Handicap Parking Rant

[Wadcutter]

It seems to me that within the past few years there has been a HUGE increase in the number of people with handicap license plates and/or placards hanging from their mirrors and it also seems to me that a whole lot of these folks ain't all that handicapped. I have handicapped plates on my vehicle because I am combat wounded Vietnam Vet with ankle and leg injuries and let me tell you I really need those handicap parking spots. And it really ticks me off when I pull into a Walmart or Costco or wherever and there is no handicap parking available because many of the spaces are taken by people with handicap plates or placards who don't appear to be too "handicapped" to me. Because I have to wait for a spot to open up, I get to see many of these so called "handicapped" people heading for their vehicles and they appear to me to be absolutely normal with really no obvious physical handicap that would prevent them from making it into the store from a space further away. And I have also seen people exiting their vehicle from a handicap parking spot and they look like they are about to set a world record in the 100 yard dash on their way into the store. An obvious exaggeration but you get the point. I think these handicap parking privileges are being abused and I would sure like to see the requirements for handicap plates and placards tightened up and these things issued to people who are truly handicapped and not just inconvenienced because they have to walk a few more steps into the store. And I blame the medical profession for this abuse as well because you can't get a handicap plate or placard from the state unless you are approved by a licensed medical doctor to have one. There, I feel better now. Thanks for letting me rant on this.

[FLRon]

Not unlike the people who run out of the workplace to their car parked in the handicapped spot. Makes you wonder doesn't it? For what it's worth, in my career I dealt with this issue many times as a health and safety manager for a large auto manufacturer.

The bottom line is this: it is a fairly simple process to find a physician willing to make a case for your permit. I've seen it dozens of times,and the reasons some people have that permit run the gamut from those such as yourself who have obvious visible impairments,to those who have migraines,high blood pressure,anxiety attacks,and so on.

Like many other health care related issues, Dr's are extremely hesitant to say "no" to a permit request out of fear of litigation. And yes, it has gotten that bad.

[blue]

Can't speak to this, as when I've had family members getting them it was totally legit, and there were many hoops. It wasn't easy.

Glad to see in the news that there will supposedly be a crack down on bogus service animals.

[ewalling]

A boss I had in Miami soon after I arrived was perfectly healthy, but her husband had had some heart operations and had a handicapped permit. So, what my boss did was to use his permit when she came to work so that she could park a few yards from the font door. Not good.

[00Buck]

I agree. It's rare that I see a disabled person get out of a vehicle in a handicapped spot. All too often they are young people, probably using the parking pass of another family member or friend who also doesn't need it.

Some of the increase is probably due to aging boomers. I know my knees hurt like something awful on some days. I refuse to get a permit until walking to the store brings tears to my eyes, but I'm guessing not every one thinks the way I do.

One more thought: Most people are lazy. I've watched people circle the parking lot looking for the closer space they can get instead of walking an extra fifty feet. The parking pass gets them into the closest space.

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by ewalling

A boss I had in Miami soon after I arrived was perfectly healthy, but her husband had had some heart operations and had a handicapped permit. So, what my boss did was to use his permit when she came to work so that she could park a few yards from the font door. Not good.

I would have turned her in. That's part of the problem - people using others' placards.

[JosephW]

I believe you are quite right that many, many handicapped placards are used fraudulently.
Not that it helps you, but my ability to walk is currently not good, but I would never think about getting a placard when there are so many worse off.

[Nailpicker]

I have no handicap but agree with you completely Wadcutter.
I'll add that I take my 92 year old mother shopping every week. If she can walk to the far end of the Walmart parking lot (and some days it ain't easy for her), I think many others abusing handicap permits could as well. I think stores should have some designated spots for really, really old people.

[Basalt Beach]

My Mom lived to 89 years old and commented on the same thing. She was amazed how many individuals who had a Handicapped hang tag walked and even trotted into the various stores, especially when it was raining.

Separately, I fly Southwest Airlines 45 times a year (through 2016). On the Tampa to Providence flights and Providence to Tampa Flights, from October to May of each year, there are always passengers who board early using wheel chairs. Many are legitimate and require the use of the chair. However, I have been on many of these flights where 6 to 11 individuals use a wheel chair to get on and at the destination airport they walk off the plane. I once commented on their ability not to require a wheel chair to deplane, to a Southwest Flight Attendant and they replied and said the crews call it "The Southwest Miracle". When she told me that, I busted out laughing.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by ewalling

A boss I had in Miami soon after I arrived was perfectly healthy, but her husband had had some heart operations and had a handicapped permit. So, what my boss did was to use his permit when she came to work so that she could park a few yards from the font door. Not good.

When my wife got her handicap hanging card, and later her license plates, both came with a BIG warning that if a non-handicapped person used the vehicle to park in a handicapped spot and the handicapped person was not in it, that person was liable for a big fine. This is in Minnesota, so it may not be applicable to other states, I have no idea.

Catching people who abuse this is a different story. I don't know how that would be done unless somebody turned that person in. My wife uses a walker and sometimes a cane, and it takes her forever to get from the car to where ever it is we are going from there. I would not want to take a spot that somebody like her needs, so I really did not need that warning, though it is good to know about.

I have some service-connected disability, but these don't affect my ability to walk. Though I am not going to do it, I would be curious to know if that would qualify me for some sort of parking sticker. If so, that would explain why some folks who don't seem to have trouble walking, still get those stickers/license plates.

Tony

[MikeBodd]

I have a simple saying when I see someone parked in a handicapped spot (And they're not handicapped) I simply tell them ( quite loudly)that stupidity is not a disabaility. My wife gets a bit embarrassed. But I'm a fairly large guy and they don't really respond. They usually blush and move My wife had a handicaped sister and she knows the inconvenience of offloading offloading wheel chair etc.

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[Guitars+gems]

I agree, that handicapped parking is abused. And I've always wondered if someone is handicapped to the degree that he/she needs to park close to the mall entrance, how then is that person going to manage walking around the mall? I will say though, it's important to remember that not all physically compromised people are obviously so. A person with heart issues, for instance, may get short of breath with the exertion of walking, but may look perfectly well from the outside. So you know... book, cover, etc.

I'd like to add, therapy dogs are the new handicapped parking permits.

[MikeBodd]

I get that. But these guys don't even have the permits. It is a tough one to call.

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[BradleyS]

First off, Wadcutter, thank you for your service and welcome home.
I have witnessed many people with handicap tags that appear more mobile than most. I sympathize with your situation.

[Silly Moustache]

It seems that the system in your country needs changing.

Here in the UK qualifying for a "Blue Badge" (entitles you to disabled parking) is not easy.
You must convince (I guess) the DVLA of the validity of your claim.

Many large supermarkets have disabled parking places, but it is private land and so enforcement is unlikely.

I once had a blue badge for my father, and whilst very ill at the time never felt that I could use it for myself as I had this thing about "bad karma!" i.e. if I mis-used it, fate would make it necessary for me.

It is illegal to use a badge if the person to which it has been issued is not with you.

The term "handicapped" (i.e. "cap in hand begging") is no longer acceptable in the UK.