Ireland: Handicapped parking crackdown
The Irish government is finally working on increasing the penalties for parking in a handicapped parking spot. Presently drivers only have to pay 80 Euros for parking in a handicapped spot, assuming that most police don’t write parking tickets for this because of the low penalty and no points against the driver. If the changes are made the driver of the vehicle would be hit with points on their record. Parking rates can be high in cities to the point that it may be cheaper to park in a handicapped spot than in paying for a regular spot. For those that think that it is no big deal in illegal parking need to see what happens to the handicapped if a spot is stolen. The person is locked out from shopping at a store or mall because their van ramp does not work in a regular parking spot. Why do we get to lose out in a life task because someone has decided that they don’t want to walk a little farther to the store? With the added points it will dramatically shrink the number of illegal parkers because few will want the extra added money from insurance companies or the potential loss of driving permission. (Source: Irish TImes)
Few people realize how important it is to have handicapped parking spots that are available to those that need the spots. To the able bodied it is no big deal walking a few more meters and since they use doors rather than a ramp they do not appreciate how do you get out of your vehicle when your door doesn’t open all the way. It is worse when you come back and someone has blocked your ramp door so that you cannot get back into your vehicle until the miscreant that has parked either illegally or improperly drops by to drive their vehicle away. We all deserve access to stores and other places that we can get to by driving. The handicapped lose that capability every time an able bodied person steals a parking spot and that is not fair to them or their family. While there is no law like the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) in the United States, but the UN does have a list of rights that the disabled should be guaranteed that most nations have signed. Since we cannot expect those in society to behave correctly and park in the spots given to them, the government must create penalties that are severe enough that it is not worth it to break the law. By adding points to the parking fine, drivers will indeed think twice before stealing that open spot that is right near the door.
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