ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.
A viewer recently asked, “How long can someone sit inside their car while parked in a disabled parking space?”
“This question made me think of living in a home,” Trooper Steve said. “The only people who would have access to that house are the ones with either permission or the keys to that house. The same thing would basically apply to a disabled parking spot.”
If you do not have a disabled parking decal assigned to you or anyone in your vehicle at the time, then you have no business parking in a disabled space, Trooper Steve said.
“I’ve seen this several times, mostly in department or grocery stores,” Trooper Steve said. “A driver is dropping off a passenger very quickly so they can run into the store and run back out, and what do they do? They park in a disabled parking location and when the other person comes back out, they leave.”
Some think no harm, no foul, but Trooper Steve disagrees.
“No one registers for a disabled parking decal simply so they can park closer to wherever they’re trying to go. It’s more complicated than that,” he said. “The people with these decals genuinely need that parking space and it’s not there as merely a convenience but more as an assist to get them through daily life. There are hundreds of other parking spaces for you to choose from. I suggest using one of those.”