Most drivers are respecting reserved spots

By Bryan Painter

Published: July 26, 2008

Of the nine parking spots in front of the Love's Country Store, I focused on two spaces — for two hours.

Today marks 18 years since former President Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This act guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

There are 41.3 million people with some level of disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

So my editor suggested that I should go to a business and observe use of the handicapped parking spaces. My instructions were to not confront anyone, just observe and see whether those using the spaces display handicapped parking placards.

I went to a Love's Country Store in south Oklahoma City.

Let me give you the numbers, and then I'll give a little more detail.

I estimate about 100 cars pulled into the storefront parking spaces during the two hours. Only five cars used the handicap spaces, and four of those had a handicap parking placard.

Oklahoma Department of Public Safety records show there were 68,760 of the handicapped parking placards in the fiscal year of July 1, 2007, to June 30 of this year. That's actually down from the 76,689 of the previous fiscal year.

I'm sure there are types of businesses where more people might use and misuse these spaces.

But this was just an example. Watching about 100 cars pull up in two hours and having only one car not posting a handicap parking placard was encouraging.

Actually after the first half hour I was wondering if anyone would use the spaces. And then, after 31 minutes, a white Dodge Durango pulled in. The placard was displayed. The occupants were a young woman, a child and an older woman.

There are various disabilities listed on the Department of Public Safety's Handicapped Parking Placard Application.

That section of the application must be filled out by one of the types of medical professionals listed on the form. All this is to say, I'm not sure of the disabilities of those using the spaces.

Now back to the observations. Remember, for a half hour no one used the two handicapped parking spaces. However, four minutes after the Durango pulled into the one space, a red Cadillac with two older women inside pulled into the other.

This turned out to be the only car without a handicapped parking placard I observed use the spaces. Maybe they had one and didn't display it, I don't know.

I do know that of the seven minutes they were in the store the other handicapped parking space was taken by the white Durango with a placard displayed.

The fine is $150 for parking in a handicapped parking space without a handicapped parking placard, said Stacy Davis, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Municipal Court.

If the person has a placard and forgets to display it, they get one free dismissal, Davis said.

After that the individual must go before a judge.

But again, three more cars used the spaces while I watched and each of those had a placard.

With one exception, people did not only the legal thing but the right thing.

Contributing: Staff Writer Brian Sargent

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