# Nonsensical parking lot experience **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122 "2011-08-18T05:49:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/161 "2011-08-19T00:10:28Z")
> [@papergirl](#): > > I don’t park in handicapped spaces unless I have a handicapped passenger (occasionally, as I’m a caregiver), then I have to leave a handwritten note that says “Handicapped passenger” on the dash. I once had a meter cop ask me about it, but only to clarify that I didn’t have a tag at all, just a handicapped person who needed to be near the door who, incidentally, did not have a tag at all as she didn’t have a car. The officer was fine with it. It’s nice that that officer was fine with it, but simply having a disability does not give you the right to park in one of those spaces. (Nor does having a passenger with a disability.) You have to get a placard. You can get a placard even if you don’t have a car. You just take it with you and hang it up in the driver’s car when they park. My mother-in-law doesn’t drive but she has one. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/162 "2011-08-19T00:16:31Z")
> [@Grapefruit](#): > > So you held up the cashier, made her scan other people’s items around yours. Plus, made her wonder if you were ever really coming back for your items and when to call the stocker so she can do her job properly? I’d expect that occasionally handling this sort of situation is part of a cashier’s job. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/163 "2011-08-19T01:19:03Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > It’s nice that that officer was fine with it, but simply having a disability does not give you the right to park in one of those spaces. (Nor does having a passenger with a disability.) You have to get a placard. You can get a placard even if you don’t have a car. You just take it with you and hang it up in the driver’s car when they park. My mother-in-law doesn’t drive but she has one. Unfortunately I can’t make my clients go get one, and I can’t force them to walk a distance that I know they can’t manage. (These are people who use walkers, canes, or wheelchairs.) All I can do is handle each situation as best I can. At least if someone cares to look, they can see that I have left a message re: handicapped passenger, hopefully avoiding some of the frustration that people feel when seeing an un-tagged car parked in a designated space. Beyond that, if I got a ticket I’d hand it to my client and he can pay it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/164 "2011-08-19T01:21:07Z")
I’d have done the same as you, but it might be worth mentioning to your client that she can get a placard, if she didn’t realize she was eligible for one. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/165 "2011-08-19T01:42:20Z")
> [@papergirl](#): > > Unfortunately I can’t make my clients go get one, and I can’t force them to walk a distance that I know they can’t manage. (These are people who use walkers, canes, or wheelchairs.) All I can do is handle each situation as best I can. At least if someone cares to look, they can see that I have left a message re: handicapped passenger, hopefully avoiding some of the frustration that people feel when seeing an un-tagged car parked in a designated space. Beyond that, if I got a ticket I’d hand it to my client and he can pay it. There isn’t any kind of “official caregiver license” or something? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/166 "2011-08-19T01:48:19Z")
My Beloved has such a placard, even though she doesn’t drive. Whenever someone drives her someplace she pulls it out of her handbag and hangs it on the rearview mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/167 "2011-08-19T01:51:53Z")
I might be missing something, but could you let them out right at the front door and then go park in a regular spot yourself, **papergirl**? ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/168 "2011-08-19T02:02:42Z")
This is what I do when I take my Mom anywhere. She can’t walk very far, but I need the exercise. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/169 "2011-08-19T02:07:09Z")
Recently, I was in traffic court because I had been cited for reckless driving. One of the first cases they handled was a guy who had been cited for parking in a handicapped space without a placard. He said he had forgotten to hang it on his mirror and showed it to the prosecuting attorney. The charges were dropped. I just thought that maybe that might be relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/170 "2011-08-19T02:07:14Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Since when is it against the rules to bold quoted parts to draw attention to certain parts of the quote? It’s not, as long as you note that you’re the person bolding it. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > You also didn’t let it go. The passenger didn’t have to show you the placard, but she did. There was no reason to pursue it any further. > > I know you might be technically ‘right’ but one of these days you’re going to be ‘right’ to the wrong person. Some one’s going to smack you, pepper spray you, pull a gun on you or you’re going to wind up pulling this shit on an ambulance chaser that’s going to sue you for something you did (is blocking in a car legal?) that you didn’t realize was illegal. He’s already been threatened on at least one occassion when he tried something like this, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/171 "2011-08-19T02:12:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I might be missing something, but could you let them out right at the front door and then go park in a regular spot yourself, **papergirl**? My folks have a tag. Sometimes when I drive just my dad we forget to grab the tag. My dad cannot be left alone to drop him off while I park elsewhere. He is just too fragile and can get confused. It becomes very awkward when the tag gets forgotten; I am conflicted as to what to do. Generally I just try to park close and help him walk (he’s not terribly immobile, just very elderly), or go back and retrieve it. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/172 "2011-08-19T02:24:34Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > Bolding mine. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > It’s not, as long as you note that you’re the person bolding it. For the record, he did. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/173 "2011-08-19T02:34:39Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > For the record, he did. Note that **Czarcasm** admitted he was in error, in an edit to the post where he first brought it up: > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was mistaken in thinking that the emboldened parts were added. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/174 "2011-08-19T02:40:02Z")
I didn’t go back to look at the original mod post, but the issue is being addressed in ATMB anyway. And I see now that I somehow quoted **Guinistasia** while meaning to quote **Czarcasm**. Apologies! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/175 "2011-08-19T03:32:50Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > Recently, I was in traffic court because I had been cited for reckless driving. One of the first cases they handled was a guy who had been cited for parking in a handicapped space without a placard. He said he had forgotten to hang it on his mirror and showed it to the prosecuting attorney. The charges were dropped. > > I just thought that maybe that might be relevant. Perhaps…but in the case as told by the OP, the woman had been told it needed to be displayed, and she put it back in the glove compartment anyway. I don’t think she could claim “I forgot” as an excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/176 "2011-08-19T03:33:58Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > I didn’t go back to look at the original mod post, but the issue is being addressed in ATMB anyway. > > And I see now that I somehow quoted **Guinistasia** while meaning to quote **Czarcasm**. Apologies! No prob-when I wear these shoes I am oft mistaken for her. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/177 "2011-08-19T03:39:02Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > What I found hilarious is that Rand Rover was the first to explain it in this thread. Rand Rover. That’s when you’re not cool, when Randy is explaining to you how the kids speak. > > I mean, not that you’re not cool, **LurkMeister** , because you are. Thank you for the thought that I’m cool. As a Certified Old Fart, my knowledge of current slang consists mostly of what I’m able to pick up online. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/178 "2011-08-19T06:38:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Perhaps…but in the case as told by the OP, the woman had been told it needed to be displayed, and she put it back in the glove compartment anyway. I don’t think she could claim “I forgot” as an excuse. She was only told by **jamie**. I’m guessing she didn’t see him as a real authority. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/179 "2011-08-19T07:17:17Z")
For all those accusing me of playing “parking lot crusader” or trying to make a “citizens arrest”, I say you are all guilty of comedic-levels of hyperbole and conflating prior stories of mine with what happened here. ALL I did, when I noticed a car pull up and park (and the driver get out) in the handicap-accessible parking spot right next to me _without any permit on display_, was _ **ask** _ the passing woman if she had such a permit. She then flipped out on me and I just told her she was breaking the law by doing what she was doing. How is that SO different from the suggestions (which were WARMLY embraced here) by others here to mention to her that she is risking getting towed? Do you think her reaction would have been less hostile? Doubt it. After that, she went inside. After I glance over at the old lady in the car in frustration and bewilderment, she tells me that they _do_ in fact have a permit, and takes it out of the glovebox. After I see this, all I did was _ask_ her if the person driving her _ **knew** _ that it was in fact illegal to park in a handicap spot without having that permit on display. That seems like a fair question. No demand, no crusading action; a question. After that, I went back inside, where I run into the woman again. Now knowing that she had parked in the spot without putting up the placard she had, I just said to her that when you park in handicap spots, that placard is supposed to be displayed. And then I asked why couldn’t she have done that? And this took place while we were both in a checkout line. I wasn’t doggedly pursuing her, I didn’t go in after her; it was dialogue that transpired as a result of standing next to each other. _ **THAT** _ was the extent of my “parking lot crusading” and my “vigilante justice”. Pretty timid and lame for vigilantism, if you ask me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122/180 "2011-08-19T09:21:22Z")
You asked her if she had a permit. You told her she was breaking the law. If you can’t see the difference between that and a comment such as ‘hey dude, they ticket people who park there without a permit’ then it’s no wonder you encounter so much agression in your life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonsensical-parking-lot-experience/593122.md?page=10)