Half of Drivers using disabled parking illegally
A study done in New Zealand shows that half of the drivers that put a disabled placard in their car are not disabled. For those of us that are disabled this is not a giant surprise. I have lost count of the number of times watching a woman in tall pumps get out of a Hummer and the proceed to carry a box into the mall. As someone that is really disabled, I cannot get into or out of a Hummer, my feet barely fit into any shoes and I cannot carry a box and maneuver a wheelchair anywhere. Where do these people get the nerve to park in a disabled spot when they know there are those of us that desperately need that spot so our ramp can move properly? Tampa Florida had an enormous problem with Canadians coming down with disabled placards from their grandparents and then parked in disabled spots near the beach. The story was blown open by a TV station taking picture s of the idiots taking the disabled spots and then proceeding to jog for miles around the beach. The police became involved and started their own camera work. They spent a month handing out expensive tickets and the word got out – don’t park there unless you are disabled. It is obvious that the same thing needs to be done in New Zealand as well as other places in the US. Lets put a small picture of the person the card belongs to on it and verify that they are in the vehicle. Then we can compare who is in the vehicle to the picture and hand out tickets.
Another idea that we have heard is to take pictures of the idiot using your cell phone and also get their license plate number. Send all of that information to traffic control of your local police department. Since the police make a lot of money from tickets they should be happy to follow up on these emails. The larger malls can have ticket maids that use a golf cart to move around the parking lot. They have a radio to call in for help if someone is breaking into a car or is being mugged. Otherwise they can hand out tickets to those that park illegally in the disabled parking. Considering how often this happens they should be able to pay for that person’s salary in the first few days of each month. While they are paying for a parking ticket there is no reason why the driver should not be forced to take courses explaining how they are hurting the disabled community. For those that are caught several times, perhaps they should have to perform community service at rehab centers helping the disabled. Since these people don’t have morals or ethics it is obvious we need to give them out. This may be the best type of deterrent because no one wants to spend their own time doing something they do not want to do. The über rich that take these spots don’t mind paying $500+ for the ticket but they would be screaming bloody murder if they had to spend 20 hours at a rehab center. Guess no one wants to explain to their employer why they need half the week off – they cannot keep themselves from parking in the handicapped spot.
The problem is bad enough that there are simply not enough spots around popular areas of the city without having to deal with miscreants that park in our spots. But they will continue to do this until we do something about this. Once the population knows they cannot get away with this crime for long, they will find something else to spend their time to do. By sending these people to rehab centers and hospitals maybe they will start to see what we have to deal with in our lives and decide to help rather then hurt. Just because you can move your arms does not mean you can hold things or transfer yourself. Even if you can move your legs does not man you can stand or walk. But there are those that think this way. Only by educating the populace of what we deal with and how our lives are changed will people’s ideas about disability change. I’m sure that everyone is tired of being treated like an idiot, with sales people overlooking us or talking to us like we are three years old. Just because I cannot walk does not mean I’m a vegetable. But that is what they think. But I don’t let them get away with it. I let them know that I am a real person with an intellect and deserve the same rights and privileges as everyone else walking around.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Loading ...
User Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.