Which Way, L.A.?
Handicapped Placards and Parking Fraud
Ever wondered if drivers with disabled placards were really disabled? The DMV says many aren't, but privacy laws don't even allow enforcement officers to ask.
By Warren Olney • • 36m ListenIf you've ever wondered whether all the drivers with disabled placards were really disabled, the DMV says more than one third probably aren't. But privacy laws don't even allow enforcement officers to ask. LA Times columnist Steve Lopez has found entire blocks of downtown LA full of cars with disabled placards, staying all day long. We hear from him and a DMV official who says state law makes it hard to crack down. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, one of America's political traditions: scapegoating other countries during presidential campaigns.
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In this episode
2 storiesFour-dollar Meters, the DMV and Disabled Parking Abuse
About ten percent of California drivers have disabled placards , and the Department of Motor Vehicles renews 2.1 million every other year. It's hard to get angry when the best parking space is taken by somebody with a such a placard hanging from the rear view mirror. But when the driver seems not to be disabled at all, it's another matter.
Read the story15 minAmerica's Presidential Campaign through Foreign Eyes
The presidential campaign is focused on American voters, but the President is the commander-in-chief and the architect of foreign policy. How does the idea of "European-style socialism" go down in France and Germany? How do Mitt Romney , Newt Gingrich and other Republican hopefuls sound in China, Israel, Iran and other parts of the world?
Read the story22 min
