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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

in thinking it's unfair that my neighbour swaps his disabled badge between his 5 cars and lets his children use it...?

45 replies

slowlylosingit · 19/12/2008 16:04

My neighbour and his 6 children share a disabled badge, swapping it between their various cars. They have their own disabled parking bay outside their house and take turns to park in the parking bay, depending on who has borrowed the badge that day. All of them are able bodied and seem fit and well, though I am very aware that even though they may seem physically well, one of them may have a genuine health problem which justifies the badge. It's the sharing of the badge which I find a bit unacceptable, is it fair that a badge is shared around just so a member of the family can go shopping and park in a disabled bay? I had thought that a disabled badge is assigned to a specific car and specific person deliberately to avoid people misusing the badge.

I'm wary about reporting the issue to the council as dont want to be a whining victor meldrew, but I just hate the thought of people taking advantage. Should I report it?

OP posts:

Simplysally · 19/12/2008 16:08

The badge can be used in any car, provided that the person whose name is on it, was in the car and gets out of the car at some point ie you can't take your disabled Grandad out shopping, park in a disabled bay and leave Grandad in the car. It must be for his use so he can get to the post office or wherever easier.

Tricky one as if you report potential abuse, then the person who needs it might lose it but then it gives all Blue Badge holders a bad name.

SatsumaMoon · 19/12/2008 16:10

I thought disabled badges were specific to the person and couldn't be used if the disabled person was not in the car? Obviously if the badge is a genuine one whoever it belongs to might regularly use or get lifts in the other cars...

VirginBoffinMum · 19/12/2008 16:10

I have heard they are reforming the system to make it harder to do this, but I am not sure when this is happening, or what is planned.

PurplePillowsInSantasBed · 19/12/2008 16:12

The disabled badge is only for the person it is issued to.

My Dm has one which stays in my car but if she was to go in someone elses car then the badge goes with her.

If they are using it just to park their cars without the holder being near the car it is in then yes I would report them.

You should be able to see the persons name on it that it was issued to.

Simplysally · 19/12/2008 16:14

The badges have the person's name and photograph on and are specific to that person but not necessarily one car iyswim.

Lots of people with disabilities may have a badge but can't drive themselves (not the least, children) so it's useful for when they get a lift with someone being able to swap it around .

TheYearOfTheCat · 19/12/2008 17:00

I'd report it.

DesperateHousewifeToo · 19/12/2008 17:05

He can swap it into as many cars as he likes as long as it is because he is travelling in it and needing to park somewhere.

From your post though, it sounds as though the badge is being used to be able to park in the disabled parking bay outside their house, which is a bit cheeky but I would not report them if that is the case.

If the kids are using it without him in the car, just for their own convenience, that is illegal and I would report them for that but dpo not know how the authorities would prove it without catching them in the act so to speak.

TheSweetLittleBunny · 19/12/2008 17:10

If this is not affecting you directly then I think you should just leave it alone. Perhaps it is a bit unfair, but it is really none of your business, sorry

TheSweetLittleBunny · 19/12/2008 17:12

And I don't condone the illegal use of said badge - just feel there is more to worry about in life.

Original poster

slowlylosingit · 19/12/2008 17:22

but if something is illegal then shouldn't people make a stand? What would the world be like if people didn't do anything just because it wasn't affecting them directly? My neighbour mistreating her cat isn't really any of my business but does that mean I shouldn't say or do anything?

OP posts:

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 19/12/2008 17:26

HOw do you know other family members are using it?

Disabled badges can be used in any car. Although in our council free parking generally only goes with a disabled tax disc which is car specific.

abraid · 19/12/2008 17:26

It would seem fair to question the use of badges people like the young man sprinting to the shops from a disabled-stickered car, reported by one MNer here a few weeks ago.

A few people here insisted that he might have some unseen disability (a patch of dry skin? A mouth ulcer? a lisp?) but I say that if he was able to sprint 100 metres he could obviously walk 200 metres from the non-disabled spaces and was abusing the system.

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 19/12/2008 17:44

Well my 9 year old badge holder can run like the wind.

He qualifies because he is 'severely mentally incapacitated' (with an IQ below 55) and is in receipt of higher rate DLA care. You wouldn't know that to look at him though (take a look he's on my profile).

He is unable to walk unaided - he cannot be let go of near traffic.

You could challenge us, but tbh stopping to have a discussion about it when out and about with him is somewhere near impossible.

Homebird8 · 19/12/2008 17:51

I understood that you could only get a disabled badge if you couldn't walk 100m (or is it 200m?) at all. I'd certainly mention it. There are far too many disabled people not able to get out because they can't park due to illegal usage of genuine badges and an overwhelming number of fake ones too.

Homebird8 · 19/12/2008 17:52

I stand corrected jjhlty!

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 19/12/2008 17:54

YOu can get higher rate mobility (and automatically qualify for a blue badge) in the following situations:

they are aged three or over and:

they cannot walk or
they find it difficult or painful to walk or are late in their development or
the effect of walking could put their health at risk or
they are both deaf and blind or
they already get DLA care component at the highest rate and are severely mentally impaired/disabled and have severe behavioural problems.

The last point means that children/adults like my ds1 who are physcially very able can get a blue badge.

Blandmum · 19/12/2008 17:54

We had a blue badge when dh was dying of cancer. For most of that time he looked fine, only in the last month was he in a wheelchair with an O2 bottle.

You can use the badge in whatever car the disabled person is traveling in.

While Dh could walk, he needed every spare calorie of energy to stay alive, at one point he was eating nearly 7000 calories a day, as the tumour that killed him was taking aroubnd 5000 of them. He didn't have the energy to waste. As out Macmillan nurse said to me, 'Who would swap places with him for the card?'

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 19/12/2008 17:55

x posted-

here's my (kind of) blog entry about it

VirginBoffinMum · 19/12/2008 18:38

We have one because DS2 has a developmental delay and a nasty habit of falling flat on his face in car parks and in the street when he gets tired. It takes a lot more effort for him to walk than it does normal children.

I have to say we are quite sparing in our use of it though, and think everyone should only use it when it's really needed - for example, we often leave the last wheelchair-accessible parking space for a needier person if we have to and if DS2 is up to it. Our view is that there is a hierarchy of disability and we are high enough up to get a badge, but low enough down to be considerate of others.

bonnycat · 19/12/2008 18:41

Id report them.

Weegle · 19/12/2008 18:57

VBM - that's exactly how I view my badge. Some days I can't walk at all and am house bound, some days I can use crutches but be in extreme pain, and some days I can manage a short walk (albeit in pain). On very good days I don't use my badge, unless the regular spaces aren't wide enough for me to open my door fully (which I need to do to get in/out).

And a BB can be used in any car but is specific to the individual. But you display it photo and details face down so pedestrians walking by can't actually see the photo element of the card.

FeelingLucky · 19/12/2008 19:02

How do you know his children aren't chauffeuring your disabled neighbour around?
And why does it bother you - the disabled bay is for your neighbour's use anyway, so not preventing anyone else from parking there?

Weegle · 19/12/2008 19:04

report them for what bonnycat? the chances are if it's a bay outside this man's house it's been put there especially for his benefit, and it's legal to use the badge in different cars as long as the disabled individual is using that car.

Original poster

slowlylosingit · 19/12/2008 19:35

feelinglucky- because I see his children drive off in the car on their OWN with the disabled badge. So they are not chauffering anyone anywhere.

OP posts:

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 19/12/2008 19:48

But I often drive off alone with ds1's disabled badge, I just don't use it when he's not there.

not sure how disabled bays work (although I know there is a mumnsetter who does ) - but if we had one, there would be times when we would be using it without ds1 in the car (for example if I went off to get the weekly shop- we'd still park in the bay outside our house).

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