With my mother-in-law in a wheelchair and a brother-in-law in a wheelchair for almost 30 years before he died, I’m just a little bit sensitive to healthy people parking in handicap parking. It’s wrong when people with no disabilities use a space designated for the disabled.
Sometimes I see people who seem to get around as good as I do get out of a car in a restricted spot that has a disability mirror tag or a disability license plate. I suppose that some of them may have a disability not obvious to the casual observer that warrants limiting their walking distance. I suspect, though, that in some instances they don’t need the tag any longer or, even, that they are using someone else’s tag or vehicle.
The other day, I saw a young couple park an old pickup truck in a handicap spot and then walk briskly into Walmart. I checked the vehicle and it had a disability license plate. There was no way that that plate was for either one of them!
Granted, the new supercenters generally have more handicapped parking than is needed. However, the parking is supposed to be reserved for those who need it.
Handicap tags or license plates are not intended to bestow special parking privileges to anyone who happens to be driving that vehicle. They provided to make access easier for those who have more than enough difficulties in their life.
A lost Exit78 post, recovered from Internet Archive WayBackMachine; March 2011
Comments on this entry are closed.