In almost every car park you can see the area specially designated for use by people with disabilities. Usually these sites are empty, but the entire parking area is often fully occupied.
Can a driver who does not have a disability stop or park in this place? What sanction threatens for this? What is the effect of the parking sign for the disabled?
What does the sign look like and what does it mean?
In the parking lot near hospitals, shopping centers, clinics and other public places, you can notice specialized areas where ordinary drivers are prohibited by law to park their cars. These territories are marked, as a rule, by the corresponding set of road signs: the designation of the disabled person and parking. The parking sign belongs to the information group and represents the letter P English, on a blue background. The second sign, the designation of a person with disabilities, is often located immediately below it. It is slightly smaller in size, and it depicts a schematic of a person in a wheelchair. Such signs are additionally accompanied by markings directly in the parking lot.
In the traffic rules (SDA), the parking sign has the number 6.4, but the disability sign is 8.17. As already noted, not every driver has the legal right to occupy such a zone, even if a person with disabilities is present in the car. In this case, there are certain nuances that must be considered in order not to get a fine.
Disabled parking sign area
The area on which the indication of such a road sign is valid clearly indicates the markings on asphalt or concrete. In the SDA it is indicated under the number 1.24.3 and represents the sign "Disabled". Everyone should know the effect of the sign and parking place.
The parking lot in this case is slightly wider than usual. This is done so that a disabled person who drives a motor vehicle can safely park and get out of the car independently or with outside help. If there is no such marking, the area intended for parking for people with disabilities should extend 3.5 meters on both sides of the road sign (on the right and left). Unfortunately, many, unfortunately, do not even think about the area of the "Parking for the Disabled" sign.
Who has the right to park a car in areas for the disabled?
Since 2016, the legislation in Russia has established that only vehicles with a sticker stating that the driver has a disability are entitled to stop at the site designated by a special sign. Usually it is placed on the windshield.
The driver of the vehicle at any time has the opportunity to provide the traffic police officer with an appropriate certificate that confirms the disability of the second or first passenger group or his own, if the official has any doubts.
It is important to consider that people with a third category of disability do not have the opportunity to use such state benefits for parking. If the person who drives the vehicle does not show the inspector a confirming certificate of the presence of the disease, the motorist will receive a fine in a large amount. Next, we’ll talk about where the area for the disabled parking sign begins, so that you don’t accidentally park your car in the wrong place.
What to do if a driver periodically carries a disabled person in his car?
A plate that is glued to the vehicle indicating the presence of a disabled person in it cannot be placed on a permanent basis if a person with disabilities does not move on this car regularly. In a situation if the traffic police officer asks for documentary evidence of disability, but he is not with him, you will have to pay a fine. In this case, you can buy not a simple sticker, but a special plate on the suction cups, which can be easily removed in the absence of a disabled person in the car.
Identification mark
The designation “Wheelchair user” looks like a yellow sticker with a schematic illustration of a person in a wheelchair. Such an identification mark is attached to the windshield front and rear. The legislative acts do not stipulate that the sticker must be present on the car without fail, however, such a sign can make life much easier for the driver, since parking without his presence is a huge risk. In such a situation, a motor vehicle can be completely legally evacuated from the area provided for the parking of disabled people.
The stick-on plate, according to the law and traffic regulations on the effect of the sign "Parking for the disabled", is not valid without a medical certificate, even in cases where the driver or his passenger clearly shows signs of disability. In addition, it is important to know that the sticker and the relevant ITU certificate give the driver the right not only to park his car in preferential parking lots near public places, but also in those areas where parking is not allowed at all.
In addition, these road users are allowed to travel along the streets where the “No traffic” sign is installed. Such a sticker can often be found among unscrupulous motorists who acquire fake medical certificates from the same dishonest officials. In fact, the benefits are intended directly for the patients themselves or for persons who are responsible for them, for example, the parents of a child with a disability.
What do parking zones look like according to the norm?
So, the sign "Parking for the disabled" begins on the roadway. Even with the naked eye you can see that these places are different from ordinary ones. The thing, first of all, is in their area. If the usual parking zone is 2.5 m wide, the area for the disabled person is slightly wider and 3.6 m. This is easily explained by the fact that the driver, after stopping at the parking lot, must not only open the car door, but also roll out the seat a wheelchair. Under the entire zone, which is provided for drivers with disabilities, in most cases 10% of the total parking area is allocated.
Next to public institutions that specialize in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system, this ratio changes significantly, since the percentage in this case rises to 20. Parking zones are mandatory allocated using a road sign and special markings. If there is no sign, and on the asphalt there is only a marking, the driver of the vehicle has the legal right to ignore it. However, this does not apply to places where there is no marking, but there is a sign "Parking for the disabled." In the SDA on the coverage area is described in detail.
Sidewalk Exit Equipment
If there is a sidewalk next to the parking lot, according to traffic regulations, a special ramp must be present to lift and exit the wheelchair.
This design is a specialized path that starts from the parking lot on the roadway and ends with a curb that borders the sidewalk zone.
The width of such a ramp should be at least 90 cm.It is located in most cases on the very edge of the parking lot so that it is not blocked by other vehicles. Such designs are always painted in bright colors, most often yellow, in order to attract attention.
For safety reasons, the law also stipulates that the ramp must be accompanied by special fence posts painted in the color of the markings. What is behind non-observance of the coverage area of the sign "Parking for the disabled" without marking and with that?
Penalty for parking violation
For violation of parking regulations, the driver will be punished in cash. The fine is 500 rubles. Illegal parking in places reserved for the disabled is punishable by a fine of 5,000 rubles. If the intruder is not in place, his car can be evacuated to a fine parking lot. However, practice shows that even such penalties do not always stop offenders, so today we are considering the option of depriving motorists of a driver’s license for a short time.
In cases where the owner of the car does not have a disability, but sometimes carries a person with limited abilities, he is entitled to use a preferential place only when the disabled person is present in the car.
Conclusion
Of course, preferential parking spaces are extremely important for people with disabilities, as they greatly facilitate their life. Such zones in the parking lot are indicated by special road signs and markings on the asphalt. However, many drivers violate the law and occupy parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities. Such misconduct may be punished - a fine or evacuation of a car. Therefore, do not leave your car in the area of the sign "Parking for the disabled."