Handicap placards

The same goes for California too, 90 days but there is no fee.

Travel Parking Placard for Nonresidents (VC §22511.59c)

For nonresidents who are disabled and plan to travel in California.

Valid for up to 90 days, or until the date noted by the qualified medical person certifying the disability on the application, whichever is less.
No fee.

I see a lot of folks get out of their (solely occupied) handicapped car and run into a store, sometimes in gym shorts, so the barriers for a placard can't be very high.

There are several reasons to get one.
I had a head injury and get dizzy if I walk very far. I also cannot go down stairs or walk on ramps.
I am 74 and have problems with my knee.
I agree there a lot of people who have them that don't need them.
But it is very hard to tell what a person has wrong with them just by looking at them.
Somebody can look fine but have a very serious problem. Mine put me out of work at a job that paid me very well.
At least I am not in a wheelchair.

My wife has Handi Plate and hanger for my truck, I would never use it for me but I'm sure in this society today some spouses would think nothing of it.

I checked a number of provincial websites and spoke to a rep from Alberta Registries about handicapped parking. It appears that we are pretty accommodating, provided that the placard is "official" and visible on/in the vehicle (hanging from the mirror, on the license plate, etc.).

All Canadian provinces and territories have signed on to the European Conference of Ministers of Transportation (ECMT) resolution to recognise parking permits for persons with disabilities. So a permit or placard issued in one province will be recognised in another province.

The person at Alberta Registries indicated that permits or placards issued to a vehicle by any state agency in the U.S. would also be acceptable on vehicles visiting Canada.

it's funny on a sitcom, but I feel in real life, it should be a $1,000 fine the first time, and $50,000 the second.

I also feel irritation when there are parking spots reserved for families with children, and a single person takes the space. From my personal observation, it tends to be older people who do this--I have never seen a 20 y.o. or even a 40 y.o. single occupant vehicle do that.

If one is handicapped, by all means they should be given priority. But when they race you to the entrance of a store etc., it's a disgrace.

in large metropolitan cities, where parking could be $40-$60, abuse happens all the time. In the future maybe a cam covers an entire block and becomes active when the spot is taken. Then, the cheater has to fake slow walking for an entire block to avoid getting caught.

I live in New Jersey and have both a handicapped placard and license plate. I have the placard for when I travel with a rental or loaner car or for when a friend takes me out for dinner or a doctor’s appointment. So far I have never encountered a jurisdictional problem except for NYC.

New York City has always been a problem because they don’t honor anyone’s placard but their own (even NY state). Now it appears that I must avoid travel to Florida and California! I have always been of the understanding that states were required to cross-honor placards as an ADA requirement. It appears that we must again fight for our rights as part of a handicapped community.

I just sent letter on this topic to my US Senators and asked them to consider this issue in the next Congressional Session. If you feel that this issue is important I would urge you to contact your own Senators

All that is confusing to me: So if I travel from AZ to CA and rent a car in CA, I can't use the placard I have from AZ?

If an individual has a legitimate need for a handicapped parking placard or license plates with the wheelchair symbol, it should be universally accepted when properly displayed just as license plates and driver's licenses are accepted across state and provincial borders.

I think that's a shame that you need to avoid travel as a result.

There is so much monkey business with many things. I bought a used car in NYS. Because of their stringent laws, I was so protected as a consumer, that I even have the name and address of the woman who traded the vehicle in to a new car dealer. Why should I know that person? I purchased the used car from a new car dealer?

In-transit permits are all different too. Mine was issued by NYS and cost $12.50, and is taped to the rear glass. All the other states that I passed through have the permit in the license plate area (makes a lot of sense--it can be read, is lit at night, etc.). I drove with no plates for 3 weeks in NJ and PA--this should have been a red flag to be pulled over. If legit, be on your way, but at least check out what the **** is going on with a vehicle who has no plate. NO LICENSE PLATE, JUST EMPTY. It just goes to show our society is very loosey goosey, yet at the same time, does not afford accommodations where they are legitimate. I hope you get some action for your sake and all others who legitimately have a permit.

The only time you would need a Florida placard is if you are driving a car that you own and it is registered in Florida. If the car is a rental with Florida plates your placard is valid.

If you are not a permanent resident of Florida they will only issue you a 3 month placard.
I use NY as my official residence but have a house in Florida. It doesn't matter if I spend more time than at home, they will still only sell me a 3 month placard ($15.00)
Then I have to get a doctor to sign another application and take it to DMV
Florida ha no state tax, and this is just another way to make money.
My real estate is more than a permanent resident for the same house.

An excellent resource for handicapped drivers travelling out of their home state:

http://www.disabledmotorists.eu/en/world_map/united_states_o...

It is unclear how often the site is updated however.

I think the barrier to get these placards is set very low for both young and old. I have seen the most able-bodied people use the disability placards to park close to the stores. I have seen people using the disability placards to to to a tennis court and play tennis. The worst part is that they take the handicapped parking spots so that the truly disabled cannot get a spot.

I don't want a hanger. My hip goes out and hurts to walk sometimes but I feel that if I stop walking it would get worse.
We try to not park too close so we have to walk. I also walk on a treadmill and have to turn it down to 1 mph when my hip and leg start hurting.
Like I said I am afraid if I stop the exercise and stop walking to get in store it would be worse. I am just glad I can still get from my car to the store. A little pain never hurt, I just keep saying it could be worse.

Hip replacements these days, especially anterior hip replacements, are amazing and can be done on otherwise healthy folks of almost any age. Roughly a 90-minute surgery, probably two days in the hospital, and doing half mile walks in a month.

My left: last September; my right, this July. I'm now doing walks to downtown 2-3 times a week (4 mile round trip) and National Forest day hikes around Flagstaff in summer and around Sedona in winter. Don't fear surgery if it'll help.

Sounds encouraging. Thanks

I don't know that the barrier is low, at least in my state. When I needed a temp placard after foot surgery, the barrier seemed plenty high in California but I had the doctor's documentation so it wasn't a problem. Plus, I had to go into the DMV on crutches.

I think what could be happening is what I would call Abuse. Family members using the placard without the person that is handicapped in the car. My neighbor does it regularly at the grocery store. Pathetic. And Lazy. And while I was temporarily handicapped with my injury, I sometimes had to park further out since all the handicapped spaces were taken. And sometimes, I'd see some yokal hop out from his car parked in the handicapped space and run in to the store. Grr. How lazy can you be?!

Fortunately for me, I'm long ago healed, my placard retired, and I park WAY out in the lot to prevent door dings and to get the extra exercise.

FWIW, my sister had artificial joints in both hips and both knees, due to major problems for decades with arthritis. She was *extremely* apprehensive before the first operation, but after that she became a major supporter of it for people with joint issues. Her comment to me was "It's not like being 20 without arthritis, but it is so much better than before the replacement that there is zero comparison."

My wife got an artificial knee three years ago, some 20 years after her knee was badly injured (hit from the side at full speed by a drunk fellow-skier while she was standing still). Her opinion was that the physical therapy after the surgery was far worse than the operation itself, but she has zero regrets about having the knee replaced.

- Tom -

First off, I would never use someone else's handicap placard. That's just wrong, and it really irritates me to no end. Having my father in a wheelchair for 10 years before he died really drove home to me how important it is that these spaces not be taken by those that don't need them. I'm sure we've all heard of people who get placards because they are "too fat to walk very far", yet once inside a big box store, they walk for miles. Seems like that's a popular form of placard abuse, at least around here.

All that said, it also ticks me off that more and more stores are reserving spots for just about any group you can think of. "Families with small children" and "veterans" seem to be the most popular around here. I have no problem with those groups, but when I was growing up, my mom didn't seem to have a problem walking into the store, and neither did my dad (a veteran). Pretty soon we'll see spots reserved for "people who get cold easily" and "people who get hot easily" and "people who are afraid they will get run over if they have to walk very far" LOL.

I've often thought, it would have been nice to able to park in one of those "families with small children" spots when I take my 2 y.o. swimming and it's 20-30F outside and his hair is wet when we're leaving. I always assumed that the cars in the spots were those of other families. It rubbed me the wrong way when I saw a woman just park there, I suppose, because she was old and felt the spots were not legit. I walked by her car and found no child seat, etc. The establishment can set whatever rules they want. Why does a gym need your DOB and SS#? You are free to decline to give that info. But they will also not take your money for a membership. I tend to follow the rules, that's just me. I have on occasion pointed out to someone that they cut, and never has anyone not backed off.

I posted that when we went to see the Pope, that was the worst line cutting I have ever experienced in my lifetime.