More than £4 million in fines have been served to motorists who abuse disabled parking spaces in just one year.
New data obtained by Confused.com through Freedom of Information requests to UK local authorities revealed up to 97,138 drivers were on the receiving end of a fine for parking in a designated disabled person’s parking space without displaying a Blue Badge permit in 2017. This amounts to a whopping £4,244,949 in penalty charge notices (PCNs) for both on-street and off-street disabled parking violations.
However, it isn’t just disabled parking spaces that motorists are obstructing, as a further £1,709,679 was issued in PCNs to motorists for blocking a dropped kerb, which can be used for easy passage between the pavement and road for wheelchair users or pushchairs.
No doubt some people are left scratching their heads at these figures, given there are generally more standard car parking spaces than dedicated disabled bays. However, the data proves that motorists are more inclined to hop in a disabled parking space during busier periods, for example, during the Christmas shopping rush. In fact, 16% of offences for parking in a disabled parking space without displaying a Blue Badge in 2017 happened throughout November and December, which everyone knows is the worst time of the year to try and find a parking space.
Although it’s not just drivers heading out during the Christmas shopping period who are most likely to find a PCN on their doorstop for parking in a disabled spot. Confused.com analysed data from 130 local authorities across the UK to find out where the biggest culprits are located. Compiled into a new ‘Parking Space Invaders’ interactive visualisation, the data revealed that it’s motorists in the South East that received the most fines for leaving their car in designated Blue Badge parking space. In total, up to 19,522 motorists parked in a disabled parking space in the region in 2017, amounting to a whopping £838,533 in fines.
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