19 replies to this topic

[Kayak Girl]

I came across this when looking up info on getting a placard at the CA DMV.

Short-Term Placards for Visitors
If you're visiting California and you require a disabled license placard, you must apply for a Temporary Parking Placard for Nonresidents. The temporary placard is good for up to 90 days or until the date indicated by your physician. To apply:

Complete an Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates.
Have your physician sign the Doctor's Certification of Disability section of the application.
Send the proper fee.
Mail all to the address on the form. You should receive your temporary placard in approximately two weeks.

Traveling Out of State
If you have a parking placard or license plate issued by the state of California, and you plan to travel out of state, you will want to obtain a Travel Parking Placard for California Residents. Follow the same steps as above and don't forget to include the appropriate fee. If you are a permanent placard owner, there is no charge. A traveling placard is good for 30 days.

Has anyone ever heard of this?? I just assumed that a placard would be good in any state. My boyfriend had been using his New York placard here in California for the past 3 years without issue. Even when we forgot to put it up and were issued a ticket in CA we showed the NY placard and it was dismissed. When we go back to NY to visit next year, do we really need to go through this or do we just take his new CA placard with us? It doesn't make any sense to me that we would need a different placard from the same agency that basically says the same thing...

[KayDub]

Yep I've heard of it in Colorado. Because each state has different requirements, you can't use another state's pass. For instance in Colorado if you don't feel like walking far, it's apparently a qualification to get a pass. Another state may have a stricter policy and wouldn't allow said slacker to use their Colorado placard. It's not like driving where you can keep out of state licenses because driving rules are generally nation-wide (except some local municipal rules like U-turn policies).

It's just one of those rules that's never enforced I think. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm shocked you got a ticket for not having a permit! I've never seen one in Colorado (it's a volunteer position to do the ticketing apparently). If you want to go through the proper legal channels you can, but if you don't it's not the end of the world.

Hope that helped a little!

[Kayak Girl]

Funny California seems to have the same qualifications as Colorado. LOL

I doubt I would have gotten a ticket except it was in our apartment complex and we have a neighbor who likes to play police enforcer.

Yeah, I think we are not going to worry about it as the chances of a problem are most likely slim to none.

[wheeliebear75]

Since my injury in 1990 I've only traveled out of state once & that was in 96 to Utah, but since my cousin's daughter has CP they've got disabled plates on their van.....so it didn't matter.


As to the "requirements" (yup we all know it's BS on account of how many fakers/slackers/lazy-asses get/bribe their Dr.s to sign for them) but the CA DMV forms state you must have one or more of the fallowing as a requirement to be a VALID disabled placard/plates user.

#1 Significant lung disease

#2 Significant cardiovascular disease

#3 substantially impaired mobility

#4 a severe disability which he/she is unable to move without the aid of an assistive divice

#5 significant limitation in the use of the lower limbs

#6 The loss of, or loss of use of one lower extremity

#7 The loss of, or the loss off use of both upper extremities

#8 central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with corrective lenses, or field of vision no grater than 20 degrees

********************************************************************

Now obviously tons of people find Dr.s who don't care. I wish the DMV would hold the Dr.s who wrote/signed the papers to get those SOB AB's these privileges ACCOUNTABLE! I bet the rate of disabled parking abuse would drop significantly! Which I'm not sure where the hell these people find such unscrupulous doctors. When I got MINE; the one I got in June-90 when I was discharged was a temp & then I got another temp in December cuz I was walking with a walker & my Dr.s were still keeping their fingers crossed that I might be able to walk WALK again.....when it came time to get a new placard June of 91 they gave me the permanent kind. Soooo it took ME a YEAR of PT boot-camp to get mine......yet somehow some "people" (I use "people" VERY loosely) manage to get theirs with nothing more than what.....their good looks? Nope....it aint even CLOSE to "fair"!

(I AM qualified under #3,#4,#5,#6 AND #8.....bring on the QUALIFYING!)

http://www.dmv.org/c...as_a_Disability

[Kayak Girl]

It really makes me wonder what their idea of signicant and substanstially mean???

Our neighbor who called the cops on us twice in a week thinks he is the handicapped crusader going around the apartment complex daily and calls the cops on every handicapped parking violation he spots. Which would be good except he mostly targets the disabled. (Yes he knows it was my car and yes he knows my boyfriend has no legs and uses a wheelchair.) He thinks his wife is entitled to every handicapped spot in the complex because she has a bad knee. And yes she has plates. But she works a job where she is on her feet all day, she admittedly refused to use anything when she went to Disneyland and walked around the park all day (she did have to ice her knees that night though) I've seen her step up and down curbs and walk around the complex with him. It makes me so angry! I totally agree that they need to focus on the doctors who allow these people to abuse the system!

I also think DMV needs to quantify significant and substantial. It's way too vague.

[KayDub]

Don't forget about the people over the age of 60. Half are I guess technically qualified but should NOT be driving. They don't use the placards when someone else drives them, they just drive themselves on their own in their giant sedans. One grocery store I go to is the "old folks" grocery store and you'll never get a spot. I watched one man require a store employee to follow him out to the car while he rode in a power scooter, helped him get in the car with his oxygen tank and he shook and staggered. He was about 80, at the youngest. But he was allowed to drive on his own! This didn't happen in a parking lot but driving down the road the other day a similar man, handicap placard still hanging up, oxygen on his face, going about 35 in a 55 zone almost got hit by a car trying to make a left turn into his lane. He then swerved into our car, missing us by just inches. I have to retake my driving test to drive with hand controls but in my state you can be 100 and close to death with virtually no functions left, but you will be driving and using handicap spots!! The other group is the perfectly mobile old folks who have some sort of aches and pains from time to time on account of being old folks, who get their doctor to get a pass and act like it's their god given right as Americans to use that pass! If there's a spot even closer, who cares! The have a handicap placard and come hell or high water they will use it. Arrrghhhh.

[Kayak Girl]

Oh that really gets me too. The people who could park closer but dont because it's their right to park in a handicapped space. It's rediculous!

And the old people! They (DMV) are telling my bf that he needs to retake the driving test just because he moved here to CA from NY. He has been driving with hand controls for 26 years and there has been no change in his condition since birth! They wouldnt do that to any AB driver!

[wheeliebear75]

What a perfectly matched couple......Mrs. Bitch & Mr. Ass-Hole!

I had to go through TWO temporary placards before Children's threw in the towel so to speak of getting me back to "normal". How in the F#%@ do people manage to get placards so easily is beyond me!

Know what....I think it's a VERY good thing Mrs. Bitch & Mr. Ass-Hole aren't MY neighbors.....there would be a whole LOT of words exchanged & doubt any of them would be NICE; I'd be laying in to them but good "You can be on your feet all day long AND go walking around Disney Land no problem yet you can't walk the distance of a parking lot?" (in MY case, in your case you'd say HIM) "You see that stick-figure on EVERYTHING 'handicapped', including the ground, the sign, & the placard/tags.....funny how it looks a whole lot like ME aint it? WHEELCHAIR stupid!!!". Oh & BTW since they seem to have it in for you & every-other disabled person.....I'd bring it up to management ASAP!

[Kayak Girl]

We did go into the office when we got both tickets and right away they knew exactly who did it. They confronted him but he denied it. Their lease is almost up and wont be renewed. We haven't said anything to them, we took the route of trying to be friends with them (before this happened) trying to avoid trouble. Obviously that didn't work but we are afraid of causing more trouble for ourselves by confronting them. It kills me though. I hate confrontation but with them I want to unload..

When they first moved in there was only one handicapped spot in front of our building. They tried to get management to make us give it up. They offered to switch us carports because theirs is closer (right in front by walkway closer than handicapped spot) I had to explain that being close wasnt the real issue, we needed the ramp and the space. In the carport the space is too tight and their carport has a pole that would block bf's access to the passenger side door. Management then created another handicapped spot out of the guest spot next to the ramp for them.

It didn't take long to figure out the real issue. Our complex only allows you one designated space. He has an old mustang. She happens to have handicapped plates. They wanted two designated spaces.

In the winter when there is frost, she will park in our unused carport further away to avoid fost on her windshield. And if someone parks in the handicapped spot she uses, the mustang gets the close spot while she finds something further away. Makes me so mad. It's so obvious she doesn't need the space and is just taking advantage.

Management wont designate handicapped spots but they said they would for us if we continued to have problems.

[KayDub]

Do you have security cameras?

Like I said... I've never let the air out of people's tires. No financial damage but a major inconvience, just like misusing a handicap spot is.

There's a lot more stuff I might do , but I don't want people getting crappy with me (like my Deaf friend who said I need to stop being so negative because she's always positive to people about her disability and it works and she knows better that me... grrrrr) and I don't want to advocate anything that would get you in trouble!

[Kayak Girl]

Ha Ha! It is very tempting! I wish there was an easier way to report people with so called "valid" placards. It sucks too that reporting these people and something being done about it could actually make the process even more difficult for the people who actually need them.

[dreamerr]

I think a lot of people want the handicapped spots so they don't get dings on there car. The issue is I will ding there car if it is too close to me since as you all know we need the room to fully open our doors. The unfortunate thing is spaces these days are all too narrow. Where I live the handicapped spots only have hash marks for the most part on one side so only half the spots are good for me. I often just park somewhere else and take two spots on an angle. I then get my car spit on and mirrors moved. You just can't win. I am getting big signs for my car to try to avoid people wrecking my car.

[Kayak Girl]

 dreamerr, on 25 October 2011 - 08:46 PM, said:

I think a lot of people want the handicapped spots so they don't get dings on there car. The issue is I will ding there car if it is too close to me since as you all know we need the room to fully open our doors. The unfortunate thing is spaces these days are all too narrow. Where I live the handicapped spots only have hash marks for the most part on one side so only half the spots are good for me. I often just park somewhere else and take two spots on an angle. I then get my car spit on and mirrors moved. You just can't win. I am getting big signs for my car to try to avoid people wrecking my car.

At one grocery store by our house they have two handicapped spots by both entrances, the hash marks are at the ramp directly in front of the door to the store so everyone coming in and out uses that as a walkway. The handicapped spots are both to the left of the hash marks. Yes, both of them. The second handicapped spot has ZERO additional space. It is a normal space with a handicapped sign in front and a symbol painted in it?? But I guess that is fine for the majority of the placard holders around here.

[dreamerr]

Depending where you live they sell nice stickers. I know the UK has a few really good ones on ebay. The US has nothing which amazes me. The only have the plain wheelchair symbol. Nobody pays attention to that.

I am about to make my own and can post them on the site I found to buy after I am done. I am going to try to do a three dimensional design. I am by no means an artist but want one badly.

I did have this guy in the business make one to my specs but he hasn't printed them as of yet. No normal blue and white either. He only printed the ones with the ramp hitting a car. He also made one with a car door hitting the other car, which is the one I want. All my ideas I am so proud of the results but he did the putting it together. I am going to purchase them from him when he is done. He also made a car magnet which is really kewl with the same two designs. I am a bit afraid it will get stolen but more then likely will get it anyhow. They aren't square either which was another idea of mine. You want it to catch peoples eyes.

[wheeliebear75]

 dreamerr, on 25 October 2011 - 08:46 PM, said:

I think a lot of people want the handicapped spots so they don't get dings on there car. The issue is I will ding there car if it is too close to me since as you all know we need the room to fully open our doors. The unfortunate thing is spaces these days are all too narrow. Where I live the handicapped spots only have hash marks for the most part on one side so only half the spots are good for me. I often just park somewhere else and take two spots on an angle. I then get my car spit on and mirrors moved. You just can't win. I am getting big signs for my car to try to avoid people wrecking my car.

What we do since in our/my case we need the hash marks on the passenger side.... If the marks on the wrong side pulling in forwards than he backs into the same spot which then puts the hash marks on the correct side for ME. In parking lots it doesn't matter if you pull in or back into a parking space.

[wheeliebear75]

By the way.....

I told my B/F about this thread & he had this to say.

"Good thing they don't live HERE....I'd run over their asses, classic or not!" (He LOVES classic cars so that's saying something)

And to further put that statement into perspective.....THIS is my B/F taking our JEEP Sahara up & OVER a car at an auto wrecking yard.

Edited by wheeliebear75, 27 October 2011 - 02:18 AM.

[Kayak Girl]

 wheeliebear75, on 27 October 2011 - 02:14 AM, said:

By the way.....

I told my B/F about this thread & he had this to say.

"Good thing they don't live HERE....I'd run over their asses, classic or not!" (He LOVES classic cars so that's saying something)

And to further put that statement into perspective.....THIS is my B/F taking our JEEP Sahara up & OVER a car at an auto wrecking yard.




JEEP over EVERYTHING.jpg

That is AWESOME! Do you guys want to take the jeep on a road trip. You're not that far from us!

 dreamerr, on 27 October 2011 - 01:16 AM, said:

Depending where you live they sell nice stickers. I know the UK has a few really good ones on ebay. The US has nothing which amazes me. The only have the plain wheelchair symbol. Nobody pays attention to that.

I am about to make my own and can post them on the site I found to buy after I am done. I am going to try to do a three dimensional design. I am by no means an artist but want one badly.

I did have this guy in the business make one to my specs but he hasn't printed them as of yet. No normal blue and white either. He only printed the ones with the ramp hitting a car. He also made one with a car door hitting the other car, which is the one I want. All my ideas I am so proud of the results but he did the putting it together. I am going to purchase them from him when he is done. He also made a car magnet which is really kewl with the same two designs. I am a bit afraid it will get stolen but more then likely will get it anyhow. They aren't square either which was another idea of mine. You want it to catch peoples eyes.

I can't wait to see them! That is a great idea. I'm surprised too that there isn't much in the US like that or like the PSA or videos people have posted here regarding handicapped parking.

[dreamerr]

 wheeliebear75, on 27 October 2011 - 02:04 AM, said:

 dreamerr, on 25 October 2011 - 08:46 PM, said:

I think a lot of people want the handicapped spots so they don't get dings on there car. The issue is I will ding there car if it is too close to me since as you all know we need the room to fully open our doors. The unfortunate thing is spaces these days are all too narrow. Where I live the handicapped spots only have hash marks for the most part on one side so only half the spots are good for me. I often just park somewhere else and take two spots on an angle. I then get my car spit on and mirrors moved. You just can't win. I am getting big signs for my car to try to avoid people wrecking my car.

What we do since in our/my case we need the hash marks on the passenger side.... If the marks on the wrong side pulling in forwards than he backs into the same spot which then puts the hash marks on the correct side for ME. In parking lots it doesn't matter if you pull in or back into a parking space.

For me it matters because my wheelchair is in the trunk. I need to be able to open the minivan trunk to have someone get it for me.

[wheeliebear75]

 dreamerr, on 27 October 2011 - 08:13 PM, said:

 wheeliebear75, on 27 October 2011 - 02:04 AM, said:

 dreamerr, on 25 October 2011 - 08:46 PM, said:

I think a lot of people want the handicapped spots so they don't get dings on there car. The issue is I will ding there car if it is too close to me since as you all know we need the room to fully open our doors. The unfortunate thing is spaces these days are all too narrow. Where I live the handicapped spots only have hash marks for the most part on one side so only half the spots are good for me. I often just park somewhere else and take two spots on an angle. I then get my car spit on and mirrors moved. You just can't win. I am getting big signs for my car to try to avoid people wrecking my car.

What we do since in our/my case we need the hash marks on the passenger side.... If the marks on the wrong side pulling in forwards than he backs into the same spot which then puts the hash marks on the correct side for ME. In parking lots it doesn't matter if you pull in or back into a parking space.

For me it matters because my wheelchair is in the trunk. I need to be able to open the minivan trunk to have someone get it for me.

I didn't realize you needed the back to open up. The vans I've seen (+ a friend had one so I've been on the inside of IT) all had a ramp that came out from the side.....sorry.

Edited by wheeliebear75, 28 October 2011 - 03:03 AM.

[dreamerr]

I don't like the side ramps because you can't always open them when cars park to close. Sometimes I can barely get my drivers door open.