DMV Audit To Identify Illegal Use Of Disabled Parking Placards

State lawmakers say the rampant abuse of the disability parking placard system starts at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

A few hours ago, elected leaders announced a bi-partisan audit of the DMV in hopes of getting to the root of the problem.

We uncovered cheating of the system in the Bay Area.

D.A. There is an incredible amount of fraud. It’s been going on for years. There has to be.

Does 1 in 8 California drivers have a disability? That’s how many blue placards there are.

California To Crack Down On Disabled Parking Placard Abuse

It’s pretty easy to get one. Just fill out a form. Have a doctor sign it. An audiologist could say you have balance issues. Can’t walk far or a psychiatrist could say you’re depressed. Those are actual ways to get a placard.

Robert Planthold helped write a grand jury report on the problem almost 10 years ago and has been fighting for reform ever since.

San Francisco Disabled Parking Placards Cost City $22.7 Million

“Doctors get very low fees on HMO payments so that, what’s it to a doctor to fill out a form for you to keep you as a patient?” he said.

“There was a place in San Francisco that we were told that for $750 in cash, you would get a completed form, authorized by the right type of doctor,” Planthold said.

But nothing was done. So the problem is massive.

Democrat Mike Gatto and Republican Eric Linder have joined together to ask for an audit of DMV procedures.

“The benefit of the audit is that it will bring to light whether enforcement is enough, or whether there needs to be some additional changes,” Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) said.

Like whether balance or parking anxiety is an appropriate reason to be able to park at any meter, without paying, as long as you want. That’s what you get with one of these passes.