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AIBU?

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Original poster

To shop neighbour who has been given disability car as a "gift"

178 replies

Jollyranchermuncher · 22/10/2011 13:20

neighbours dad has a brand new sporty disability car that he has gifted to his daughter for her own full use.

It is hers, the dad stays in the next town and never it, I know she has full use of it.

Usually I would mind my own business over most things but it just makes me seethe that she has been given this and so many people who need things have to go without.

It also has a built in bluebadge so she can conveniently park in disabled spaces.

Am not quite sure how payment for disability cars work I take it her dad has to use his dla for the car? But it still seems like a huge take the piss off the system?

OP posts:
MrsGWay · 23/10/2011 11:28

She is effectively an uninsured driver if the insurance is in her dad's name. Named drivers are not allowed to be the main driver and the insurance company would easily work that out if she is involved in an accident.

Majestic12 · 23/10/2011 11:30

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Majestic12 · 23/10/2011 11:31

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Sevenfoldedbloodybodies · 23/10/2011 11:33

if you are 100% sure then report her.

mobility cars are there to help disabled people and their familys and shouldn't be handed over to family members for their sole use.
we have one, it is my dd's and I am the only driver.
so I use it all the time, even when she is not with me, as if say I am meeting a friend for lunch, I could get a call saying I have to pick dd up from school as she is unwell, I will then need the WAV to go and get her.
never quite worked out the point of having another car
would mean I would then have to go home, swap cars, then take the WAV to pick her up.
apart from the fact as a care on 17p an hour aI can't afford to run a car. poor dd would have to wait hours.
(her BB is only ever used when she is with me)

blinkineck · 23/10/2011 11:40

Majestic. Perhaps the non-disabled recipient of the car stumps up the deposit so they can choose a better car. Still an utter abuse of the system though. What is awful is that disabled and elderly people could be manipulated int agreeing to these terms. The system needs better policing imo.

thefirstMrsDeVeerie · 23/10/2011 12:10

majestic my friend has two children with complex needs. Both are wheelchair users. She got ONE car for two wheelchairs and they took BOTH childrens' DLA off her.

So she was paying twice for one car.

After taking out a huge loan to get the down payment on the car.

unpa1dcar3r · 23/10/2011 12:25

Has it occurred to anyone that the person in question might be actually buying the car using his mobility allowance?

you don't always only lease them.

For those who say that a named driver should use their own car when the disabled person isn't in the car or the journey isn't entirely for their benefit, what would you suggest for say someone with 2 SLD children, is a lone parent and a student, on benefits. Can they afford to buy another car when over £200 pm is going from one sons benefit to lease this car (which over 3 years is costing over £7k just for them to give back and have nothing to show for it, except 3 yrs usage)

Unless you know the persons private information you cannot assume anything. And to report him would cause untold grief as then the disabled person will be completely stuck indoors while an investigation is carried out. Lovely!

unpa1dcar3r · 23/10/2011 12:27

Mrs D your friend should only pay one amount of mobility component for one car, unless she bought a really expensive vehicle in which case she'd have paid a huge deposit but still not lost 2 lots of HRM. She needs to investigate this as it is wrong.

ZillionChocolate · 23/10/2011 12:27

I would report them. On the basis of what she's told you, she's breaking the law. If she was lying, then more fool her.

onagar · 23/10/2011 13:41

According to the news the government are going to set up a website to report tax evasion. This will be handy for those people wanting to report someone for something and casting around for something to use against them.

See the other thread about 'can I report this woman I don't like for selling carrots off her allotment''.

OP will you be telling her it was you reported or will you just do it sneakily and watch through the curtains every day hoping to see the car removed?

rhondajean · 23/10/2011 13:53

Just popped in cos I read in the paper today they are changing the rules; you can only be a named driver if you live within 5 miles of the disabled person to stop people taking the mick. Thats pretty tight for me; eg my parents live 8 miles away, and I would reasonable see a situation where I would be doing all the caring for them. Obv I have my own car but in other circumstances I might not be able to afford it and then I wouldnt be able to get to them?

I know people get mobility cars for other people; I know someone who has done it for a child who lives about 50 miles away and is never ever in the car; Ive still to figure out the benefit in doing it is because the (adult) child repays the monthly amount to them (and my car was bought at 6 months old, I pay less and its mines at the end of the hp with no big deposit or final payment) but there must be some kind of perk if people do it.

Apparently about 800 people a year get cars taken off them for breaking the rules, so they do enforce it somehow.

blinkineck · 23/10/2011 14:06

I don't think it's helpful to infer that people who report wrongdoing anonymously are sneaky curtain twitches. Imo the sneaks and those people who should hang their heads in shame are those who abuse the system, not the people who report or enforce wrongdoing.

herbietea · 23/10/2011 14:26

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aliceliddell · 23/10/2011 14:30

This tax thing interests me; I get HRM, we have a knackered old previously enjoyed car which dp drives. He takes dd (knee probs) to/from school and drives to p/t job in it. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for me to go anywhere without the car. We are dependent on benefits and dp's p/t wage. We don't claim the tax because the car is used without me in it, but obviously it wouldb be crazy to get a second car which would defeat the object. I thinkwe should get a reduction, but have had this debate on here before and others did not agree. The thing which isn't really understood is that the individual person isn't the only one affected- my MS makes us a disabled household. None of us can go on a day out by train as a family, because the local station isn't accessible, for eg. We're all poor because i'm disabled and dp is my f/t carer. Blue badge is different because dp can shop etc for me without needing extra parking room.

rhondajean · 23/10/2011 14:36

Alice I think the tax thing is a bit harsh. If you all live in the same house, then, I totally agree with you.

In our situation, DH was doing all the running to hospital etc for SFIL but he also needed a car for his own work, we have our own house, he would use it for our purposes etc, we did check it out but I can see it wouldnt be fair in those circumstances to get free tax.

The law on it is sadly very black and white. Id argue that your DH is taking DD to school as a benefit for you (him taking her in the car means you dont have to struggle to walk her) and working as a benefit to you (pays the bills that keep the roof over your head I presume!) but I dont think DVLA agree with me.

colken · 23/10/2011 14:37

I don't think that people who 'sneak' are curtain twitchers. They are just looking after the rest of us - and them - who pay taxes. There are other ways of reporting abuse confidentially eg Crimestoppers. If anyone reports to them, it does not make them sneaks. I think 'sneaks' was an unnecessary description of them.

herbietea · 23/10/2011 14:47

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blinkineck · 23/10/2011 14:54

Colken. I'm not sure if your post is aimed at me Confused IF so, perhaps you should know that I was objecting to onagar's earlier post.

anonandlikeit · 23/10/2011 15:03

Alice, it is perfectly OK for you to apply for & receive free road tax for the household car in your circumstances.
Before we had a a motoability vehicle he had a free road tax on our old banger. I enquired with the DWP & dvla and both told me that the tax is there for the car & it is unrealistic for the disabled person to be in the car at all times & perfectly OK for it to be driven without the disabled person in it each time.
The car tax releif is designed to helpt he financial burden on families where there is a disabled member because generally they incur higher fuel costs etc as not able to use other modes of transport/walk etc.

aliceliddell · 23/10/2011 15:17

anon that is really helpful, thanks! I'll phone tomorrow to apply. I think they may have changed the rules; we were refused about 6 yrs ago(?)

aliceliddell · 23/10/2011 15:19
Majestic12 · 23/10/2011 15:37

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Accountabillabuddy · 23/10/2011 15:48

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Peachy · 23/10/2011 15:53

Account certainly there was a plan to remove the car from anyone in resi accom (meaning people simply would not be able to take someone needing eg an adapted car out ever)

most heartbreakingly I have read of famillies who will not be able to ahve their own chidlren in SN resi schools home ever, they simply will not be able to get them for teh summer or whatever other break, can't imagine it Sad

herbietea · 23/10/2011 16:21

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