My wife had one knee replaced, then the other. Each time she got a temporary (red) handicapped pass.
She had to use a wheeled Walker to get around. Which had me unloading, unfolding and getting to her door. The handicap spaces made it much easier.
However, we would haves a “ discussion” about using the placard. She trusted my luck that I’d find a close parking spot and not use a handicapped one.

quote:

Originally posted by Expert308:
I see this shit all the time. A car, or more often a big lifted SUV or pickup, pulls into a HC slot at the <whatever, but usually grocery> store. There's an HC tag hanging on the mirror, but the 30-something person who gets out of it is no more handicapped than I am. The tag belongs to her mother or someone, and she borrows it so she doesn't have to walk 20 feet further. If there's ever a vehicle that just begs to be keyed...

One of the guys in my club has a hang tag on his lifted and modified Jeep, goes with his prosthetic leg. He and I are about the same age, late 60's to early 70's. My Jeep is slightly modified and has a hang tag used when I'm taking my cousin shopping as she had to give up driving about ten years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:
I'm always curious, when I see a handicapped plate on something like a Corvette.

My late mother lived in a apartment complex for elderly folks . " Mr. Valentine " was in his 80's and drove a Corvette with a handicap plate .

quote:

That's a tough call. It is not always possible to tell by looking at a person, whether s/he has a medical condition that justifies handicap parking.

Its also hard to tell who's finagled a pass out of a sympathetic doctor, there are many who have them that don't need them.

The bigger peeve is the assholes who don't have anything wrong, who drive Aunt Jenny to Wal-mart and uses her pass so he can park close, if Aunt Jenny isn't going to leave the vehicle to go into the store, then her son should not be parked in handicap so he can walk his lazy butt inside.

Know several older folks, who use it to get out, bribe their kids (meaning 40 year old kids) to take them to the store and use their pass to park close by.

If the person on the pass is sitting in the car on their ass then the car shouldn't be in a handicap space.

Leave it for someone with a disability that is driving themselves or being driven and going inside the store...

What makes me shake my head in amazement is those who are parking in a handicapped spaced can't seem to quite get it parked reasonably well.

My fitness center has a lot of older people who are with handicapped decals and tags.

I see the same cars over and over again who are parked only half way into the parking space, the back 1/3 to almost half of the car is in the aisle where other cards have to drive. Or the handicapped car has pulled so far forward they're blocking the sidewalk.

I have a pic I took somewhere, last year, at the Post Office. Somebody with a handicapped tag pulled so far forwards into the parking space they had completely 100% blocked the sidewalk. Picture this: From the side of the post office building, there is a strip of grass, the concrete walkway, then a metal pole with the handicap sign. The driver kept going, pushed the metal pole down, drove over it, and kept going until they completely drove over the sidewalk and the nose of their vehicle was a foot or two from the post office building.

I understand and do have sympathy, we all need to go for groceries, post office, etc etc etc.

But if you can't drive well enough to park reasonably well, or don't give a damn about anybody else, well then that's pathetic.

If we are fortunate enough to live long enough there is a good chance we will all end up with mobility issues. That's part of life. But jeez, try to park your vehicle without damaging things, or blocking the traffic.
.

The OP clearly said his issue was cars WITHOUT placards using the spaces.

These threads always end up going the same way, in short order it is a bitch fest about people who don’t “look” handicapped, are overweight, or have an expensive car.

I qualified for a placard, my wife qualified for a placard. Yes, we are both overweight. Would losing weight help? Nope, neither of our conditions are weight related. I have arthritis in my toes that limits joint movement and can make walking extremely painful at times. Unrelated to weight, 21st century medical geniuses still don’t know why some folks get it and others don’t. I also have a convertible Mustang so clearly I can’t be disabled?

My wife broke bones in her foot years ago (before we were fat pigs) and after multiple surgeries, still has problems.

Seems there are a lot of folks who feel us fatties should be punished though regardless of actual facts or what the disability might be, nope just immediately jump to the conclusion that we are just abusing the system because we like cake.


Here’s a thought, if you are health, fit, and in good shape be happy! Lots of folks would love to be the same. If you ain’t ugly on the outside, why be ugly on the inside? I know compared to many I have had a pretty easy life. I also know compared to many I’ve had a lot more challenges. I try to avoid judging others as I don’t know what they have been though, overcome, or are dealing with.

If someone has a placard, I could care less. No placard? OK, something to bitch about and I hope they get a ticket. I don’t bother making the call as I don’t feel driven to enforce the rules on others. Not my job, sooner or later they will learn.

Yup, some work the system or abuse it- that is not my problem. There is ALWAYS someone abusing ANY system. Life is too short to let all of those folks get to me. I have enough shit of my own to worry about, don’t need to worry about others shit.


Just think how much better this world would be if folks focused on their own issues as much as they did on others?

911boss,
imagine that...folks minding their own business...

Years ago when I drove a car for work I used to check the local shopping centers for parking in a handicap without the proper placard or plate. Sometimes a warning, sometimes a ticket.
Very few ever took a hearing and if they did and just forgot to put up the placard where I could see it, we dropped it before the judge.
Don't know if it made a difference, but I got a lot of thankyou's from folks who couldn't park there because the spots were all full.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
I wonder if the cops will issue tickets for handicapped parking abuse in a Walmart parking lot? Private property and all, but since handicapped parking is usually mandated by law, it may be worth giving them a call.

My girlfriend has to bring oxygen everywhere with her, and it's aggravating to see such abuse. Luckily, around here the abuse is infrequent.

It is not infrequent here. I mentioned it to a store manager a while back, and was unsurprised to hear that the police just refuse to take action. I have seen signs noting that fines up to $275 for unlawful use of handicapped parking, but they still do nothing.

Cannot really say that I am surprised.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
We don't have Walmart but we do have a Lowes. I regularly run the plates and handicap permits to make sure they match up. I find quite a few people using deceased relatives permits so they get the $250 citation. Third time I catch them, I tow them.

+1

This is not limited to Walmart or Lowe's. I see it in every parking lot in the various shopping center type operations around here.

I do not recall what the fine is here for abuse of those handicapped spots, but if the LEOs do not address the problem, it makes no difference how much, or little, the penalty is.

I just do this stupid fucking thing called "minding my own business". Not being a busy body dick feels pretty good.

I have a brother-in-law that has a saying:

Not my Monkey, Not my Circus

I recite this when I see people parking in handicap spots without a placard.

I've told this story a couple of times. Back in 2009 I had bypass surgery. I asked the surgeon for a handicap sticker. He refused, saying he wanted me to walk. Then we had a bad winter (before global warming, I guess). We went to the grocery, and my wife, as usual, parked out in the plains. Except we had 6" or more snow and the plow expert made sure we had a 6' berm to climb. Of course I fell (against my doctors orders). Oh, he also didn't prescribe enough pain pills. He immediately fell off my most favored person list. And I just stopped going out until the thaw.

I'm impressed by the medical ability of our posters here, as always. A real MD takes weeks of tests to see what's wrong, and then uses judgement to guess at a patients ability to get around. He doesn't even know what the upcoming weather holds. Our all knowing posters here (assholes) can guess at just a glance at both underlying medical conditions, and future weather, something the educated weather guessers on TV can't go. I'm not one to stick up for the TV weather folks, they're usually wrong. But then our posters here don't have to be right, they have spoken.

So how about anytime anyone can tell a persons ability at a glance, we just call them an asshole, which they are. For that we don't need any medical training.

Yup, a whole lotta folks on here got nothing better to do. Maybe you can just go hang out at Wally world and call the po-po every time some one uses a cripple spot. Ya know, make a full time job out of it. Maybe call in a few j walkers too while yer at it. Jesus....

Don't be obtuse, there's a big difference between jay walking and taking up a spot for someone who is legitimately disabled.

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:
I'm always curious, when I see a handicapped plate on something like a Corvette.

Ya never know. In '92 saw a guy in a 91 Toyota Supra (with every bell and whistle) who, after a small wrestling match, got a folding wheelchair out from behind the drivers seat, deployed it, and flopped into it. Obviously with a lot of upper body work done in the past for strength. He proved to be quite the type A and an over achiever. Also quite the douche bag as it turns out. Very mean to many people.
I have always believed it was the handicap that drove all of it, including being mean to people.

People may legitimately need a handicapped tag and the help that provides them yet not seemingly appear in need of such.

Just because they appear physically fit and able to not require a handicap tag and be in need doesn't mean anything.

They might have a breathing and lung condition or COPD condition or some other ailment that just isn't readily apparent.

I would be curious if a printed page saying something to the effect of "YOU"RE NOT FUCKING HANDICAPPED" with a 6" nail driven through their windshield ....might convince them they were a piece of shit.

I am sure i am being racist

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Just because they appear physically fit and able to not require a handicap tag and be in need doesn't mean anything.

They might have a breathing and lung condition or COPD condition or some other ailment that just isn't readily apparent.

True this. I have a good friend who has had a couple of open heart surgeries and multiple stents. His chest is wired together with stainless steel wire. He walks with no apparent problems, and would likely appear healthy to a lot of people. Earlier this year, I met him just inside Safeway, after he had walked the very short distance from his handicapped spot. Up close, it was very apparent he was in serious distress from just that short walk. Could not catch his breath for some time. Appearances don't always tell the true story when it comes to being "handicapped".
 
On a side note, I moved to AZ from MD, where the parking spots and license plates are called "handicapped", like apparently most other states. But here in AZ, where PC has some catching up todo, they are referred to (by the MVD) as "wheelchair" plates. When you go to renew your registration online, you have to prefix your plate number with "WC-", even though that is not printed on the plate itself.

My Father and Mother when they were alive both had handicapped parking plates . My wife has one . Assholes that feel like they are justified in poaching one deserve a special place in hell .