The Parking Problem
Violations of Handicapped Parking Laws Are Becoming More Common
How many times have you lapped a parking lot for 10 minutes, hoping a handicapped parking spot will open up, only to get frustrated and park at the end of the lot? Chances are, quite a few.
So you park at the back of the lot and fight your way through the unplowed snow and the often times very unhelpful crowd, only to find that the cars parked in the reserved handicapped spots are lacking the proper identification. And you wonder why some people just don’t seem to care.
There many different views on the issue of reserved parking for the disabled. Many people, both disabled and able-bodied, feel that reserved spaces nearest the destination are necessary to help avoid trying to navigate a busy parking lot in a wheelchair or with a walker. Others feel that since disabled persons expect equal treatment in every other area, that the reserved spots should be eliminated. Still others feel that these spaces are necessary, but there are too many of them in some locations.
Police in Oakland, CA, have recently begun cracking down on violators, many of whom work for the city, state or federal government. On one particular day, officers cited 34 people for illegal use of disabled parking tags. The excuse most often heard for the violations was that the driver had “just dropped [the owner of the tag] off at a doctor’s appointment” or would be later in the day. One of the officers wrote three citations in 70 minutes. Many other cities, including Honolulu, have started their own disabled parking enforcement with the help of volunteers.
Although there is no easy solution to this problem, two Democratic Senators introduced a bill last week to help deal with this problem. The bulk of this bill will focus on improving communications between physician’s offices and the Department of Motor Vehicles so that the DMV can be certain that the forms needed to obtain a permit were, indeed, filled out by a doctor.
There are also some things you can do to help this problem. Make sure that your permit is displayed clearly when you park. Visit VisorTag to get a holder for your permit. VisorTag attaches to the visor of your vehicle and flips down when in use and flips up when your vehicle is in motion. The clear plastic holder also helps protect your visor from weathering and fading. You can also report offenses by visiting Handicapped Fraud.
There will be no solution, however, until the law finds a common ground with common sense and decency.
Handicapped parking permit
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Julia Roberts
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