Sometimes, no matter how good your intentions, you end up making a mistake. It’s not unheard of for Sometimes, no matter how good your intentions, you end up making a mistake. It’s not unheard of for someone with a disabled placard to forget to place it on their rearview mirror when they park and end up with a parking ticket. It’s important to understand how to properly display handicap signs to avoid the steep costs that could arise from a wrongly issued parking ticket.
Handicap parking violations can bring with them very steep fines. They are one of the most expensive parking tickets you can get, as a way to persuade those without handicap parking placards from illegally parking in designated spaces.
If you have a placard and are legally entitled to park in a handicap space, but still get a ticket, what can you do? You don’t have to simply pay the ticket—there are steps you can take if you parked in a handicapped spot and got a ticket. Read on to find out how to handle a disabled parking fine appeal.
Disabled Parking Fines: Wrongfully Issued Handicap Parking Violation
There There are several options available to you for managing a disabled parking ticket appeal to have any associated fines dismissed. A few common reasons to dispute wrongly issued parking ticket for parking in a handicapped spot include:
- The ticket wasn’t filled out correctly.
It doesn’t have the proper date, time, or county where the violation occurred.
- The ticket is illegible.
If you cannot read the ticket, you can appeal it.
- It doesn’t specify the location of the violation.
If you believed you were parked correctly but the ticket doesn’t specify where the violation took place, you should dispute the ticket.
- Your permit was displayed.
Sometimes the person issuing the parking violation simply doesn’t see that you have your disability parking placard correctly displayed and wrongly issued a parking ticket. If you believe you had your placard properly displayed but were still issued a ticket, dispute the fine.
- Malfunctioning parking meter.
If you were parked in front of handicap meter parking but the parking meter wasn’t working, you can dispute the ticket.
Fines for Disabled Drivers: How You Can Dispute a Parking Ticket
Once you notice the ticket, gather evidence by taking pictures to show where your vehicle was parked, tDon’t feel intimated by the process of disputing a disabled parking ticket and any fines associated with it. You’ll need to take some steps when conducting a handicap parking ticket appeal, such as writing a letter and gathering evidence. If you feel you’ve been wrongly issued a parking ticket, it’s better to challenge your ticket rather than refuse to pay the fine. To dispute your parking ticket, follow these steps:
1. Take a photo
Once you notice the ticket, gather evidence by taking pictures to show where your vehicle was parked, tDon’t feel intimated by the process of disputing a disabled parking ticket and any fines associated with it. Once you notice the ticket, gather evidence by taking pictures to show where your vehicle was parked, the markings in the parking spot or on the curb, signs that are relevant to the parking space, and anything else you feel adds weight to your case against the ticket.
If you’ve already left the scene you obviously can’t do this, but keep it in mind in case you need to take these measures in the future.
2. Don’t pay the parking fines
This is difficult, but you shouldn’t simply go ahead and pay the fines if you plan to dispute the ticket. This will make it more difficult to reverse the ticket in the future.
Leave the ticket unpaid and follow the next steps.
3. Dispute the ticket
Most Department of Motor Vehicles or government bodies that issue parking tickets have channels you Most Department of Motor Vehicles or government bodies that issue parking tickets have channels you can go through to begin the process of a disabled parking fine appeal. You may be able to do this online, through an app, through physical letter, or in person if you want to.
Normally, the ticket will display instructions to follow in order to dispute it, which is your best bet with getting the ball rolling. You normally have 30 days after the ticket was issued to do this.
4. Attach your evidence
If you have evidence to support your claim, such as photos, be sure to send it with the dispute.
5. Confirm the dispute
If you don’t hear back in a few days, contact the office that you sent the dispute to in order to make sure they received it. Many people dispute parking tickets, so it’s not unusual for them to be overlooked.
6. Go to the hearing
In some cases, a hearing may be scheduled to resolve your case if they feel the evidence provided wasn’t sufficient. If you have to attend a hearing, make sure to bring copies of all your evidence.
How to Pay Fines for Handicap Drivers
Mistakes do happen. If you believe the ticket has been correctly issued, there are normally directions on it fMistakes do happen. If you believe the ticket has been correctly issued or your disabled parking ticket appeal didn’t turn out the way you hoped, there are normally directions on it for payment of fines. You can also pay in person at the DMV—simply bring the ticket with you so you have the correct citation number to make the payment.
Overall, remember that you have the right to park in disabled permit parking without paying fines for doing so. If you have a disabled parking permit and you received a ticket that wasn’t justified, be sure to explore all your options for a handicap parking ticket appeal. If you do not have a permit and need one, you can begin the application process with an online medical consultation.
Featured image by Josh Newton on Unsplash