# Handicapped parking placards: If you aren't disabled, would you ever use one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826 "2012-07-30T06:14:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/81 "2012-08-02T04:22:07Z")
Yeah once. My step mother was in declining health (she eventually died of Alzheimer’s), but she got a handicap license when she was still driving and not walking so good. I used her car to pick up some stuff at Staples one night. I was 17, I was a stupid kid, and trying to impress my friend I was with, by being an asshole. So I parked in the handicap spot as I went in and did my shopping. I’d mention the mitigating factors were that it was 9 at night or so, and the lot was empty. Or maybe that’s not mitigating, because I could have parked ANYWHERE ELSE there. Even if it was just for a little bit, I still feel guilty for being such a prick. Should someone feel guilty for parking in the non-legally binding “Expectant Mothers” spots they put at the front? I don’t do it, but my mom does. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/82 "2012-08-02T05:01:50Z")
I once was riding with my sister and she pulled into a handicapped spot using her deceased husbands handicapped sign. I told her I’d call the police myself if she didn’t move and I wasn’t joking. She was a tad miffed but she got over it. I guess that means you can put me down for a no on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/83 "2012-08-02T05:53:03Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Should someone feel guilty for parking in the non-legally binding “Expectant Mothers” spots they put at the front? I don’t do it, but my mom does. Hell no. Fuck them. Being pregnant is just one reason out of a million that it might or might not help a person to park close. I don’t think I’ve ever seen those anywhere except Babies R Us though, but I hear some places have them at places that aren’t baby-related, and if it was like that here I’d ignore the signs. I had to take the bus when I was pregnant and I didn’t even get any special bus treatment! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/84 "2012-08-02T06:31:51Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > I once was riding with my sister and she pulled into a handicapped spot using her deceased husbands handicapped sign. I told her I’d call the police myself if she didn’t move and I wasn’t joking. She was a tad miffed but she got over it. > > I guess that means you can put me down for a no on this one. 😃 I think I like you 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/85 "2012-08-02T07:02:22Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I would never park in a handicapped spot. I think it’s a terrible thing to do. I have a friend who uses his mother’s handicap permit. She died over a year ago which makes it worse. I have a friend who used his mom’s placard and got a ticket. Good. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/86 "2012-08-02T07:11:53Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > 😃 I think I like you 😃 Just don’t ask me about handicapped stalls. I’m not so saintly on that one 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/87 "2012-08-02T07:23:32Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I do feel justified parking in the spot when helping my grandma into the doctors office, as long as I move the car after she has made it in. > [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Why move the car? You may be able-bodied, but you are, I presume, going to be helping Grandma out to the car after the appointment. I guess it depends if this took place in Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/88 "2012-08-02T15:06:10Z")
A friend of mine used to use his deceased father’s handicapped placard all the time. This is a guy I umpire with; he’s anything but handicapped. Then again this is the same guy that when he travels he stays in cheap motels with crumby breakfasts so on his way to the ballpark he hits the ‘free’ breakfast at the hotel up the road. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/89 "2012-08-02T15:50:46Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Hell no. Fuck them. Being pregnant is just one reason out of a million that it might or might not help a person to park close. > > I don’t think I’ve ever seen those anywhere except Babies R Us though, but I hear some places have them at places that aren’t baby-related, and if it was like that here I’d ignore the signs. I had to take the bus when I was pregnant and I didn’t even get any special bus treatment! They have them here at Loblaws (Grocery Chain) Zellers (Soon to be Target), Walmart…basically any of the big outdoor malls around here, really…even at the movie theatres! ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/90 "2012-08-02T23:11:26Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Should someone feel guilty for parking in the non-legally binding “Expectant Mothers” spots they put at the front? I don’t do it, but my mom does. I have. I think they’re insanely stupid. In fact women are generally SUPPOSED to exercise (esp walking) when pregnant. Example #8 billion of our society’s politically correct idiocy/lunacy run amok. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/91 "2012-08-03T03:50:17Z")
Yes, generally pregnant women are supposed to get some exercise. But not always. I was put on bed rest during my last trimester because of toxemia/pre-eclampsia, and I was told to only walk to the bathroom and back on a daily basis. I was supposed to have someone drive me to doctor’s appointments and drop me off at the door, as close as possible. I was allowed to sit up to eat, but other than these exceptions, I was supposed to be lying on my left side, with my feet elevated. During those three months, I found out that I can indeed get tired of reading. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/92 "2012-08-03T03:57:06Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Yes, generally pregnant women are supposed to get some exercise. But not always. I was put on bed rest during my last trimester because of toxemia/pre-eclampsia, and I was told to only walk to the bathroom and back on a daily basis. I was supposed to have someone drive me to doctor’s appointments and drop me off at the door, as close as possible. I was allowed to sit up to eat, but other than these exceptions, I was supposed to be lying on my left side, with my feet elevated. But in a situation like that couldn’t a pregnant woman get a temporary handicapped parking tag? Those spots are just for any old pregnant woman, and I think that’s stupid. It just seems to be some cutesy, pointless thing. Fine for Babies R Us because they’re supposed to be cutesy about pregnant women. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/93 "2012-08-03T04:53:09Z")
I’m not sure if there were handicapped hangtags and spots back when I was pregnant. This was over 30 years ago. And the handicapped spots aren’t necessarily the ones closest to the door, they are the spots that have extra room for a wheelchair or walker next to them. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/94 "2012-08-03T06:28:30Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > That said, some establishments go way overboard with the HC spaces. Do we really need 20 spots reserved in front of that Walmart? It seems a little excessive to me. They do need to regularly reassess. I don’t drive, but my friend who is wheelchair-bound does, he has a modified car, and he takes me with him sometimes. The number of times he can’t find a disabled space, at both small and large places, is surprising. Probably 1 in 10 times of when I travel with him, they’re all taken; more frequently at some places. He’s taken to memorising certain shopping centres or corner stores that are more likely to have a space available, even if it’s twenty minutes extra driving, to save the hassle. There area lot more people who need the spaces than they’ve realised, and they need to add (proportionately) one or two more in most locations around here. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/95 "2012-08-03T20:58:01Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And the handicapped spots aren’t necessarily the ones closest to the door, they are the spots that have extra room for a wheelchair or walker next to them. ? It’s both. I’ve never seen such spots farther out. Always nearest entrances. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > They do need to regularly reassess. I don’t drive, but my friend who is wheelchair-bound does, he has a modified car, and he takes me with him sometimes. The number of times he can’t find a disabled space, at both small and large places, is surprising. Probably 1 in 10 times of when I travel with him, they’re all taken; more frequently at some places. He’s taken to memorising certain shopping centres or corner stores that are more likely to have a space available, even if it’s twenty minutes extra driving, to save the hassle. > > There area lot more people who need the spaces than they’ve realised, and they need to add (proportionately) one or two more in most locations around here. Did you notice if the people using them had a handicapped license or placard? ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/96 "2012-08-03T21:12:36Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > I have. I think they’re insanely stupid. In fact women are generally SUPPOSED to exercise (esp walking) when pregnant. Example #8 billion of our society’s pollitically correct idiocy/lunacy run amok. Yeah? Don’t you need exercise, too? It is a courtesy, has zero to do with politics. Months one through eight I walked 2 miles each day, only gained twenty one pounds. My last month I was so big and clumsy that I had to swing the car door open as wide as possible and hoist myself out of the seat, then stand there swaying like a ship in port until my inner ear caught up with my brain. The last week, when I needed to shop and round up all the last minute baby needs I was in a lot of pain and very short of breath. If any stores in my area offered such parking, I would have gratefully shopped there. It’s really nothing to bristle at, not legally enforceable. Just simple courtesy. ---
**Author:** ![s0meguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@s0meguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/s0meguy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/97 "2012-08-03T21:13:05Z")
I know an entire family that uses the cars of their grandparents like this; where I live, the “handicapped” status is associated to the car. They specifically got them cars for that purpose. They don’t use them themselves, except if they are being driven somewhere. If your car has the handicapped status, you’re allowed to park it almost anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/98 "2012-08-03T23:46:29Z")
And some state’s laws are fuzzy on whether the handicapped person who was given the placard has actually be in the car, Ohio for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/99 "2012-08-04T00:05:55Z")
> [@s0meguy](#): > > I know an entire family that uses the cars of their grandparents like this; where I live, the “handicapped” status is associated to the car. They specifically got them cars for that purpose. They don’t use them themselves, except if they are being driven somewhere. If your car has the handicapped status, you’re allowed to park it almost anywhere. I think you are referring to the permanent handicap I.D.s that are part of the license plates; this is an option for anyone who has a permanent disability. A person can still opt for the transferable placard while having a permanent plate (in order to have access when not in their own car). I don’t _think_ any state makes it policy to only offer one or another. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826/100 "2012-08-04T00:07:40Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > Did you notice if the people using them had a handicapped license or placard? The card sits on the dashboard, and is parked away from us when we drive by, so I don’t know for certain. But it’s very carefully policed in most places, so I expect they do 90% of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-parking-placards-if-you-arent-disabled-would-you-ever-use-one/629826.md?page=6)