Busted, asshats! Photos added to disabled parking placards

[Dytchdoctir]

http://www.thestate.com/statewire/story/1070111.html

Think this will work?

[joe hx]

I don't know.

My grandpa has such a placard. If my mom happens to be driving his van without him, she'll park in the handicap spots.

[Soulstealer]

I don't know.

My grandpa has such a placard. If my mom happens to be driving his van without him, she'll park in the handicap spots.

She's not actually supposed to park in a handicap spot if the handicap person isn't with her whether the placard is there or not. It's considered an abuse of the placards.

[XCashier]

I can see both sides of this. One, the photo on the placard would deter parking spot abuse by non-handicapped family members. On the other hand, as one poster pointed out:

I don't want anyone to be able to look at a picture in someone's vehicle so they can see what they look like and lie in wait for their victim.

[drunkenwildmage]

Hmm..i like the idea, but I have the following issue.


We have a van that has Handicap plates. As a result we don't have a placarded... Now..

We can get a placard, but we decided to get Handicap plates for the Van instead.

In Ohio, Normally we would have to have Medical proof that my Wife needs to have the plates(or placards), but we have a Handicap Modified Van. In that case, we didn't need to have medical proof.. Just had to show them the handicap ramp coming out the side of the van.., and since the Van is Modified we can get the plates without the proof ..,..Now my question(s) is?


If the Van wasn't modified, and then would we need a picture of my wife on the plates since they would be for her.




Or

Since it's considered a Modified Vehicle, then would I need to have a picture off the Van on the Plates?...

With all that being said, I don't think they have Handicap plates in SC just placards..
Couple years ago, when we went to Darlington SC for a NASCAR race, the officer (SC Highway Patrol) directing traffic into the race track almost wouldn't let us into the Handicap parking, until we pointed out the handicap plates.. He told us that they aren't to common in the South..

[Shangri-laschild]

What they should do instead is set up the computers for this instead. When we run a license plate, the owner's information also comes up. If there are two owners, both come up. I can't remember if it does this or not, but if it specifies which one the handicap privileges are for, and the DL picture is on it, that should be enough. I don't know why there would be a need for anything else. Anything else just seems like it would cause problems more than anything.

[AccountingDrone]

I like the idea, except I have license plates also ... I suppose I could get the photo placards if CT ended up with them, but that sort of screws up the purpose of having license plates...Not to have a plastic tag dangling there, and not forgetting to hang the placard when parking.

[joe hx]

She's not actually supposed to park in a handicap spot if the handicap person isn't with her whether the placard is there or not. It's considered an abuse of the placards.

I know. I tell her that, but she just says she doesn't care. She's the kind of person that'll spend a half hour looking for a space up front.

[draggar]

My grandpa has such a placard. If my mom happens to be driving his van without him, she'll park in the handicap spots.

My wife has one of those in each car and I would **NEVER** do that unless she was in the car with me. Hell, sometimes on good days she doesn't even use the handicapped spots.

I can see both sides of this. One, the photo on the placard would deter parking spot abuse by non-handicapped family members. On the other hand, as one poster pointed out:

Yeah, I agree. Muggers here have mugged people in motorized wheelchairs (caught on video) and as the victim was on the ground, ANOTHER mugger came up, punched him and stole some more from him.

Sometimes people have handicapped plates / danglers for minor issues yet can still be a formidable opponent. Having my wife's picture on the card would make them more likely to go after her.

I'd vote it down.

[Rapscallion]

Interesting. I can see why they'd want to do it, what with the rampant abuse of the system apparently going on. I can see the security concerns.

My problem is enforcement. Someone's patrolling and sees a car in a handicapped spot. Are they going to be waiting there for an hour or two to see if the person in the photo is actually the driver? Getting into monitored disabled parking, fine, but general all-access disabled parking?

It's a step in the right direction. I'm not convinced it's the right step.

Rapscallion

[trailerparkmedic]

I agree with Raps on the enforcement issue.

I'm also pretty sure they can't charge for handicapped placards (the article mentions a $1 charge). Maryland used to charge for them when we got some for my grandparents, but a few years later it was determined they were violating the ADA or some similar law by charging for them and we were eligible for a refund.

[MaggieTheCat]

The other thing I'd be concerned about is if someone else was driving besides the handicap person, and law enforcement saw that person but not the handicap person and determined that they were parked illegally, when they really weren't. For example, my parents take my grandpa shopping once in a while. Usually one of my parents will take Grandpa in the store while the other one stays in the car. Especially true in the winter when it's so flippin' cold in Wisconsin and it's good for one person to stay in the car to keep it warm. What if a law enforcement officer saw one of my parents sitting in the car waiting for Grandpa to get done shopping, and determined that they were parked illegally?

[Greenday]

What if a law enforcement officer saw one of my parents sitting in the car waiting for Grandpa to get done shopping, and determined that they were parked illegally?

Odds are they'd go up to your parent and ask them what they are doing.

[Dips]

In Massachusetts there is a photo on the placard. But each one comes with a shield you can slide in place to hide the photo while the placard is hanging. If the police ask to see the photo you must show it to them but you can legally hide it from everyone else.

It's not perfect but it's a good compromise between abuse prevention and safety.