Super jacked up, four shocks per tire Ford F350 with...

[RayH]

Its hard to judge if someone should or shouldnt be using a handicapped tag based on the way they look. I didnt realize it until a couple years ago that a person who has had a heart attack can get a handicapped tag in Maryland.
I know this because theres a funny story that goes along with it. A coworker/friend of mine had a mild heart attack a couple years back. he is a fairly young man, over weight and out of shape but not obese. Me and a couple people from work went to the hospital to see him the next day after his heart attack. As we were visiting, the doctor came in the room and talking to him about what had happened. The doctor went on about how this was a warning and he really needed to take better care of himself and exersize more, blau, blau, blau. The doctor went on for about five minutes about an exersize regiment that included more walking. When the doctor finished he asked my friend if he had any questions. My friend, with a straight face and totally serious asked the doctor if he could get a handicapped tag so he wouldnt have to walk as far to go shopping. The doctor, dumbfounded, just said "yes" shook his head and walked out. My friend did in fact get a handicapped tag and always used it.

 

[_RaT_]

Its hard to judge if someone should or shouldnt be using a handicapped tag based on the way they look. I didnt realize it until a couple years ago that a person who has had a heart attack can get a handicapped tag in Maryland.
I know this because theres a funny story that goes along with it. A coworker/friend of mine had a mild heart attack a couple years back. he is a fairly young man, over weight and out of shape but not obese. Me and a couple people from work went to the hospital to see him the next day after his heart attack. As we were visiting, the doctor came in the room and talking to him about what had happened. The doctor went on about how this was a warning and he really needed to take better care of himself and exersize more, blau, blau, blau. The doctor went on for about five minutes about an exersize regiment that included more walking. When the doctor finished he asked my friend if he had any questions. My friend, with a straight face and totally serious asked the doctor if he could get a handicapped tag so he wouldnt have to walk as far to go shopping. The doctor, dumbfounded, just said "yes" shook his head and walked out. My friend did in fact get a handicapped tag and always used it.

We're doomed! Fat, lazy Americans more and more everyday.

 

[MossRoad]

My father in law has a handicapped tag on his mirror in his truck because he takes his 95 year old mother in law to the store. She is old and feeble and can't walk too well, but insists on going to the store. She won't ride in the car because she cannot sit down into the seat. She can, however, climb up into that truck and sit in the high seat. On shopping day, he drops off his wife and mother in law at the store, goes to run errands, and returns to park in the handicapped spot. On several occasions he has been accosted by do-gooders that he doesn't look handicapped. He isn't. He is picking up someone that is.

I also had a friend that had a heart condition and was on dialysis. He had a handicapped sticker. He'd run out of breath going between the car and the store door, yet folks would tell him he didn't "look" handicapped, either. He isn't handicapped anymore.

 

[mjarrels]

We have handicapped parking spaces at the golf course... must be a ADA thing.

mark

 

[RayH]

I usually dont think much about the handicapped spaces either way. I just walk past them and dont really care whos parked there.
I have never questioned anyone about their right to park in a handicapped space and as long as I dont need one, I probably never will. Honestly, I dont feel its my place to question anyones handicap status. It seems a little presumptuous.

 

[dmccarty]

This is one of those things that drives me nuts. I see it all of the time at the grocery store. People obviously not in need of the space, aka, young, did not drop anyone off and they are moving faster than I am into the store. I stare at them real hard. These are VERY well marked spaces. No way to miss them. And its not like there is a shortage of spaces in the lot either. Just plain lazy and using the system. And I see people who COULD use the tags but refuse. The walk in real slow, I pass them numerous times in the aisle and they walk out real slow. No tag for them though! Too proud. Good for them.

Years ago I had a smaller Chevy PU. Extended cab not the Ford Crew Cab we have now. The grocery parking lot I used to go to was a nightmare even in a small car. For a truck it was h...l. Even parking as far out as I could there was very little room and the spaces where made for subcompacts. One day I drive in and I notice a spot is open right at the front of the store! Waaaa Hoooo! Not because its at the store front but because I can pull right into the space and when I leave I can easily back out without spend 5 minutes moving forward and backward!

As I get out of the space some old guy is eye balling me. What is his problem I wonder. I go into the store, get my stuff and leave. The next week I go to the store. I notice that the spot I parked in was for Handicap only!

I wish the guy had said something too me.

The spot was not legally marked though. They had a sign mounted on the store building in front of the spot which was not easily seen with the store sign clutter. I was staring at the lines to squeeze into and the handicap sign was not painted on the pavement. The man had seen the sign and I had not.

So SOMETIMES one can make a mistake.

But most of the time there is not mistake. There is an area that no body is supposed to park in at out grocery store. Its very well marked. I see people park there all the time because they are too good to walk 5-10 extra feet.

Later,
Dan

 

[KubotaSteve]

My uncle (who was handicap) had a handicap placard to go around the mirror and told me that in order to use the placard he had to be with the vehicle (i.e going to doctor's appointment, store, etc.) as he had a card like a registration card for the placard that had his name and info. on it.

When I was a manager as McDonalds, I was a real stickler about keeping those spots open when one of the regular handicapped senior citizens almost fell walking from the other side of the parking lot. If someone parked there without a handicap placard or plate, they got towed. If someone parked there and they had a placard or plate and they didn't look handicapped, I'd ask them for the registration card to the placard. If they didn't have it and didn't move, they got towed.

There needs to be tighter enforcement as doctors give those things out like candy. If they had a doctor at the local DMV deciding on who gets what, I bet that would curb a lot of this nonsense.

 

[turnkey4099]

My uncle (who was handicap) had a handicap placard to go around the mirror and told me that in order to use the placard he had to be with the vehicle (i.e going to doctor's appointment, store, etc.) as he had a card like a registration card for the placard that had his name and info. on it.

When I was a manager as McDonalds, I was a real stickler about keeping those spots open when one of the regular handicapped senior citizens almost fell walking from the other side of the parking lot. If someone parked there without a handicap placard or plate, they got towed. If someone parked there and they had a placard or plate and they didn't look handicapped, I'd ask them for the registration card to the placard. If they didn't have it and didn't move, they got towed.

There needs to be tighter enforcement as doctors give those things out like candy. If they had a doctor at the local DMV deciding on who gets what, I bet that would curb a lot of this nonsense.

Good for you. The only solution to misuse of them is enforcement, both by citizens and by the police. I drive my wife who owns the placard around and use the spots when she is with me - even had to swap cars to a Ford 500 so it was easier for her to get in an out of. Great car for the senior citizens because of that BTW. I had a placard of my own after hip surgery but it was only a temp good for 6 months. Even then I didn't use the spots as walking was one of the strongly recommended excercises.

Harry K

 

[scott_vt]

I usually dont think much about the handicapped spaces either way. I just walk past them and dont really care whos parked there.
I have never questioned anyone about their right to park in a handicapped space and as long as I dont need one, I probably never will. Honestly, I dont feel its my place to question anyones handicap status. It seems a little presumptuous.

Afternoon Ray,
You may be right, I think it was one of those mornings that I got up on the wrong side of the rock telling that lady that she didnt look handicapped to me But that lady really blew it when she said her mother was handicapped ! She was the ONLY one in the car In other words she was breaking the law by using that sticker !

Im not normally a confrontational person, it just bugged me that day.

 

[RayH]

Afternoon Ray,
You may be right, I think it was one of those mornings that I got up on the wrong side of the rock telling that lady that she didnt look handicapped to me But that lady really blew it when she said her mother was handicapped ! She was the ONLY one in the car In other words she was breaking the law by using that sticker !

Im not normally a confrontational person, it just bugged me that day.

By the same token, I should probably care more about it. If it affected me I probably would. Its just that I dont consider myself to be able to judge whether or not people should use those spaces. Apparently doctors and the DMV have trouble judging whether or not people need a tag so who am I to question it.
I tend to be a "you mind your business and I'll mind mine" kinda guy most of the time. So I dont get involved in many things that dont effect me.