Handicap Parking Fraud
To park or not to park, that is the question. The blue and white sign hanging in front of the empty parking space states a fine between $250.00 to $3,000.00 and/or six months in jail for offenders. The parking lot is empty and no one is around. Sure it is illegal, but if you're only going to be a minute or two and no one is around to bust you - who's it hurting?
Apart from taking away the rights of the handicapped by parking in their spots, you're inconveniencing the businesses that reserve those spots for their customers. In fact, if a majority of people adopted the philosophy, it will only be a minute or two - no one is around to notice so who cares. Then where does that leave the handicapped? It leaves them searching for a spot - possibly one at the other end of the parking lot; or, even more tragically sending them elsewhere due to their inability to find a parking spot.
The business responsible for deciding who is eligible for a handicap placard or license plate is the Department of Motor Vehicles. When the DMV issues the placard, they do so according to three varying levels of disability. Although the components for eligibility differ from state to state, they are typically as follows. The first level is temporary disability, which lasts up to 6 months. The next is a moderate disability which can last anywhere between 6 months to 2 years. Finally, the permanent disability placard must be applied for every 15 years. All three levels must accompany an application form certified by a physician stating the full extent of the disability. In some states, upon receiving your license plate or placard, the individual is also issued an authorization letter that must accompany the vehicle using the placard.
Offenders who choose to park in a handicapped spot affect the lives of those with a limited ability to walk, a visual handicap, or a debilitating heart or lung condition. Furthermore, those who defraud the system by using placards that have been bought, stolen, or traded need to be stopped. I am not suggesting that you need to approach someone you believe is abusing the system, such as, a young person driving a convertible who parks in a handicapped spot. After all, many of us are not doctors or therapists; therefore, we are not qualified to make such an assertion. I am only suggesting you checkout the website www.handicappedfraud.org for details on how you can help thwart the offenders, and stop the laziness that is handicap parking fraud.
