Sandie Spicer: Abuse of handicapped parking is getting worse, not better

Re “New law orders DMV to crack down on abuse of disabled parking placards” (Front page, Dec. 29): The subject of this article has been a pet peeve of mine since approximately 2002 when I had to obtain a disabled placard for my handicapped mother. I know some disabilities are not apparent, but I observed three-fourths of the people using placards were young or men jumping out of big diesel trucks with lumber racks on top.

How could they work in construction and be disabled? An acquaintance living in another city said she was using a placard. She told me it had been her mother’s and after her mother passed away, DMV just kept sending it to her, so she kept using it.

My mother passed in 2009 and at the end of the year I received in the mail a new disabled placard. I would never have thought to keep it and use it. I took it to DMV and returned it. When I am out and about, I still see what’s going on with disabled placards. This misuse is still as bad, or worse, as it was in the years my mother was with me.

This story was originally published January 2, 2018 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Sandie Spicer: Abuse of handicapped parking is getting worse, not better."