Clueless Driver?!

[krisnme]

Just had an interesting conversation with another driver and can't believe he was so clueless! Was leaving the Pediatricians office with DS when I noticed a man in a mini van park in the cross-hatch of the h/c space. The non-hc spot on his left was empty the h/c on his right had a lift equiped van. I pulled up behind and politely said " you may not have noticed but you are in the access isle, not the spot" he proceded to tell me that the law says if there are no h/c spots you can park in the access isle or anywhere else even if it is not a legal spot! I was amazed! I proceded to tell him that not only was it illegal, a $250 ticket, but that if the owner of the van returned and could not access thier vehicle, he could be towed. I asked him why he did not just move left one spot and he said "thats not a h/c spot!" I said neither is where you are at!!. he then said, cops never ticket anyway, I told him I was prepared to make sure they were aware of his parking (I was fuming at this point) and since he forgot his h/c tag as well, I was certain his vehicle would be gone by the time he got back. he then replied " I don't have a tag, anyone can look at me and see I'm handicapped so I don't need one of those tags" Seriously!!!!! I pulled away around the corner, he must have had second thoughts, he went and moved his car to the left. Are people really this clueless??

 

[WheeledTraveler]

In a word: Yes.

I got given flack by a guy who had gotten called out of a grocery store to move his car because he was parking me in (I don't have a van, but I cross-body load my manual wheelchair entering from the driver's seat). Initially he just pulled forward into the hash-marks for the space in the next aisle over, but when he saw me pull out my mobile phone to ring the cops, he moved into an actual space.

 

[peemagg]

I think people like that, we shouldn't confront them, just report them. Let them explain it to the police.

In our neighboring town, the Walmart has parking spots for vans that goes long ways. I can't tell you how many times I have seen people parked there on the diagonal. It is very well marked how the spot goes, but people ignore it. I also have been blocked in from loading my scooter even though it is very obvious that there is a lift on the van (it is an outside lift on the back of the van). The person just backed up just enough that I could lower the lift. As soon as I pulled out, they pulled into my spot.

 

[SoonerSarah]

When I have Kenley with me to pick up Evie from preschool, I park in the h/c spots. If I get there and there aren't enough spots, I generally have to park across the street (so you have to cross the street which is busy, and a parking lot), so a fair distance. Kenley can't walk this distance there and back, so I take her in her stroller.

There is one Mom however, that if there are no spots, she does park in the cross hatch space. It REALLY annoys me.

This school has a special needs program and has a significant number of children that are w/c bound. There are very few times when one of them is being picked up/dropped off during this time, but they have been and she should not be doing it anyway.

 

[krisnme]

I think people like that, we shouldn't confront them, just report them. Let them explain it to the police.

.

I really did not mean to confront him! I have said something to people before, I always assume it is accidental. Always before, people thank me and move their cars. This guy just felt that he knew the law and it was made just for him. don't understand how he never got a ticket before. I have called police before and they are quick to respond. Once after a snow storm, the groundspeople cleared my parking lot including the access isle next to the h/c spot where I park. shortly after, a vehicle parked there. I waited patiently for it to be moved, assuming it was a guest. after 4 hours I called police and he did a $500 dollar ticket and blocked the street so I could turn around my van and park in the street to get DS in the van. Now they randomly patrol my apt. lot and ticket those who park in the h/c with no tag. I understand honest mistakes, but some people feel so entitled, and that is not what the spots are for.

Sarah.. have you considered asking the school to send a reminder to parents about the parking situation? I have seen them sent home here, they not only stress h/c parking, but outline general pick-up rules.

 

[Singledad]

I have seen so many clueless drivers/park-ers like that... but I also have to say, I've had a fair share of run in's with people who were quite rude to my sister and I. We have been parked in by people waving their cell phone yelling at us that they are calling the cops because we were taking up a spot for someone truly handicapped...

Mind you, my sister was wheelchair bound for years, and we DID have a placard.

So, I just had to share that because I can't understand how people can act like that, not knowing if the person sitting in that car (or van) may be just as, or even more 'disabled' than they are.

but parking on the x-marks is *never* acceptable. if they are on the 'wrong' side of the car, you just pull in backwards. you make it work.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have run across people like that - sometimes they are truly clueless. There are many people with handicapped parking permits who don’t need the extra room in the crosshatched spots and don’t really know what it is for. Those people do park there sometimes, just thinking it is another way to mark the handicapped spot.

Some people (like that guy) are not clueless. They know exactly what they are doing and don’t care whether it is right/wrong/legal/illegal. All they care about is themselves.
And, in a lot of cases - just like this one - there was a spot not much farther away that they could have parked in legally. They just didn’t want to.

For the school situation - do mention it to the principal. We had to do that many times over the course of DD’s preschool/elementary years. A lot of parents park in the handicapped spots because “I’m just dropping off and I will only be a few minutes. It’s not like I am parking there all day.”
First the school sent something out to all parents, pointing out that it is not legal to park in the handicapped spot even “for a few minutes”. After the notice went out, the police stepped up patrol during the busy drop off/pick up points. The news of one parent getting a ticket spread pretty quickly and no one parked there for a while.
I personally got hurt because I slipped and fell getting DD out of the car one day when I gave up and used a regular spot because I had waited (and waited, and waited) for someone illegally parked for drop off to pull out of the handicapped stall. So, I have zero tolerance for people illegally parked.

Not having that access spot when you need the extra room is dangerous. And, the point of the handicapped parking spots is to get people with disabilities out of traffic as soon as possible - this is for their safety and the safety of people driving in the parking lot.

 

[SueM in MN]

I really did not mean to confront him! I have said something to people before, I always assume it is accidental. Always before, people thank me and move their cars. This guy just felt that he knew the law and it was made just for him. don't understand how he never got a ticket before. I have called police before and they are quick to respond. Once after a snow storm, the groundspeople cleared my parking lot including the access isle next to the h/c spot where I park. shortly after, a vehicle parked there. I waited patiently for it to be moved, assuming it was a guest. after 4 hours I called police and he did a $500 dollar ticket and blocked the street so I could turn around my van and park in the street to get DS in the van. Now they randomly patrol my apt. lot and ticket those who park in the h/c with no tag. I understand honest mistakes, but some people feel so entitled, and that is not what the spots are for.

Sarah.. have you considered asking the school to send a reminder to parents about the parking situation? I have seen them sent home here, they not only stress h/c parking, but outline general pick-up rules.

I have done the same - more or less,
“Excuse me. I noticed you are parked in the handicapped stall and you forgot to put out your permit.”
or
“Excuse me. You are parked in the access spot for the handicapped spot next to the spot you are in.”

As you mentioned, most of the time, people are nice, thank me and move their car. There was one situation where the woman cussed me out (and I do mean ‘cussed’) in front of her 2 small children and my DD when I said the first comment (reminder that you forgot to put up your permit).
She said her son had a heart condition and how dare I question just because it was not visible. I said I mentioned she did not have a permit visible because someone had parked in the crosshatched spot and I had already called the police. I said I mentioned she didn’t have a permit up because the police would be coming and I did not want her to get a ticket because her permit was not visible. She continued to cuss me out as she went into the store - and she got a ticket when the police came.

 

[Talking Hands]

We find this at Walmart all the time. People parked in the access area. Ugh. Jim is a sweetheart because if there are limited handicapped spots, he will drop me at the entrance of the store or mall or whatever and then go park in a regular spot. If I am not with him or staying in the car he parks in a regular spot. My husband is truly a gem when it comes to making things easy for me.

 

[Piper]

We find this at Walmart all the time. People parked in the access area. Ugh. Jim is a sweetheart because if there are limited handicapped spots, he will drop me at the entrance of the store or mall or whatever and then go park in a regular spot. If I am not with him or staying in the car he parks in a regular spot. My husband is truly a gem when it comes to making things easy for me.

My sister does the same thing....I don't take my ECV to the grocery store as it is easier to use theirs with the big basket. She drops me off and then usually tries to park in a HC spot so I won't have as far to walk when I leave--especially since by then I am wiped out! (I don't drive any more and she has one of my tags. She is so honest that if there is a spot close, she uses that because she knows that I will still be able to "make it" to the car.

 

[SoonerSarah]

We are going to say something to the Principal when school starts again because almost every day this past week there were people parking illegally. They have problems with a lot of parents parking in the parking lots of local businesses (during lunch hour), and several notes have gone home in regards to where they should not be parking already.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My friend's daughter has CP and their van has a lift for her wheelchair. Parking can be tough at pick-up time at our school, so some clueless parents frequently take the cross-hatch space next to her van, thinking they can run in and out quickly. Not! If the space is taken when she brings her daughter out, she backs out and blocks the person in while she loads her daughter. It can take a few minutes and they just have to wait until she has her daughter loaded and safely strapped into the van. If they balk, she lets them know that they're parked illegally. Most say, "I was only going to be a minute." She says, "Yeah, and that was the minute that I needed to come out and load my daughter, so you'll have to wait."

 

[peemagg]

I found that on my Blackberry, that there is an app that allows you to take pictures of the vehicle in certain spots and then it gets sent to the local authorities. I loaded it on my phone, just in case I run into some of these clueless drivers.