to park in a disabled bay if temporarily incapacitated?

[Busybean]

Say if you're on crutches with a condition that will last another 4-5 months and need the space to fully open the door to get your legs out.

this would only be if there were no p&t spaces available.

or would it be better to park in the middle of two normal spaces(if available)

??

disclaimer-genuine question, not trying to offend anyone or belittle anyone elses permanent disability.

I'm disabled but I have NO problem with you parking in a disabled spot for this genuine temporary handicap. Sadly the law says you need to have a blue badge, so YABU as you know you would get in trouble.

'A sore knee or a sprained ankle are genuinely temorary, as in a couple of weeks.. SPD can last for MONTHS, as in, i had it from 12wks pregnant until 4 weeks after my DD was born'

WRONG a sprain is a serious injury and generally takes twice as long as a fracture to heal.A sprained ankle takes between 3 months and a year

You can't get temporary blue badges.

After an accident I wore a leg brace & had crutches for 9m (was cleared to drive btw with the insurance company) and got a parking ticket from a warden for stopping in an empty long disabled bay to collect a bulky present (guitar for dh) from the shop opposite as I didn't have a blue badge. Shop keeper reprimanded warden and he got heckled and booed by a queue at the bus-stop, which was a bit comforting I suppose, but it turned out to be an expensive present for dh!

In supermarkets own carparks I don't think they monitor blue badges although a lot of ppl display them to show they are entitled to park in the disabled bays. If it is your regular supermarket can you speak to the store manager and see if it would be alright to park there?

Shortly after my accident dh arranged to hire a motability wheelchair with a leg support so I could do some Christmas shopping at Bluewater and they were insistent that we used a disabled bay to bring the wheelchair alongside.

I had severe spd with both pgs & was on crutches and found out fairly quickly I couldn't have a temp badge.

But I let my local supermarket know at the customer service desk each time I used the disabled space and they were absolutely fine about it. But in town I just managed in normal spaces. I never went very far anyway and the supermarket was a 'treat'

When I had SPD my mum used to take me to the supermarket and have a word with the customer service desk who never had a problem with us using a disabled space.

I wouldnt risk it in the street or unmanned private car park because you WILL be fined.

Very good idea to campaign for temporary blue badges - anyone who has suffered from SPD knows it is disabling.

I have to say I had SPD with DD2 and was in a wheelchair by 6months
If I did go out I would use disabled bay if no P&T ( I had a child) because it was impossible to get my wheelchair tot he side in normal spaces. I rarely went out but on a good day could drive.
However, DD1 school refused to let me park in school carpark at all, so really struggled there too.
OP I would try and aviod it as much as oss but if its not I dont think anyone would blame you.

OP, im registered disabled now as my spd caused problems with my left hip and spine, i could only get that after my pregnancy though, its getting slightly better but my oesteopath had to write to my gp, and my consultant before they would fill in my forms.
i didn't go out the last 4 weeks as i was wheelchair bound too, but was on crutches from 22 weeks.
my SPD makes me uncomfortable everyday all day, but it rarely now makes me unable to get about, i was offered an operation but the risks were too much for me so i will wait until ive had all my children and they are a bit older.
go to your gp and get refered asap,, or if you get into a bit of bother you can have your gp/consultant write a letter for you. a member of public won't challenge a pregnant lady on crutches, so i wouldn't worry, do whats best for your body. sod the law in this case!

YABU It is extremely annoying when I'm out with my disabled mate to find there are no spaces, and that there are cars parked in disabled spaces without a blue badge.
I'm recovering from knee surgery at the moment and very limited in how far I can walk. If I can't find a space near to where I'm going, I might park in any space I can find, but go in and ask for some help with getting parked. Not just take the space. Every time I've done this I've been helped, and only once was I told to stay in the disabled space.

p.s. That was at Sainsburys, they "police" their own disabled spaces.

Of course it isn't ScreamingEagle, that was far from my point. My point was you cannot use your discretion in matters of law unfortunately as there will be piss takers. I mean: someone could appear and say "well I have a severely sprained ankle, as such I can park here", then there will be people who put it on. I was NOT, being derogatory towards those with SPD, and think this is a red herring avoiding the issue. I don't even think I said that it was remotely like it, my point was the piss takers, and who becomes the arbitrator.

Sorry, meant to say I'm sorry if I caused any offence to those with SPD...having seen how excrutiating it can be (and crossing fingers firmly I don't develop it with this pregnancy) I certainly wouldn't want you to think that I was genuinely likening it to a sore knee! Oh the joys of the online written word...

If its a supermarket either do the shopping online so they carry it home for you as well or talk to customer services. I broke my ankle a couple of years ago and was on crutches.

If there were several disabled spaces available at the supermarket I tended to park in one and check with customer services who would issue a temporary pass. In the end, I produced a letter from the dr guessing stating that I would be on crutches for x weeks and they issued a pass for that length of time.

I do think there should be a lot more checks on disabled badges though (like pictures on the front which traffic wardens can check to make sure match the owner) to reduce the abuse of disabled bays.

Park in the p and t even if you dont have the kids with you, i would prefer to see someone use them spaces if they actually need to be closer or need room. Instead of those ignorant gits without kids especially the males they think them spaces are for them saw 3 do it today. Just fucking laziness, whilst i was struggling with heavy trolley and 2 and 5 yr old in tow, so go for it.

I have had SPD since November 7, 2008 now. It does hang about and you need to be really careful with your joints. Rest as much as you can.

If your SPD is so bad you will be able to get a Blue Badge for it if your GP can be prevailed upon to state it will last over a certain period of time (find out what the minimum is).

I was rejected intially but then I phoned up to appeal and pointed out my joints had been wrecked by pg and I could only walk a grand total of 2m without being in pain, and that this was likely to last for some time (every step still hurts me, I have to say, but not as bad as when pg). They sent be a badge by return of post. Seriously, it's what Blue Badges are for, letting people have more space to get out the car and minimising the amount of strain on their bodies.

Herbie, I think some people don't have problems driving with SPD - I didn't and my car more or less became my legs. I am still very reliant on it.

BTW Occupational Health can lend all sorts of useful gadgets to help - perching stools, trays with wheels, bath lifts and so on, and your local Rehabilition service has the wherewithall to lend wheelchairs if it sees fit. She who shouts loudest usually gets them. The plastic bag trick for a car seat is excellent and does work, but you can also buy swivelling thingies that do the same but stop your botty getting hot!

It really is worse than a sprain or torn ligament or whatever, because basically the whole structure supporting movement becomes unstable and each joint wrenches when you move, often with the front one wrenching more than the others, to an eye watering degree if you're unlucky. You can't just hoik yourself up onto crutches and let a limb hang free while you hop along on the other leg. It's also a psychologically depressing thing to have to deal with because again, unlike a sprain or fracture, the end is not necessarily in sight, as Herbie will tell you.

I made myself feel crippled again now. Off to have a cuppa tea and remind myself I don't have cancer or Ebola.

It is a pity there aren't special pg Pink Badges for people with SPD or having multiple births.

If you get your GP to wrote you may get a blue badge, check council guidelines

However if not then YABU to just park, we have 2 sn ds's and can't get one becuase of crap definitions where we live (not England but UK) adn as such we don't use them.

But if I were you I would chat to the people running your supermarket car park, if they ahve a heart they will give you permission, then all is OK. Annd really, you are entitled to a badge unless you live outside England (becuase I dont know rules exccept for england and wales, wales I think you'd get one)

Boffin wales are looking to bring in pink badges for all PG women.

And - yay- they will simultaneously be looking at considering psychological disabilities (into which nthey include autism and any learning difficulty) as a disability, bringing them into the 21st century perhaps.

Thank goodness on both counts.