude!

While in college I spent nearly a year on crutches. Sprained my left ankle and was on them for 3-4 months. Then had a horse fall on the right ankle and spent over 6 months on crutches.

I found that many people are completely inconsiderate of those who can't get around very well. So I try to improve on that!

[Turbineguy]

40. A friend of mine

had a permit. He needed a heart-lung transplant. You can't see that from the outside. Of course he didn't limp and had all his limbs. People gave both of us dirty looks. He managed to make his 35th birthday.

[malaise]

42. Yes those are the hard ones

Must have been hard for him in more ways than one.

[Turbineguy]

43. Part of it was that people like me

held out hope for a miracle cure. It never came.

[malaise]

45. No matter the problem we never expect

people that young to die. It's hard to watch young people die particularly our friends.

[Ex Lurker]

44. I drive my father a lot

He has a disabled plate. I feel funny about it. I'd be glad to just let him off at the front door and park elsewhere, but he insists on using the blue spaces, since he has the credential.

[malaise]

46. But your dad qualifies for the spot

so why do you feel funny?
The problem is that the wrong people abuse the right to the spot

[pnwmom]

139. Why should you feel funny about it when he needs it?

You shouldn't, any more than he would if he were able to drive himself.

[Hekate]

47. Only when with a disabled person who has a placard for my window.

I've given rides to others -- a broken leg makes it hard to drive yourself or walk very far, for instance. My friends are getting on, and we try to keep each other going.

The only time it went badly was when my sibs and I were trying to help our mom with her financials after our dad died. She was in physically horrible shape with her knees, but the placard was dad's so she gave us hell for daring to use it while carting her around. (A few years later she finally gave up and applied for one of her own.) Then as we pulled into the bank's parking lot we scored a handicap space just as someone else saw it. So mom takes off hobbling as fast as she could in her fury, my tall healthy sibs head out after her, and I was just far enough behind to get cussed out by the other driver who also needed that space.

Solution: more designated spaces. It may be the passenger who badly needs to be close to the building, even if the driver doesn't.

[malaise]

51. But you're not violating the privilege if you're helping disabled folks

The problem with more designated spaces is there will be more persons parking illegally

[Hekate]

106. Right; the designated driver is obligated to take care of the handicapped passenger....

...even when the passenger is a character like my late mother!

However, the problem of abuse is not so severe that it can't be handled by heavy fines and public shaming meted out by the police and the judges. More public education would help, too. I think the study and news program you cited handles the public shaming aspect pretty damn well.

I have read that healthy people's perception of the impact of reserved spaces is skewed: they tend to imagine that if only they had access to those 4 spaces up by the door of the major shopping mall, THEY would score a parking space! It's THEIR parking space, and somehow it is being stolen from them. In fact, the number is so small that it would have no impact on other drivers at all.

[malaise]

150. I think public shaming in social media could also

help. I think a lot of those who violate the law have a sense of entitlement and do not give a damn about people in general let alone disabled folks.

[Thirties Child]

48. Once.

I used my husband's permanent handicapped card because I was hurting. Otherwise, no. If he isn't with me I circle until I find a space my back can manage. I've even been asked, as I hobbled away from the car, why I didn't use a handicapped parking space when i had the card. Very often my back hurts as much as his permanently inflammed knee, and when we're together, and can use the card legitimately, you better believe I'm grateful for it.

[malaise]

56. You have a bad back and don't use his card

Why not?

[elias49]

77. Because "THE RULE" is that the permit is issued for a certain person

Don't you see that, the way you look at the whole issue - as "the law" permitting no excuses - you advise breaking the law!?
If I twist my ankle, I have no 'right' to use someone's doctor-authorized handicap permit.
But if there isn't a living soul in sight, and I'm gonna be 30 seconds and be able to see if someone drives up, I'll use one of the 3 or 4 openings. The self-righteousness in this thread ...!

[malaise]

82. I obey the law but the reason for the thread is that police are clamping down on persons

with no disabilities violating the law. I'm not inflexible to a person with a bad back using the permit.

[elias49]

102. I'm more a 'spirit of the law' than 'letter of the law' guy, I guess

but to the point of the OP, it seems as though this type of violation enforcement is cyclical. Where I live in NH, it seemed like people were getting ticketed every day for hcap parking violations a few years ago. Now, not so much. Either that or people learned the lesson and don't do it much now.
Seat belt laws similar...crossing from NH to VT over the CT River used to be a guarantee there would be a State Police car right there, watching for seat belt violators. Lately, they're nowhere to be found.

[tblue37]

80. TC, ask your doctor to validate your need for one. The permit is for the person, not the car.

Then you carry your permit form in your purse, so if someone wants to argue with you or sic the cops on you for using the placard because you don't have a visible disability, you can show your permit form.

[backwoodsbob]

50. nope

One of my pet peeves.I will call the cops on anyone who is parked in a handicapped spot without a sticker

[Kurska]

52. No, it always seemed like a stupid way to piss away 500 dollars

Plus an actual handicapped person might need it.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

132. Five hundred would be a bargain. Yikes:

https://m.

https://m.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

53. Hell no.

30 years ago when I was in HS I worked at a local grocery chain. While arriving for work I noticed one of the rich kids from school park in a handicapped spot and limp into the store with a shit eating grin on his face.


To this day I always think of that kid when I see cars without handicapped licenses parked that way: juvenile horse shit.

[femmocrat]

62. I saw our district superintendent take the only handicapped spot at a building.

I was really p*ssed, because I needed that spot. I should have keyed her car.

[malaise]

65. ROFL

You should have taken a photo and posted it on Twitter

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

68. I've found out in life that those kinds of people get away with it while people that

want to key the car and do get caught.

Better to let it go sometimes. You can hate them, but don't be them.

[Hoyt]

54. Never, even for a second. Those are reserved for folks who need it.

[tblue37]

57. I have a tag, and I often use it to park close. But on days when I

am doing better than usual, I park at a distance--just to get a bit of exercise.

What infuriates me, though, are able-bodied people who hog the handicapped restroom stalls.

Once I complained to a young woman who had done so, but she argued that since I have a cane, not a wheelchair, I have no particular right to use the handicapped stall. I explained that the various physical problems (yes, there are more than just one) that cause me to walk with a cane also make it difficult to sit and rise without using the convenient bars in the special stall. I told her that we understand when all the other stalls are occupied, but when the others are all empty, we'd appreciate if those who didn't need the special stalls would leave them for those who do.

Of course she simply rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever."

[malaise]

63. People are so thoughtless

Her time will come and if ReTHUGs get their way she may not even find handicapped restroom stalls.

[SheilaT]

87. Hogging the handicapped stalls?

I'm not sure what you mean, since in most public restrooms there are two or three stalls, one of which is the handicapped one. I don't believe I have every, in my entire 66 years, used the one handicapped stall and before I'm done had someone come in who was handicapped. Sometimes the restroom is full and anyone who walks in will have to wait for a free stall.

[tblue37]

91. As I explain in the post, we do understand when all the stalls are full, but when all

the regular ones are empty, it is frustrating when a non-handicapped person takes the one handicapped stall.

In the building where I usually teach, each restroom has just *one* handicapped stall, and 4-7 regular stalls. In another building I used to teach at, the only handicapped stall for women is in the restroom on the floor below the floor I taught on. IOW, there are a lot of regular stalls, and very few handicapped stalls. Unless all the regular ones are occupied, an able-bodied person should leave the handicapped stall vacant.

[SheilaT]

120. So how often do you actually walk into one of the restrooms and the only

other women in there is using the handicapped stall? How long do you typically have to wait?

And, I'm sorry, but I see all the stalls as more or less equal, and I can use any of them that I wish. As I said, I've never used a handicapped stall only to exit and find an actual handicapped woman waiting to use it. While I don't always use them, I do feel as if I'm as entitled as anyone else.

[tblue37]

128. Almost every day. My office is on the third floor. I often have to use the restroom

(old lady, tiny tank, too much coffee to counter inevitable sleep deprivation), and at least once a day--often more than once a day--I go in and the only stall being used is the handicapped stall (and always by a spry young woman)! The thing is, the stall on that particular floor also has its own sink and mirror, and the young women who like to use it often stand there and primp for some time before they come out. Therefore, I am often forced to use a regular stall--which is possible but rather painful and a bit dangerous, since there are no bars. Although the girl will be in the stall when I come into the restroom, she will still be there, standing in front of the stall sink--which is obvious, since the doors at that end of the stall reach only down to about calf level and her feet are in front of the sink, whereas the toilet is at the opposite end of the rather long stall. As I wash my hands I can tell that the water is not running there, either, which is why I assume she is probably just primping in front of the mirror.

I think that a lot of these young women are just used to having their own bathrooms at home, their own sink and mirror, and they prefer the handicapped stalls since they seem more "private" and more "luxurious" because they so much larger. And since the one on my floor has its own sink, mirror, and paper towel dispenser, it just feels more like what they think they deserve and should have access to.

The regular toilet stalls are small and cramped--which is one reason they are so hard for me to use. There is no room for me to extend my arms to effectively use the walls of the stall as a support, and attempting to do so can cause me to unbalance or to slip and land hard. For healthy young women, the regular stalls are an annoyance, but for someone like me, they are actually dangerous.

But when they enter the restroom and no one else is there (which means, of course, that all of the regular stalls are unoccupied), they automatically take the larger (handicapped) stall, without thinking that anyone who might need it will be likely to come along within the time they are there fixing their hair and makeup. But older people like me and even young handicapped people, who actually work there use the building restrooms several times each day. I am not the only one who complains about this. I know of a couple of women in my building who use wheelchairs, so they are even more put out than I am when they cannot use a handicapped stall. What is tricky and somewhat dangerous for me is simply impossible for them!

[pnwmom]

144. Why should the handicapped stall be the only one with its own private mirror?

If they don't want the handicapped stall to attract non-handicapped people, they shouldn't have unnecessary features in it, like mirrors, that make it more attractive to the able-bodied.

I've never seen a handicapped stall with the features you describe, so it can't be that they're necessary. I have, however, seen a handicapped stall with a pull-out table for changing a baby. So they're also obviously designed to accommodate able-bodied parents with strollers.

[tblue37]

145. I think that in a way having a baby with you when you need to use the restroom

qualifies as a temporary "handicap." Similarly, handicapped people and parents with small children get to board a plane first.

I think maybe the mirror, sink, etc., in that handicapped stall is to accommodate someone in a wheelchair, since that particular bathroom is very crowded, so a wheelchair would not fit in front of the other sinks. In fact, it is a tight squeeze even to get the wheelchair to the handicapped stall if there are other people in the bathroom standing in front of the regular sinks. Everyone has to step inside a regular stall--or else out of the bathroom altogether--if a wheelchair needs to come through.

Now that I think about it, I feel sure that is why that bathroom has such a well-appointed handicapped stall. None of the restrooms on the other floors (all of which are larger than the restroom on my floor) have the extra stuff. However, the handicapped stalls on the other floors are still significantly larger than regular stalls--to accommodate a wheelchair--and I think that even without the sink and mirror, able-bodied young women still just prefer the larger stall, and that is why they so often take the handicapped stall when the others are unoccupied. It happens all the time when I am up on the fourth floor, where I teach.

I can understand why they would prefer the larger stall, just as I understand why people who are not handicapped would prefer to park in the spots near the entrance to a store. It's just that for those of us who are handicapped, it isn't merely a preference. We really do need those accommodations, and able-bodied people really do not.

[SheilaT]

167. Clearly you are experiencing a rather unusual situation.

I've never seen a handicapped stall with its own sink and mirror. And if they're taking more than a couple of minutes, yeah, I guess that constitutes hogging. In this case some sort of education or information needs to be passed on, or even a simple sign that says something like "Be considerate of others. Do not take more than five minutes to do your business." What's going on in your building is a very specific problem that just doesn't apply to most places.

In most restrooms, the handicapped stall is simply larger with the support rails, and I doubt anyone takes an excessive amount of time, other than perhaps a mom with a couple of young kids. I'm never inside a stall more than a minute, so I am going to continue to use whichever stall I want.

[pnwmom]

143. Handicapped stalls are legally available to everyone. They are not like disabled

parking spots that require a placard for use.

Often there are only 2 stalls in a bathroom, including the 1 required handicapped stall. When building designers count the number of needed bathrooms, they do so based on the assumption that all stalls are available for use by able-bodied people as well.

[tblue37]

146. But when a regular stall is open, it is considerate to use one

rather than occupying the handicapped stall when someone who is handicapped might need it. Nowadays, since the ADA, there are more handicapped people in public places. As I said before, everyone understands when someone takes the handicapped stall because the regular ones are occupied. But when the regular stalls are free, it is kinder to leave the handicapped stall for those who really need it.

[pnwmom]

147. Yes, it is more considerate -- but not legally required.

Under the ADA, there must be bathroom stalls that can accommodate the handicapped, but they are not reserved exclusively for them.

That is why handicapped-accessible stalls can also include such features as changing tables.

[Nye Bevan]

58. Nope. That is one of my absolute pet hates.

Lazy, entitled people feeling that they are so important that they should get to use the handicap spots.

I have been known to call the cops on this behavior.

[rogerashton]

60. No, but ...

I use the disabled crapper sometimes.

[tblue37]

81. See my post #57 above. nt

[samsingh]

61. not on purpose

[pintobean]

64. Unintentionally.

In '87, I was going to the home of a friend of a friend, to pick up a pair of Pink Floyd tickets (17th row, floor). It was dark, and when I found the address, I backed into a spot on the street. I didn't realize that I was about a foot into a handicap spot until I returned to the car 5 minutes later and found the ticket under the wiper. 50 bucks back then. I didn't complain because I had it coming.

[3catwoman3]

66. Never.

Nor would I.

I had a temporary placard after a hip replacement about 16 months ago. A couple of times I forgot to hang it up on the rear view mirror and was relieved not to have been ticketed. The fines in Illinois are quite high.

[mercuryblues]

69. The only

time was when my Mom was with me. Even then the spots would most likely be filled, so I dropped her off at the door and parked. It was a huge inconvenience for her. She could not move fast and felt like she should so cars wouldn't be backed up behind me.

Park in a handicap space when not needed? Hell no. I am happy I am healthy enough to walk the distance to the door. I have the luxury of being healthy enough to walk, why would I purposely make someone's day harder?

[malaise]

71. The people who violate disabled parking rules don't care about health

They do not think they need to drive around and find a spot or park far from where they're going - they are usually thoughtless entitled folks like the rich kid mentioned above.

[mythology]

70. I think maybe I did once

There was a spot that had a faded sign that was half hidden behind the brush overgrowing the fence. But I didn't see the sign until I was leaving. There are other, far better marked handicapped spots in that lot that aren't near this spot. So I'm not sure if it was technically a handicapped spot or not.

But other than that no. Even now when I've been pretty hobbled by major knee surgery, I still walk from the normal parking spots. It's a loose definition of walking as I'm not allowed to put weight on my leg when it's bent, but still. Part of it is that I know there are people who are worse off than I am, but mostly it's my stubborn refusal to accept my own limitations.

[malaise]

72. That one was not your fault n/t

[Warpy]

84. I have a disability and I have never parked in one

because I'm pushing that day off as long as possible.

[pnwmom]

140. I don't have a disability but I used to use disabled parking frequently

in order to drive my elderly mother in law to her appointments -- and to pick her up. That's when you really get the dirty looks -- when you're getting out of your car, alone, on the way into the building to pick up the disabled person who needs the car to be parked close by.

[Bluzmann57]

85. No

And I have called out people I've seen who do. My dad can barely walk, can no longer drive, so my mom has a sticker in their car. It angers me when people who can walk well take those spots.

[alphafemale]

89. I know first hand the handicapped privilege spots are abused.

People borrow cars of relatives or whatever.

It happens and the Handicapped spaces are used by people that don't need them all the time. So what?

Not the hill I care to die on.

You are pissed about walking 50 extra steps in the parking lot?

You are going to walk hundreds of steps in the store.

[malaise]

100. Huh?

This thread is not about me - this is about people violating the laws re disabled parking.
I walk 20K a week just for exercise.

[alphafemale]

114. People violate the disabled parking spots all the time.

They are borrowing gammas car or whatever.

It still does not really bother me.

[BlueCaliDem]

92. No. It seems unethical to me to even think about doing that. eom

[liberalhistorian]

93. No, never. Have never considered

it and would never consider it. The o ly time I ever did was completely by accident. About twenty years ago I was parking at the community college in the middle of winter when it was snowing and there was significant snow on the ground. At that time, the college didn't have signs up above the handicapped spaces; they were only painted on the ground in the space itself. So I couldn't see that I was parking in a H space.

When I got out of the car, someone came and pointed it out and politely asked what my disability was. I apologized and said I hadn't known and immediately corrected it and found another spot. The guy I was talking to said it was common because it was hard for people to see and he wished they'd put a sign over all the spots. Fortunately, things have changed and they now have signs over all the spots. So there's no excuse anymore.

[Contrary1]

94. Nope, and it upset my mom...

She should have gotten a permit years before she did. I would drop her off at the door, and park out in the regular area.

She just didn't want to admit that she needed a permit. She finally applied for one, at my insistance, and got it.

Now that I am older...I get her reluctance. Who wants to acknowledge that they have trouble walking those few extra feet?

I miss her every day.

[TDale313]

96. Nope, never.

[LeftyMom]

97. I do all the time, while driving my disabled mother around.

She's able to drive herself but when we're out together I drive and she brings her placard along. Her mobility is not great and long spells of driving tend to wear her out.

She's yelled at rather frequently by complete strangers who think they're the handicapped parking police. Her disabilities are not visually obvious.

My personal favorite was the person who yelled at her that she wasn't really disabled because she wasn't driving the correct car- at the time she had a Camaro she'd owned for several years. A real disabled person would have a large sedan or a van, the amateur parking attendant informed her. Mom, god love her, asked him if he was offering to buy her one or if he wanted to shut the fuck up (yes, it runs in the family.) I'll have to ask her if she gets less shit from nosy people like that now that she's driving my old Subaru?

[malaise]

101. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah - love your mom

[Ms. Toad]

104. Good for your mom.

But no one should be yelling at her in the first place. I hate the treatment of people with invisible disabilities.

[Chemisse]

99. No. I recall circling a parking area, looking for a spot,

with my 6-year-old granddaughter in the car. She commented to me, sympathetically, "Too bad you're not handicapped."

It was pretty funny, but really, I am lucky I am not handicapped, and that I can walk across a lot to get to a store.

[malaise]

103. Looking for parking spots can bring out the worst in people

your granddaughter is observant but she doesn't yet understand that most people would opt for no disability rather than a parking spot.

[joeglow3]

104. Yes. And I got a fake ticket for it

We have 8 parking spots right in front of the building at work. All other sports are about 100 yards away. I was working late, it was 10 below and when I got back from dinner at 9, there were no cars there (and no one else in the building). Building security left me a ticket, threatening to tow.

[meaculpa2011]

108. Yes, but...

I often drive my father to the VA hospital in Brooklyn. He's 92 and 100% disabled (frostbite at the Battle of the Bulge) that was granted to him 60 years after the fact.

I park in the handicapped section, with his tag, so he won't have to walk to and from the far end of the lot.

I know that some people look askance at me as I park the car. So be it.

[lpbk2713]

119. Providing your Dad with a parking space is the very least we can do for him.

Considering all he's been through for our benefit.

[lunasun]

110. Never

[petronius]

113. No*, but I will use the disabled stall in the restroom if it's unoccupied when I arrive,

and the others are in use. Where is that on the moral continuum?


(* Except when I'm driving for someone who legitimately has a placard)

[Initech]

115. Maybe if you are George Costanza.

But most of us are not George Costanza.

[KentuckyWoman]

116. I have a permit and hardly ever use it....

If I'm having a bad day or if closest regular parking is so far out or of a situation that presents concern then I'll use it. Lots of geezers on canes or worse around these parts. I'm a gray hair too but may as well use my legs while I can and save the few spots for the ones who really need it.

Parking lots get more dangerous all the time. I'm pretty short and hard to see behind an SUV. Even when they do bother to take their head out of their apps and look. Can you imagine how dangerous for walkers and wheelchairs?

[roody]

117. Only in the middle of the night at the ATM.

[Jamastiene]

121. No.

Technically, my aunt owns the car I drive. She is quadriplegic now and can no longer drive. It has handicapped plates on it, but I've never parked it in a handicapped parking place. I could do it, but until I need to, I'd rather leave those for the people who need them. It's hard for people who are physically handicapped to get around. Those are for them. Coming from a family with 2 handicapped family members, though, I understand why those parking spots are there a lot more than a lot of people.

[Marrah_G]

122. No- I would never do that.

[Retrograde]

124. Sometimes, when I'm chauffering my mother

who does have mobility issues, and I need to help her with her walker. If there's a third person with us, I drop them off and park elsewhere.

[pnwmom]

141. If she has a placard you can use it in your car whenever you're driving her

or picking her up. If she doesn't have a placard, it sounds like she needs one.

[kwassa]

125. Twas the day before Christmas ...

actually, the day before that.

I had to get pet food for my cats, I was completely out, there was no other time in my schedule, and the store shared a lot with a Whole Foods and other businesses. Aside from the traffic gridlock, there were no untaken parking spaces. Hell on earth.

So, in desperation, I parked in a handicapped space, ran in, bought food, ran out. There were multiple empty handicapped spaces, by the way, that were completely empty. Otherwise, no parking.

I have also parked in handicapped spaces when traveling with a handicapped person that brought their placard. My favorite was parking with my parents right in front of the door of the National Gallery of Art in DC. Parking in that area for anyone is very difficult, and long walks are the norm.

[tammywammy]

126. The only time I've parked in a handicapped spot was when I was driving my grandfather around.

For years he just had a cane, but then a walker. When I would visit for the weekend I'd drive us around to wherever, restaurants, etc. He'd always joke "let me get my cheater", but probably 18 months before he died he followed it up with "well it's not really a cheater any more". He was 91 when he passed.

At a previous job, there was an older lady with a placard (justifiably). She got sick and passed away. Then this other lady took her placard and started using it, and she didn't need it. I found that to be pretty unethical.

[MannyGoldstein]

127. Nope, altough we have my MIL's handicapped parking permit

I have started conversations with people who are parked in those spots, obviously using someone else's permit. It's not right.

[liberal_at_heart]

129. no but I have stopped my car in the crosswalk at a red light before. I get chastised by

by legally blind husband for doing it, but the way the driving laws are structured it is hard never to drive into a crosswalk while at a read light especially if you are wanting to turn right. I do try to avoid doing it whenever I can.

[kentauros]

130. No.

But I do recall riding with a friend that used his mother's hanging placard to park in such a space. I recall letting him know he should park somewhere else. He laughed it off.

Did I stop being friends? No, same for the friend that scared the hell out of me and equally pissed me off when he "beat the train" many years ago.

Some people are great people, but turn into absolute and complete assholes when they get behind the wheel.

[napi21]

131. NEVER DID until I got my Disability plate.

I never would have before that. BTW, if you didn't know, (at least here in Ga.) the hanging tags are for temporary disabilities, the license plate is for permanent ones.

I remember my sil told me she liked to use her mil's car because she has the disability plate so she can park in the close spots. I told her it was wrong to do that, even though she would probably get away with it. She lives in another state, so I don't know if she's stopped doing it or not.

[Man from Pickens]

133. I've done it by accident

A local store has the worst-marked disabled parking spot ever - just two blue lines marking the spot, but the blue is so faded you can't easily tell the difference from the white lines on the other spots.

[Skittles]

134. no, absolutely f***ing not

in fact, I always park a ways away, to avoid door dings

[Inkfreak]

182. Me too! I think we're a rare breed, but my jeep is ding-free. (nt)

[sakabatou]

135. Never have

[pnwmom]

136. You can't think of any reason? I am able-bodied but I parked in a disabled spot

because I was driving my 94 year old MIL, who was disabled.

And sometimes she wasn't even with me -- she was in the lobby, waiting for me to help her out to the car, which I had parked in the Disabled parking spot so that she could get to it.

The disabled placard, by the way, always stayed in her possession so that whomever was driving her could use it to drive her.

This is a perfectly legal use of the card.

[spinbaby]

151. I do, when I drive my mother

My mother has a handicap tag for apparently no other reason than she is 90--she can walk perfectly well. But she feels entitled to the handicapped spot because she's 90 and has a tag, so I usually do use it when I take her to the Walmart where there are always plenty available and non-handicapped parking is very far away.

[Deny and Shred]

153. I never would, but ...

a friend of mine had a grandmother in her 90s who was entitled to the placard. My friend's mother kept it in her car, and would park in a hadicapped spot EVERY time one was available, whether the grandmother was with her or not. When the grandmother passed away, the mother continued to use the placard until it expired. It gets better.

Having become so accustomed to these parking spots, the mother decided to demand that her housekeeper take HER mother, who was in her nineties and housebound, to the DMV to get a placard for my friend's mother's continued use. This woman saw no problem with any of this whatsoever, and probably still has it.

True story.

[malaise]

161. A seriously selfish human being

who thought she was entitled to privilege. Disgusting indeed.

[MoonRiver]

154. Of course not!

Now that I have a permanent disability sticker I recognize the importance of having those spaces available.

to anybody who would deny those with disabilities their needed spaces.

[MineralMan]

156. Temporarily, when driving a disabled person somewhere.

Typically, though, once they go into the place they're going, I move the car to a regular space, and then pick them up at the door when they need to be picked up. While in the handicapped space, I display the placard. I have never, though, parked in any such space except for those situations.

[thucythucy]

157. Interesting discussion. I would add

that, if you use a wheelchair, it's equally obnoxious when someone parks in or otherwise blocks a curb cut. As a partner to someone who uses a chair, I see this happen a lot. It means we either have to walk back to the nearest driveway, and then ride in the street (which can be dangerous) or have to detour entirely to find another curb cut on the route to where we're going.

But it's really encouraging and affirming to see how many DUers get the importance of reserved parking for people with disabilities!

[malaise]

158. You know I think we should teach human consideration classes to young people

They might turn out to be a lot more thoughtful of others.

[MrScorpio]

159. Never have. nt

[tritsofme]

160. I frequently see USPS personnel illegally parked in handicapped zones

Even though USPS is immune to local traffic laws, the drivers ought to be held accountable personally.

[IdaBriggs]

163. Once by accident. Poor signage. I was so embarrassed!

I also have attempted to shame non-handicapped folk while at a local Pizza establishment; the most convenient parking in front is clearly marked, but some folk think "just running in for pizza" means they can ignore the signs. I have made comments about "must be some kind of MENTAL disability because otherwise they wouldn't be so SELFISH!"

[tabbycat31]

164. Never

However (and this is another discussion) I HAVE used the handicapped stalls in public bathrooms.

[Iggo]

172. Those are handicapped priority. They're not exclusive.

[pipi_k]

165. I could probably

get a tag since my knees are so bad, but Mr Pipi has one because of his knees, COPD, and foot neuropathy

I've never used it for my own benefit, though.

Even though he's some years older than I am, he doesn't appear to be in as much pain as I do so when people see us park in a handicapped spot I'm sure they think the placard is for me.

Where I live, the photo of the disabled person is on the front of the placard, but there's a piece of white vinyl that the person can slide over the photo for privacy if he wants.


I once worked with a lady whose husband had a leg amputation. He had a placard in his wife's car. She would often use it for herself to get a good parking spot for the post office, store, etc. even though she wasn't disabled and he wasn't in the car with her.

That's not nice

[Iggo]

166. Nope, not once.

I'm not that kind of asshole.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

168. I have used one when I "needed" one

even though I didn't have the requisite tag or license plate.

I don't think I've ever parked in a handicapped spot when I didn't need it, however. (By need, I mean health related.)

[Orrex]

174. Only when I'm trying to pass as a Republican.

[ileus]

175. no

[Bjorn Against]

177. Only when I have had a disabled person in the car with me.

[Reter]

179. Yes, plenty of times at this one place

But it was a liquor store and it's only at night, plus they have too many blue spaces (like 5, and they were all empty).

[phylny]

184. No.

Never.