Woman shouted at me for parking in a disabled spot

I would take a photo of the car in the bay including the reg and the windscreen where the badge should be. Then report it to whatever parking authority operates the car park.

That's what I'll do in future.

Anything else is creating drama for your own gratification

It definitely wasn't done for my own gratification - I hate confrontation, and was very nervous as I walked over to him.

It was the latest in a number of occasions where I'd seen what looked like misuse of a disabled space (mostly when a blue badge wasn't displayed) and I'd never challenged anyone before. On this occasion I'd finally had enough, so I decided to speak to him. It's the only time I've ever done it.

So I should just allow people to abuse disabled parking spaces, even if it means disabled people can't then park?

My disabled relatives are sick of abuse of these spaces - that's why I challenged this man. My mistake was in not checking first if there was a blue badge on his car. I've never made that mistake again.

I’ve had people mutter under their breath as they walk past me and when l don’t respond some have actually turned around and repeated it out loud !! I still ignore them and sometimes the reactions are really funny. They’re just spoiling for an argument.

Agree. You can ‘protect’ disabled spaces by simply taking a badge number and reporting it to the LA if you suspect misuse, or in the case of a vehicle parked without a badge, by taking a photo incorporating the reg and reporting the time and location to the parking operator. There’s no need for confrontation at all. ‘You don’t look disabled’ warriors take note !!

This is how l understood it too. It doesn’t do away with the need to display a valid actual badge in places where it’s required. It’s meant for residents so that, as you say, the badge isn’t on display for long periods of time, inviting theft.

The point of the thread though is mainly about challenging those who are displaying a badge, just because you can’t actually see their disability. I actually wouldn’t challenge anyone not displaying a badge either - I’ve done it before and got a load of abuse as a result. I would take a photo of the car in the bay including the reg and the windscreen where the badge should be. Then report it to whatever parking authority operates the car park. Make sure the BB is required before you do this because some disabled bays in private car parks are concessionary and not enforceable.

And your example of how you challenged that couple is a text book example of what not to do. You didn’t even check for a badge and you assumed that because you couldn’t see a disability there wasn’t one. No, the man shouldn’t have manhandled you, but you have no idea how irritating it is to be displaying a valid badge and still be challenged because some busybody either hasn’t seen it, or thinks you’re not disabled enough to warrant it.

Simply put, if someone parks in an enforceable bay without a badge, report it. The parking operator will investigate and fine them if warranted. If someone has a valid badge, mind your own business - they have it because someone much more qualified than a random passer by has decided they need it. Anything else is creating drama for your own gratification - leave the ‘policing’ to those authorised to do it.

These are not common and seem to mainly be for free parking within a residents parking zone, to get around the problem of displayed blue badges being stolen from peoples cars.

As long as you had your permit and it was displayed, she's utterly in the wrong.

Oh, I have not heard of this (wanders off to find out more).

Many LAs have an electronic badge so you dont have to display it.

The best way to deal with idiots like this, and also the parent/child spot Gestapo is to ignore them, totally, it really winds them up and they get more and more hysterical, it can be very amusing.

"protect disabled spaces"? I call BS. You just decided that because they didn't look disabled they couldn't possibly be

It's difficult to find sympathy with you. It gets really annoying when someone looks you up and down and decides you don't meet their criteria of what disabled is

Agreed. If 'looking disabled' was the only criterion for getting a blue badge, thousands of unscrupulous people could put on a dramatic pretend show to get one (e.g. anybody can sit in a wheelchair - not just those who need one).

Meanwhile, a great many genuinely disabled people whose disabilities are not obvious on sight would then have to go without the blue badge that they should be entitled to.

Maybe you should mind your own business in future.

I should have got closer to the car to check whether there was a badge on display or not. (But he shouldn't have manhandled me like that. I assume he had been challenged a lot because his wife didn't look disabled and he was fed up with it.)

That is the risk that you take, when you decide to challenge people.

It really is something to keep reading about people feeling that they have the right to challenge people, who they decide, do not look disabled. They really need to understand the impact on that person, who may be sick to the back teeth of nosy people deciding that they know best. If a person has a BB, then that is all that is necessary for them to park in a BB.

People shouldn't challenge someone for using a disabled space.

Yes, they should if there is no blue badge on display. The woman in this example was too far away to see the badge, so she should have got closer to the car to check if there was a badge before challenging OP's right to the space.

I once made the same mistake.

I've had two relatives with blue badges and I get annoyed when disabled spaces are abused and they have nowhere to park. I once challenged a couple getting out of a car in a disabled space - neither of them looked disabled. I did it politely, pointing out that it was a disabled space. The husband grabbed my shoulder and took me to the other side of the car to show me the blue badge. He was quite cross about it - his wife had a disability that meant she could walk, but not walk very far. I apologised and tried to explain that I was trying to protect disabled spaces, because I knew how important they were to my disabled relatives.

I should have got closer to the car to check whether there was a badge on display or not. (But he shouldn't have manhandled me like that. I assume he had been challenged a lot because his wife didn't look disabled and he was fed up with it.)

This is the crux of the matter isn’t it ? Random passers by deciding that because they can’t see a disability there isn’t one. I’ve been challenged quite often despite a fairly obvious disability, and l tell people that the fact that l have a badge is reason enough for me to park, that the reason for issue is between myself, my doctor and the local authority, and that unless they are a police officer or parking warden l have no obligation for further discussion, then l go about my business.

As infuriating as they can be l’ve learned not to respond to people who mutter in passing like this, as l inevitably end up explaining myself, which of course is what they want. Their ignorance doesn’t impact me at all and l think a non-response reinforces that.

I had a woman shouting at me for “taking up” a parent child space while I was sat in the car breastfeeding a baby and my mother in law had taken my three year old into Tesco’. This was afew years ago. I shouldn’t have but I wound down my window and told her to shove off with more Fffs. Some people are just horrible and best to be ignored.

That was a comment not worth justifying with a response. How on Earth would she know what is wrong with any of you, or whose needs were being met by parking in the BB space anyway!

Sorry. I stand by what l said. You shouldn’t challenge anyone for parking in a disabled bay if they are displaying a valid blue badge. Firstly the personal details of the badge holder are not displayed and as a member of the public you have no right to see or handle the badge - neither do you have the right to question anyone about their condition, should it not be obvious, or ask if they are the badge holder. Only a police officer or parking warden are authorised to do this, and the badge holder must comply with any such request.

If you, or indeed anyone else on the thread, suspect misuse take a note of the registration number of the car and the badge serial number and report it to DWP on 0800 854 440. That’s the National Benefit Fraud Hotline - they will check if the recipient of the badge is claiming any disability benefits and take the appropriate action. You can also report it to your local council via their website by navigating to the section on parking, which should have a subsection for disabled parking. You can usually report anonymously. If you have your phone with you a photo of the car parked in the bay will be helpful.

For cars parked without displaying a badge, make a note of the registration number, date, time and location - you can also take a photo of the front of the parked vehicle so it’s clear there is no badge, and make sure the registration is shown. Report to your local council. This also applies to commercial vehicles - make sure the company name and any contact details are recorded.

The above applies to onstreet/public or other council run sites. For private car parks such as supermarkets or on private business/residential grounds, look for signage giving the details of the operator and contact them directly.

A couple of things to remember before you report. Not all disabled bays require display of a blue badge - some are concessionary and not enforceable. The signage in that case would not include the blue and white disabled plate or specifically say blue badge must be displayed, On street marked disabled bays in residential areas are not exclusively for the use of the householders requesting them. Any BB holders can park in them but those parking without a badge should be reported to the council as they have responsibility for enforcement.

And one final - and probably very obvious point. Not all disabilities are obvious. As a disability outreach worker one of the less pleasant aspects of my job was supporting claimants who had had their BB suspended while the LA, or DWP investigated reports of misuse. Some had unknowingly misused them as they weren’t fully aware of some rules, and others - the majority - had done nothing wrong.

Before reporting everyone should be aware that when a report is made, the BB holder could be subjected to an interview under caution and during investigation could potentially have the BB suspended along with any disability benefits if the badge was awarded on automatic eligibility. It can be disruptive, frightening and traumatic. So before you report, think twice and a third time and remember that the issue of the badge is between the claimant, their doctor and the authorising authority. It’s not the business of a random passer by to decide that just because they can’t see a disability, there isn’t one.

@mumof1x99 - One day she will say that kind of thing to the wrong person on the wrong day, who isn’t quite as restrained as you. What an awful waste of oxygen she is!

One time I parked in a disabled spot and my son came walking out hand in hand with me

A woman walks past and mutters "they all have autism nowadays" 😳

The look on her face when I told her he has missing limbs due to amputations and wears prosthetics - which you couldn't see underneath his joggers

Awful woman, an insult to me and SEN parents

You think the term "blue badge" is a universal description of a parking permit for use by disabled people?!

Ugh, what an annoying cow bag. Disabled people don't need to be policed.

My son has autism and LD and spends a large amount of time in a buggy, as he absconds and throws himself on the floor when we are out. We do take up a disabled bay on bus/would use blue badge if we had one due to maintaining his safety, but we have enough common sense ourselves to spot when someone would be in more need.