Sacramento – In an effort to curb the fraudulent use of Disabled Person Parking Placards, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has launched a statewide public awareness campaign to educate Californians about the proper use of disabled parking placards and the consequences of misusing one. The campaign, combined with proactive enforcement efforts, is designed to achieve greater compliance.
The multifaceted program includes the release of a monthly citation report, the distribution of posters and brochures that can also be easily printed from the DMV website, a public service announcement for television and radio, and social media messages and testimonials, among others.
“By raising public awareness, our goal is to get drivers to think twice before illegally using a disabled person parking placard,” said DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. “We want to remind Californians that these placards are issued to individuals who have a qualified disability and can only be used by them.”
People breaking the law must appear in court and face possible fines that range from $250 to $1,000. While the misdemeanor offense will appear on an offender’s driver record, no points will be assessed because it is not a moving violation.
“The level of reported or observed abuse varies from area to area,” said DMV Investigations Chief Frank Alvarez. “Most violations involve using disabled parking placards issued to family or friends to avoid parking fees, and to obtain convenient and unrestricted parking.”
California Vehicle Code Section 4461(b) (c) prohibits anyone issued a disabled parking placard from lending it to another person, knowingly permitting the use of their placard or allowing anyone else to use it while they are not present. In addition, a person shall not display a disabled person placard that was not issued to him or her or that has been canceled or revoked.
It is important to point out that some qualifying disabilities are not visually apparent and allegations of misuse may be unfounded. Anyone who suspects a person may be misusing a Disabled Person Parking Placard is urged to notify the DMV by using an online complaint form or contacting their local DMV Investigations office.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
5 Comments
Chada Moody ??
Lori Alexander Bledsoe
What does it mean? A crack down on abusers? Please do, I work at a hospital and I see employees using the spots.
????
The only space we can park our van is a handicap space marked for a van. This is because of the wheelchair lift device on the right side of the van. These spaces are generally next to a place where there are blue stripes where no parking is allowed. If possible, please park in a space that is not marked for a van, so that those of us who have lift devices that require more room can park too. Thank you.