I use the handicapped stalls in bathrooms, too. 
Unless your friend’s mom is with you, why the hell would you do that?
(I know why, i want to hear it from the horse’s mouth.)
Hundreds of packed parking spots outside of Wal-Mart and then two dozen eternally-empty spots right at the front of the line. Why wouldn’t I?
How about:
- It’s illegal
- You could use the exercise
- It makes you look like a complete jerk
- Other people need those spaces - you don’t (yet)
I spent two years relearning to walk when I was given little chance to ever walk again. I still don’t use the placard so that some one who really needs it will have the space available.
I didn’t do it so lazy, selfish people can park there. :mad:
Uh oh!
Thanks!
Why? Because of point four?
Maybe you missed the point about there being row after row of empty handicapped spaces. Unless thirty handicapped people all decide to raid the local Wal-Mart simultaneously I think I’ll be fine.
Unfortunately, you did. 
The few people I know that have placards can walk just fine. And when they do park in handicapped spots there’s always like twenty more open handicapped spaces so, despite how you might want to paint it, they aren’t preventing anyone else from using a handicapped space.
Maybe. Maybe not.
I don’t walk just fine, sometimes it’s difficult and painful. At least I know right from wrong.
It’s difficult and painful for you to walk? Jesus, you should really use one of the many open handicapped spots that I see every time I go to the store. How do you feel when you painfully walk to the store, probably passing several rows of handicapped spots, only to come out of the store a few minutes later and see those same spots still open?
I feel just fine as I can walk to a regular space and the parking is there for someone who can’t.
The handicapped parking spot is there for the select handicapped people who are capable of walking to the handicapped spot but not to the normal spot right next to it?
I think it’s silly to a.) have a handicapped placard and b.) experience pain when walking and yet decide to not use the handicapped spot because of some misplaced sense of charity. I think my legs would hurt just a little bit more every time I saw a field of empty handicapped spots that I was entitled to use but decided not to, were I in your shoes.
My husband uses regular parking sometimes, despite having genuine problems walking, because walking is often a “use it or lose it” sort of thing. Up to a point, walking more will keep him walking longer. In other words, exercise.
Something an able-bodied person should have no problem doing when parking in regular spaces.
Mis-placed sense of charity? Are you related to Rand Rover?
I don’t need to park there so I don’t. After two years in a wheelchair, every step means something. It means I overcame long odds and I’m not going to let that go to waste.
You do realize your friend’s mom could lose her tags if you get caught abusing them?
The condo dwellers can have cars towed with a phone call if someone is parked illegally.
The Secret Service has cars towed because they decide that these legally parked cars are suddenly inconvenient. They do this without posting temporary “emergency, no parking” signs in advance. It’s all very whimsical. It’s not the first time someone has been towed out of a legal spot in DC and can’t find their car.
And then the opposite sort of thing happens. I could retire if I had a dime for every car parked in a travel lane during DC rush hour.
She’s the one who suggested the idea.
The point is it’s not a big fucking deal. It’s like me pirating music. Yeah, it’s illegal. But it’s so minor that I don’t really give a shit. My parking in a handicapped spot doesn’t cause the twenty other handicapped spots to become unavailable. Those spots are wasted space.
Birds of a feather, I guess.
clockworkmellon, I’m considered a douche for abusing my daughter’s parking privledgers. And rightfully so I’m coming to realize.
You’re joyriding (or joyparking) in your buddy’s Mom’s car.
I can guess your age and socio-economic bracket bracket by your response. You might want to think about it - I’m just sayin’
Yet again: I’m not preventing handicapped people from using handicapped spaces. If I saw only one, two, three or even four or five open handicapped spaces I wouldn’t park there. But when there’s field of them and I’ve got the card, yes, I’m going to park there. .
Clock let me tell you a true story.
In 1994 I shattered my left heel in a fall. I could not walk. I was on crutches. For a large mammal like me crutches are very difficult to go very far on, as they rely on upper body strength, of which I did not have much at the time.
Anyway I took my kids shopping. Right in front of the store we wanted to go to there was an open handicapped space. Problem was there was a car parked in the direction of of travel, across the back of the space not leaving quite enough room for me to pull in. The driver was out and talking to the driver of the car that was in the space just on my side of the handicapped space.
So I turn on my turn siganl wait a moment, don’t see the two guys making any move to pull the car up just say 3 fucking feet so I can get in, so I toot my horn.
the driver looks up, I point to my placard, and to the space. He comes over to my window and is all pissed off, “Cant you see we are busy here?” he shouted. (apparently the other guy had backed into him as he was driving by)
“Sir, could you just pull your car up a couple of feet so I can get into the handicapped space?” I asked
“No we are busy”
So I went to find another space which was way the fucking hell on the other side of the parking lot. Well over 100 yards away.
I parked and started hoofing it with my sticks.
When I got to the handicapped space dickhead was still there. By now I was tired and pissed.
I got right up to dickhead and said in a very loud clear voice, "You know what mac, if there is a God in heaven, someday you will wind up on crutches, and some asshole will do to you what you did to me today.
When that happens I hope you remember today and realize what a FUCKING ASSHOLE YOU ARE
I thought the guy was going to swing on me. With that I turned and headed into the store. My son (who was 15 and learning to drive) said, “how do you get into an accident when you are parked?”
“I don’t know, let’s ask”
(top of my lungs)HEY ASSHOLE, MY KID JUST ASKED ME A QUESTION I CAN’T ANSWER, MAYBE YOU CAN. HOW DO YOU GET INTO AN ACCIDENT WHEN YOU ARE PARKED?
At this point several bystanders were laughing at the guy.
So don’t be douche, park in a regular space.
Believe me after having had to use sticks, I would never ever park in a handicapped space unless I needed to. And by need I mean physical.
runner pat I know what you mean about not using the handicapped space even though you are entitled. When I got to where I could walk again, I would park further away if I was not in extreme pain so I would force my leg to get stronger. Sometimes at the end of the day the pain was so bad, I had trouble even from the handicapped spot. Then I would use it as it was a god send.
Thankfully I have not needed or used a placard since 1995.