Illegal handicapped parkers

It is unlawful for any person who is not handicapped or who is not transporting a handicapped person to exercise the parking privileges granted handicapped persons.

-South Carolina law

A growing number of hospital workers, downtown merchants and others are using parking placards for the handicapped to cheat the city out of thousands of dollars in parking meter revenue.

Worse, these scammers are taking spaces that could be used by people with real disabilities, a Post and Courier Watchdog investigation found.

Doctors sign off on placard applications for vague disabilities, such as "high stress." Young people use their older relatives' placards on shopping trips downtown, or in one case, for a prime spot next to a West Ashley fitness center.

Motorists with blue or red placards for the disabled can park all day in metered and public garage spaces for free, so the abuse is most prevalent in downtown areas where parking spaces are at a premium, especially around the downtown Charleston medical complex, King Street, the College of Charleston and the City Market.

It's a local and nationwide problem.

Just last month, investigators at Miami International Airport found that hundreds of able-bodied airport and airline workers regularly use parking spaces for the handicapped, fleecing the airport out of $1 million in fees a year.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• handicapped
• parking
• disabled
• illegal
• law
• South
• Carolina
• Charleston

[GoochRA]

Dumb ass, I need room to get out of my car. I can't fit my wheel chair and move between two cars in standard parking spots. Put the spots up front or in the back I don't care, just give me some extra room to move around.

The real problem are the fat ass overweight people with tags.

[dotmacis]

They are NOT to be looked down on, simply because they have a disability. Many people with disabilities lead very full and productive lives. And by the way, everyone has a disability of some kind.  Think about that.

[chrisjana75]

@dotmacis I like what you have said, I have a disability (epilepsy) which I don't need parking for, but I live with this disability and still make over 70k a year and have extra "problems" to deal with which has really benefited me with learning to deal with stressful situations. I also volunteer time to help mentally handicapped children and contribute to my community. Any person who wants to make a negative comment about a disability is just naive and immature.

[GoddessAntares]

I believe doctors should be more discriminate in who they endorse placards for. Someone should be mobility impaired, period, to have one of these. That means it is difficult/painful/impossible for them to walk a further than necessary distance. People in wheelchairs or scooters can be in the back since they don't walk and usually need extra room for mobility devices. It burns me up when I see an able bodied person hop into a huge truck parked in a handicapped space.

[GoddessAntares]

@GoochRA I completely agree with grossly overweight people taking up handicap spots. I myself need extra room to get in and out to unlock a leg brace I wear. Sometimes this is possible in a normal space, but not if there is a large van, truck, SUV or someone is parked crooked.

[wannawatchu66]

@0099297 LOL How much was your fine?

[wannawatchu66]

@GoochRA Yeah, I've had to back my car into a disabled space so that my wife's 86-year-old grandma with neuropathy can get into her wheelchair because there's not room between mine and the car next to us if I drive in forward.

[DebtKillerBlog]

I have been cussed, threatened etc for taking videos of people abusing handicapped parking here in San Antonio. My wife is handicapped, thats what made me notice this so much. I have only gone out about 5 / 6 times from Dec. to Feb and have about 30 videos of the dirtbags posted or scheduled for my website unfrackinbelievable com. The new $500 fine may help, but I doubt it...Jim

[pwlover91]

@GoochRA That's the exact problem I have. I need to open my door wide enough so I can be able to put the wheels on. I once went to my local H-E-B and pulled up next to this woman who was in the handicap space, but no sticker. I said "ma'am do you have a placard?" and she said "Yes, I'm justing waiting for my husband to come out.". Well if you do then you need to hang it up, you stupid old bat. Too bad I couldn't find security around.

[TheBigStupidHead]

@0099297 lmfao!

[bigrider2806]

this is a serious problem it would seem all over the world and needs to be tackled because it not only makes like very hard for disabled people but because the system is abused so much people do not take the bays seriously . its down to disabled drivers fighting back to regain what is ours and also stop letting friends and relitives use there badge which is why most of this starts in the first place.

[dotmacis]

@clareandchezzy I couldn't have said that better myself. Some people are just so darned ignorant.