Hmmm...Tamara maybe they are cardboard in your state but in Minnesota they are plastic and "prefered" to the plates these days. I have permanently disabled people in the family (besides myself) and we all have what are called "permanent disability cards" which hang from the mirror. They are not cardboard but a heavy plastic and good for 5 years. The Temporary disability card is red not blue and is only good for 6 month periods. They prefer the cards here since people often have multiple cars or are being chauffeured by someone who doesn't have disabled plates. Many of my family members have sight disabilities and won't ever be able to get "permanent plates" for cars they can't drive. My 100 year old grandfather (who moves in the speed of "ultra slow" only LOL) has 3 different cards. My aunt has one (and then one of her own LOL...personally I think that is silly) By the way, she can't drive and neither can my father (he is married to her) so that is doubly silly. 2 for my mother (she has 2 cars) since SHE usually drives him. They gave her two when she complained that she couldn't remember to switch the card from car to car. (actually if you knew my mother you would understand) She is also losing her sight. (she is basically blind in one eye already) So eventually she may just get her own (and I will have to drive her around) I have my own but it stays in my car unless my son is taking me somewhere then he lets me bring it and hang it on his mirror. He HATES using the handicapped spot but he is becoming much more protective of me now that he is grown and married. I would go nuts if I had to get a card every 3 years. It is really a pain in the rear to have to go to the DMV downtown St Paul (who doesn't even have handicapped parking by the way) to get your handicapped card.
Cearbhael ----- Original Message ----- From: Tamara P. Duvall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ----- Original Message ----- From: Tamara P. Duvall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: chat Arachne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 9:10 PM Subject: [lace-chat] Re: Handicap parking/driving > On Monday, Nov 17, 2003, at 03:58 US/Eastern, Jean Nathan wrote: > > > We only have 'temporary' handicapped badges that each last three years > > - > > then you have to reapply.But in order to get one, you have to have a > > permanent disability. > > Nice to know that *something*, in the area of "social care" is better > in the US than in the UK :) Here, if you have a permanent disability, > you get a permanent tag; the "guy in the wheelchair" symbol is pressed > into your license plates (preceding the numbers). You need to renew the > plates yearly (everyone does), but that's it (as it should be). The > temporary (and up for periodical review) tags are cardboard, bear the > same symbol, and are hung off the front mirror. They're *supposed* to > be used only when the disabled is on board *and* needing to get to the > store, but they're not (I've seen young, brisk mothers of 3 shepherding > the brood to a store having first placed her "excuse" on the mirror). > > The older folk tend to drive right to the door of the store, drop the > disabled person *there*, and park wherever there's a spot, *other* than > the Handicapped one. The procedure is reversed at the other end. It's > the younger set who take advantage of the few yards (I bet they're the > ones who jog for their health daily, too <g>) > > > I don't drive slowly as I'm not in pain when I drive. I'm not a > > disabled > > driver but a disabled walker. > > Yeah, sorry, but, in my (limited, granted) experience, the folk with > the permanent tags tend to drive at 10-15MPH irrespective of the posted > speed limit (25 to 55 MPH in the immediate area; you don't see many of > them on the highways, praise be). And they never turn their blinkers > off, either... *If*, that is, they remember to turn them on in the > first place... I'm a reasonable person most of the time but, when on > the road, I turn into a *witch*, and all the infractions are *counted* > <g> > > ----- > Tamara P Duvall > Lexington, Virginia, USA > Formerly of Warsaw, Poland > http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ > > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
