Handicap parking when you don't need it?

Question

This question is really for people who have a handicap parking permit for someone other than his or herself. But feel free to answer. Do you use the handicap permit when you are driving by yourself and your grandmother or other disabled relative is not with you? And why? I'm just curious because people are ALWAYS complaining about seeing someone park in a handicap space when the person doesn't look disabled.

Thanks for the responses so far. And yes, yes, yes, I know there are disabilities that we cannot see. My question is why are the ABLE-BODIED using the permit that was meant for someone else and some of you have given some very good legitimate reasons.

Answer 1

I'm disabled and need/use the handicap permit, but if my wife is driving, she will not use a handicap space unless I am getting out of the car.
I know what you mean though...a co-worker of mine use to use her husbands handicap permit every day at work just because it saved her a few steps - what made it even worse was that, at that time, there was only the one handicap space. Somebody finally ratted on her (too bad she didn't get a hefty fine though).

I have absolutely no pity on ANYONE who misuses a handicap space and gets fined or the vehicle towed away.

True, many handicaps aren't obviously visible, but you would be surprised at how many people fraudulently use handicap permits. The signs do say "Parking by Handicap Permit Only", but, at least in FL, it also means that the person the permit is issued/registered to MUST be in, or being transported by, the vehicle at the time the permit is being used....so, if any of you have TRUE DOUBTS about a the validity of someone, please ask a traffic officer to check it out. If they are legitimate, they wouldn't mind and would probably even appreciate the fact that others are concerned about their needs. If they are not legitimate, then you just did ALL handicapped people a great favor.
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.EDIT --
I think Eddie might have been referring to the handicap permit registration. We don't have to carry an ID card (not a bad idea though).

Answer 2

Sometimes a person doesn't look disabled because for that short walk out of the disabled parking space to the front of the store, they are OK. But there are disabilities that are not obvious on that short a walk. For example, a person with a trick knee might seem to walk normally for awhile, and then stumble as the knee goes wonky. Or they are arthritic and in pain, but not asymmetrically so, which would make them walk funny. Or other problems, like shortness of breath, where walking a short way is OK, but a long one is not.

People who have disabled in their families may often be running errands for the disabled person when the disabled person is not in the car. The car parked in a handicapped zone in front of a pharmacy may be picking up important medication, and not want to take the additional time a far-away parking space would need because of having left the patient at home, in distress.

I know people abuse the privilege at times, but speaking as a person with a disabled member in the family (OK, adopted into the family, but same difference), the reasons are legitimate for giving them some slack often enough that I wouldn't let it get to you if I were you. If you confront someone with "you don't look disabled to me," you may offend someone, or you may be embarrassed when they explain why they need to use the handicap space.

Answer 3

According to the American With Disabilities Act a person can park in the disability accessible parking space if there is a valid license plate or placard with the disability symbol. At this point there is not much legally that can be done for someone else to take advantage of this who does not need it.

Some times people have hidden disabilities and many times a person may be having a good day. For myself I need to be able to park close to the entrance most days. Some days I will not use the disability accessible parking space, but I'll leave it for someone else who needs it more. I do have disability plates for my walking disability.

If you know for CERTAIN that the person is using someone else's placard or disability plates, there isn't much that can be done. However some states have the disability symbol on a person's driver's license or non-driver's license. If this individual with the other person, the police can verify this.

Answer 4

I think that most ppl need to define handicap, someone may not look handicap and have a bad knee or something like that and not be able to walk long distances. My sister has CP and she has to park in handicap parking, there are always plenty of spaces for her to park so there is really no sense in her complaining about it. Most of the time if they have a wheelchair it won't hurt them anymore just to go a few extra places down anyway. Now if I were to see some little teenager jumping out of a car and running to the store, that might be a different situation. But I am the type that would walk up and say something to them! lol!

Answer 5

So suddenly they are all doctors? They know the individuals medical history from a glance? They assume that handicapped means they walk with a limp or need aide?

There are a number of conditions and handicaps that don't have physically visible symptoms. A weak heart, loss of a lung, muscle degeneration are all things not readily apparent.

My wife has a permit. I use it when I drive her. I do not use it when she is not with me. And often when I am driving I will drop her off at the door and park in a normal space, then pick her up.

Answer 6

I have a handicapped parking placard. I also have an electric wheelchair. I get po'd when I see someone parked in the spot and are walking just fine or have no visible disability, yet I park out in the no mans land of the store parking lot. Just report their license to the store manager. Some people are just inconsiderate.

Answer 7

And if a handicapped man or woman were good in the back of, the position would he/she have parked? Sorry, she occupied the area, which she had no good to do. No excuses allowed, and trust me, the court docket has heard all of them. that is a valid cost ticket and she would ought to pay it. She must have stopped extra away, like different able-bodied human beings do, and the lot of you need to have walked the more beneficial few yards. And if there have been no different parking spots, which in many circumstances basically occurs at Christmas, she would have dropped you off on the area street, or at a loading zone, I guess there replaced into actual a kind of.

Answer 8

I think that pregnant women who are 7-9 months should be able to have a handicapped sticker instead of using the very obscure Pregnant parking spaces. Not all parking lots have them. No pregnant person should have to walk (sometimes in summer heat) from far out in the lot. The OB should give them a temporary one that should expire after their due date or six week check-up.

Answer 9

No, I don't. I got her the decals and permits, my car has them too, but I will not use them without her. If I use it and she's not in the vehicle, it's because I am picking her up from an appointment and we'll be walking out together.

I got sensitized to this when I volunteered with the VA and drove a quadriplegic patient around. It was irritating having to park his van in the "South 40" while very ambulatory-looking people strutted out to their handicap-tagged vehicles.

That said, some people have handicaps that aren't glaringly obvious. You can't assume no cane or wheelchair equals no handicap.

Answer 10

I have one for a 93 year old aunt that I shop for and take to the doctor. I know I have done it when checking her mailbox (she won't get mail at the house!), but other than that, I can't really remember any other times I have used it when she wasn't with me. The times when I actually need it - at the doctor's office with her - there are never any open spaces. I can't just drop her off, because I need to get her into her chair and I generally need the extra space that is around those parking spaces to get her in and out. I hate when people park in the extra space around those spaces, many times that is why I will have to use another more open spot.

And you never know about people's disabilities. My dad is disabled because he has shrapnel in his back from Vietnam. He is 6'4" and looks perfectly healthy, but he has a hard time with sitting or standing or just being in one position for long periods of time. He actually doesn't even use a disabled parking space.