Before reading this blog entry look at this pic and read the very top. Can you identify what this picture is?
Yep, you guessed it! It is the placard from the state of Pennsylvania that handicap drivers place on their mirrors in order to use a handicap parking space.
I am considered handicapped. I have two metal hips from degenerative arthritis. This disease has caused me to have three surgeries in the past year that covered five different parts of my body... arrrghhh! I have a handicap license plate on my Ford F-150 and a placard for my wife's vehicle.
As you can plainly see, there is a warning to all handicap drivers who use a placard: "Important: Remove Before Driving Vehicle"
The state has put this on to protect not only the handicap driver from accidents, but also you and me. When removed from the mirror, it opens up the entire vision field offered by the windshield.
So, why are so many handicap drivers failing to remove these placards before driving their vehicles? Is it that law enforcement fails to stop and cite or warn them for impairing their vision with this 9.25" solid piece of plastic directly in the middle of their windshield?
A friend of mine on Facebook felt that maybe they are not stopped and warned or cited is because the police do not want to be seen as picking on one class of people. I can understand that line of thinking, but I find it rather flawed. Let's say that argument is true. Then the police would rather allow the handicap driver to impaired their field of vision and risk a major accident by allowing them to drive with this dangling from the mirror... I hope that isn't the case at all.
I have known friends who have been warned and/or cited for dangling items from their mirrors (i.e. Dream Catchers, Graduation Tassels, prisms, etc.). Some of these items are less obstructive than a large piece of solid plastic.
Okay... My rant is over and I hope that at least it helps one handicapped driver see the way (pun intended) to safer driving! :)
Dad
p.s. My 21 year old son says I concern myself about stupid things. LOL! If someone doesn't, then nobody will.
