To qualify for placards, drivers must have a medical professional certify they have substantial impaired mobility, lung or cardiovascular disease or severe vision problems, according to the DMV.
CBS2’s Investigative Reporter David Goldstein reveals that as many as one-fourth of drivers in the state are using disabled placards fraudulently.
…
There are nearly two-and-a-half million disabled placards in California – that’s one in every 10 drivers in the state.
How can one-fourth of the drivers in the state use placards fraudulently, when only one out of ten have them?
I don’t doubt that there is a lot of fraud, but there are a lot of disabled people whose disability isn’t obvious.
I have a blue tag for my car, and let me explain how I got it.
I used to run and jog every morning. One day, I slipped and fell and broke my ankle. I picked myself up, and walked home 2 miles on the freaking broken ankle. I wrapped it in an ace bandage.
I did not have insurance at the time, so self-treated with ice packs and ace bandage. Needless to say I never really recovered.
About 3 years later when I finally did get insurance I went to an orthopedist for the chronic pain and was diagnosed with arthritis and an old remodeled fracture that never really healed.
I explained this as a cautionary tale for Gus when he broke his foot the other day and hesitated going to the ER.
I’ll start off by saying that if people are not disabled but are using the placard to avoid paying parking fees I hope those people are found and fined.
But, I am weary of a “hidden camera investigation” that assumes someone is not disabled because they are not using a wheelchair or crutches or a cane.
If I requested a handicap tag for my car I most likely would get it with little difficulty (I have multiple sclerosis). I’m blessed enough to have a husband who is happy to do shopping or whatever if I am having a tough day. As for the women who were “caught” exercising…really? If you are disabled you are required to stay home and get fat? What kind of physical shape were the women in when they left the gym? Before I was diagnosed I would go to the gym and use the elliptical for 30 minutes. On the way there I was fine. While on the machine, I was fine. As soon as I stepped off of it, I collapsed because my legs were too fatigued to carry me.
One last thought as I’m getting ready to take my energetic puppy on a 1 mile walk (which will cause me to be halfway useless for the rest of the day): you cannot tell by looking at someone if they have a chronic health condition or not. It is best not to assume they are liars or cheats just because they might not look sick.
This is the best way I’ve found to describe living with a chronic condition: Spoon Theory
Absolutely. I know a lot of extremely weak people who look okay, but have a degenerative muscular or nerve disease. Or whatever. Parking sucks, people can deal.
Thanks for the explanation. It makes sense now, but I still think it was badly written.
My mother had emphysema. Until she started hauling oxygen everywhere, you wouldn’t know why she had a placard until you heard her breathe. My father has a placard; he doesn’t use it unless his arthritis is bothering him, as it does more and more these days.
My housemate has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and arachnoiditis. Now when you see her get out of the car, you don’t doubt that she deserves one, but she was still working as a go-go dancer when she was first diagnosed and got her placard. And yes, she could do what she had to to make a living, but it still hurt to walk a long way carrying her dance bag.
Sometimes you just have to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when the cost isn’t that great, even when you know there’s going to be a fair amount of abuse.
That being said, I can tell you about a relative of mine with a Blue Placard in CA who doesn’t need it.
Absolutely. I know a lot of extremely weak people who look okay, but have a degenerative muscular or nerve disease. Or whatever. Parking sucks, people can deal.
My wife has a placard for her juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. When it flares she needs it bad. The rest of the time not so much, and goes to the gym to stay healthy and keep the JRA at bay. If some dude with a camera guy walks up on her challenging her right to have the card there may well be loud and colorful language in the explanation. While she is a photographer, she hates being on camera and a news camera is out of the question.
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Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mundane educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom and go to the library and *educate yourself* if you've got any guts. Some of you like *pep rallies* and plastic robots who tell you what to read. Forget I mentioned it. *This song has no message.* Rise for the flag salute. -- Liner notes for "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" on "Freak Out!"
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