# Handicapped driver yield$ in ticket appeal



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Photo by Matthew West 
Renee Moffatt displays a $100 ticket she received for parking in a handicapped spot, despite having a handicap placard on her rearview mirror.

Looking back on it now, Irene "Renee" Moffatt realizes her biggest mistake was telling the truth.
"I probably should've said my (handicap) placard fell on the seat or something," sighed Renee (she pronounces it REE-nee). "Then I bet none of this would have happened, and I wouldn't be talking to you right now."
Renee Moffat, an exceedingly vibrant 72, is almost certainly right about that. Problem is, she told the Weymouth parking Nazis the truth. And that was her downfall.
Not once, but twice she appealed her $100 ticket for parking in a handicapped space before the Weymouth parking board. On both occasions, Renee explained how she'd been late for a prescribed physical therapy appointment at the Weymouth Health Club and, as she was hobbling into the club, she forgot to pull her driver's visor all the way down, so as to fully display her handicapped placard.
The Weymouth parking Nazis said "Nein" twice. "I found them to be a very snippy and arrogant bunch," Renee said. "When I told them that my placard was in the visor, all they said was, 'Well, you can't expect a police officer to go looking for it.'
"I wouldn't mind, but the parking lot for the health club happens to be in an office park. And it was after six in the evening. It wasn't as if I was holding up traffic or anything. And there were 20 other handicapped spaces."
In search of some justice, if not common sense, Renee decided to take her case to court - Norfolk Superior to be precise.
"The girl in the clerk's office was very, very nice," Renee said. "She thought I had a pretty good case, too. Then, she hit me with the punch line. If I wanted to go ahead and appeal my $100 parking ticket, the girl in the clerk's office said the court would charge me $275 to file the appeal.
"And ma'am, one more thing I have to tell you," she says to me, "even if you win, you won't get the $275 back."
"I couldn't believe it," Renee said.
Thank you, *Mitt Romney*, Jane Swift and Argeo Paul Cellucci, it was under this trio of Republican "tax-cutters" that all our state fees ballooned into nuttiness. So, court clerks can tell you with a straight face that fighting a $100 parking ticket will cost you at least $275.
Last August, the state Inspector General's Office, which pretty much fell asleep at the switch with the *Big Dig*, summoned the wherewithal to crack down on perfectly healthy people who were using handicap placards they'd inherited from dead relatives. But you should know that Renee Moffatt qualified for hers, thanks to a benign tumor that placed excruciating pressure on her foot. In advance of surgery, her doctor sent her to Bay State Physical Therapy, which happens to operate out of the Weymouth Health Club.
"When something like this happened once before," Renee said, "I showed the police officer my handicapped tag and he just discarded the ticket." But Renee was to learn that the Weymouth parking board, which ironically held its inquisitions in a senior citizen center, needed to justify its existence.
"My second parking board hearing was held after I had my surgery," Renee recalled. "I walked in there with crutches and a big plastic boot. I figured maybe this time I'll get some sympathy. But nothing doing. They just kept saying my placard wasn't clearly visible and hanging off my rearview mirror. Never mind that it was there sticking out of the visor, if the cop had bothered to look for it.
"I had my handicapped placard," Renee Moffatt said, "and I believe with all my heart that I didn't do anything wrong. But being forced to pay more than two and a half times as much as the parking ticket just to prove my point," she sighed. "Well, it just seemed like I couldn't win, no matter what.
"So, finally, I just sent the ticket in and said, 'To hell with it, you win.!' "

http://bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1043540


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## Pacman (Aug 29, 2005)

When you recieve your placard at the Registry you sign off on a number of regulations. One of which states, it is your responsibility to PROPERLY display your placard. If the officer can't read the Expiration date then you get a ticket. Pay it Granny.


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## lofu (Feb 25, 2006)

Agreed


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2007)

I'm seriously surprised the Herald didn't publish the officer's name, home address, and phone number.

This is just one more reason to hide & do nothing; if your signature never appears on a parking ticket or a traffic citation, it can never come back to haunt you.


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## Crvtte65 (May 19, 2002)

" Thank you, *Mitt Romney*, Jane Swift and Argeo Paul Cellucci, it was under this trio of Republican "tax-cutters" that all our state fees ballooned into nuttiness. So, court clerks can tell you with a straight face that fighting a $100 parking ticket will cost you at least $275."

Hey No problem... in fact she should be lucky that it wasn't a $300 dollar ticket which is allowed (and I think should be implemented everywhere). The heafty appeal costs hopefully turn those people that are appealing... a PARKING TICKET! God pay the damn fine, you parked where you weren't supposed to or you didn't do something you were supposed to.


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## dave7336 (Mar 25, 2006)

"I wouldn't mind, but the parking lot for the health club happens to be in an office park. And it was after six in the evening. It wasn't as if I was holding up traffic or anything. *And there were 20 other handicapped spaces."
*
_Nice attitude to have. I guess she won't mind if I let a couple of cars that don't belong in the HP spots to park there...as she said, there will still be 18 or so other handicapped spaces for people that actually use them._

_I see this attitude so many times that is sickening...that and the people that use someone else's placards..._

_Enforce the parking ban...get complained about....don't enforce it and get complained about....Oh well I will still enforce it because it is actually nice to hear people say thank you when you are writing the ticket for the illegally parked car.._


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2007)

She was in a rush, give her a break. The lady can vaguely even walk. If they really cared they'd make an easier way to show proof of needing a handicap parking spot, rather than using a stupid hang up on your rear view mirror placard that old people can't even remember to put up. How about a sticker on the window, similar to an inspection sticker? Or how about we just take away all old people's licenses before they run over half the pedestrians in town? That'd do the trick!


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

A person who can vaguely walk should not be rushing around with a gas pedal at her feet.


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

Or how about we just take away all old people's licenses before they run over half the pedestrians in town? That'd do the trick!
*...only damn thing you said that was smart!*


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

justanotherparatrooper said:


> Or how about we just take away all old people's licenses before they run over half the pedestrians in town? That'd do the trick!
> *...only damn thing you said that was smart!*


Even my drivers ed teacher 6 years ago said that the only reason he got into teaching drivers ed was because his grandmother ran over 8 different pedestrians before they took away her license! Eight fuckin people! Old people are worse drivers than kids who just got their license. Their accident rates are higher per driver and the kids probably drive 20x more than them. They drive down the road completely oblivious to their surroundings and can't even come close to driving the speed limit. An old person Driving 40mph on the highway is far more dangerous than someone driving 90mph on the highway.

A couple months ago I got ran over by an old person in a parking lot. It was at a gas station and I was walking to my car after going inside. This old lady doesn't even look behind her at all while backing out. She kept coming at me and I had to jump onto her trunk (was a lincoln towncar) so that I didn't get squashed. She then started screaming for me to get off her car! I was at loss for words, when I finally screamed that she ran me over she just drove off, nearly causing an accident on 125 because she didn't even look for oncoming traffic.

I honestly can say a 30 year old with a BAC between .08-.14 is at less risk to cause an accident than most old people. As old people get older their mentality gets younger until their infants again in old decreped bodies.


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

> Even my drivers ed teacher 6 years ago


 *So, you probably have a staggering 24 or so years on the planet. My, you've got alot to say about "old" people.*



> Old people are worse drivers than kids who just got their license.


 *Not so. Statistics prove that younger drivers take far more risks and are more apt to cause accidents resulting in serious bodily harm and or death.*


> An old person Driving 40mph on the highway is far more dangerous than someone driving 90mph on the highway.


* It takes almost 4X the distance to stop doing 90MPH than it does at 40MPH. Unless you're a race car driver or a cop going to a call on the highway, you shouldn't be doing 90MPH.*


> A couple months ago I got ran over by an old person in a parking lot. It was at a gas station and I was walking to my car after going inside.


 *You're both at fault. She for not looking back and you for trusting her and walking directly behind her car at a gas station. *


> I honestly can say a 30 year old with a BAC between .08-.14 is at less risk to cause an accident than most old people. As old people get older their mentality gets younger until their infants again in old decreped bodies.


 *You astound me kid. Obviously you should take a look around you and learn a thing or two from your elders. To compare a shitfaced driver to a cautious elderly driver is foolish. You obviously are one of the "Y Generation" who were punished by time-outs in the bad boy chair when all you really needed was a good ass-whoopin'.*

*Now getting back on topic, Nana should have displayed the card on her rear view mirror. It's not that hard to remember especially if you remember to park in the assigned handicapped spot. Then it should be second nature. *


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

HousingCop said:


> *So, you probably have a staggering 24 or so years on the planet. My, you've got alot to say about "old" people.*
> 
> *Not so. Statistics prove that younger drivers take far more risks and are more apt to cause accidents resulting in serious bodily harm and or death.*
> * It takes almost 4X the distance to stop doing 90MPH than it does at 40MPH. Unless you're a race car driver or a cop going to a call on the highway, you shouldn't be doing 90MPH.*
> ...


Wrong. Statistics and studies have shown that although teens get in more accidents than old people (however that's because of 16 year old drivers) old people are more likely to cause a fatal accident than teens.

Driving 40mph on the highway without dense traffic slowing everyone down (about 35mph under the rate of what everyone else is doing) is far more dangerous than someone doing 90mph in the passing late. Your argument is that it takes 4x as long to come to a complete stop when you're doing 90mph than when you're going 40mph. That may be true, but it also takes a good amount of time to slow from 75mph to 40mph, like when the person infront of you veers out of the way at the last second to avoid the elderly person driving like a snail. Everyone knows that everyone in New England tail gates like crazy too, which makes it far worse to be driving well under the speed limit.

Your childish comment about me being one of those kids who wasn't abused by his parents is pretty pathetic. So you encourage child abuse? That is against the law, am I correct? How is suggesting that I was given a time out instead of a punch in the face even relevant to this discussion? If you want to stoop to that level, I'm sure your one of those alcoholic disgraces who beats his wife and kids due to insecurities about himself and not being able to deal with problems like a mature adult. What does hitting your child teach him and what does it prepare him for in life? Taking things away/timeouts prepares kids for REAL LIFE consequences for their actions when they are adults. When you break a rule/law as an adult, what are the consequences? You don't get your ass kicked, you get something taken away from you, like a drivers license for example. Simplistic thinking will get you nowhere.

And for the record, I was tossed around plenty of times as a kid, but I always feared disappointing my father more than getting my ass whooped by him. Non-physical punishments was far worse than physical ones, like getting my TV/Computer/Video Games/Car/Sports taken away for extended periods of time.


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

*Hutch, you've just proven my point...... TYVM. *
*I'd much rather ride around with my 77 year old father then my 17 year old nephew. Experience beats inexpereince 99.9% of the time. *
*Why don't you try to keep telling us how a shitfaced driver is less of a threat than an elderly, yet sober driver? Then in another thread tell us how a drunk driver is more of a threat to us than a driver high on marijuana. Just like you have in your other posts. Take your adderall and then come back & post when you've calmed down. *


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

Hutch said:


> I honestly can say a 30 year old with a BAC between .08-.14 is at less risk to cause an accident than most old people. As old people get older their mentality gets younger until their infants again in old decreped bodies.


Please share with us your vast experience that qualifies you to make such a broad and asinine statement.

You have a lot of maturing and a lot of growing-up to do.


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

Delta784 said:


> Please share with us your vast experience that qualifies you to make such a broad and asinine statement.
> 
> You have a lot of maturing and a lot of growing-up to do.


Elderly people have the lowest BAC level per accident (# of accidents/BAC of those drivers) yet they have the highest deadly accident rate. Maybe I'm overexaggerating a little on stating that a legally drunk adult under 65 is safer than most elderly drivers, but they are really bad. Also 16 year old drivers are twice as likely to get in an accident compared to 17 year olds. 18-19 year olds are a 1/3 less likely than 17 year old drivers to be in an accident. In Mass you can get your license at 16 1/2 (which is higher than most states) but just about no one gets it before 17.

Also, most teenagers get in accidents after dark. Most elderly people get in accidents during the daytime (most elderly drivers refuse to drive at night.)

Hey I know most teenagers are horrific drivers, but there are some that are good, experienced drivers. I drove over 20K miles before I even got my license so I had plenty of expierence driving before I got mine (and yes I got mine the day I turned 16 1/2.) I've had one accident while I was driving (and I was hit by a passed out drunk driver head on who crossed the double yellow on route 125.)

Regardless, that sophmoric comment made by housingcop was completely stupid and unnecessary... No wonder he's been banned from here twice


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

Hutch said:


> Elderly people have the lowest BAC level per accident (# of accidents/BAC of those drivers) yet they have the highest deadly accident rate.


1) You didn't answer the question; please share with us your law enforcement experience that qualifies you to make such generalities.

2) Please cite the source(s) of your statistics and/or "facts".


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

http://www.drdriving.org/elderly/

http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/2005/worst.htm

http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2007/335_may30/thisweek/070530_crash.shtml


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Hutch what do you consider OLD ?????


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## SOT (Jul 30, 2004)

1. This lady is typical of people who think the rules just don't apply to them.
She should be thankful that she got off the first time (lesson learned right coppers...give a break and it bites someone else in the ass)

2. Hutch just STFU for a while.


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

SOT said:


> 1. This lady is typical of people who think the rules just don't apply to them.
> She should be thankful that she got off the first time (lesson learned right coppers...give a break and it bites someone else in the ass)
> 
> 2. Hutch just STFU for a while.


 *SOT*
_*Thread Killa*_

Ok, but only if i can have the last post?


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Hutch do you realize that you are becoming the laughing stock of MassCops ????

Just what we needed another Danman.


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## NewEngland2007 (Dec 31, 2005)

Hutch, definitely listen to these guys.


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2007)

Hutch said:


> http://www.drdriving.org/elderly/


Mentions nothing about elderly drivers being more dangerous than a 30 year-old OUI.



Hutch said:


> http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/2005/worst.htm


Contains this gem; "Mile for mile, studies show, drivers younger than 20 are four times as likely to crash as the elderly".



Hutch said:


> http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2007/335_may30/thisweek/070530_crash.shtml


Says that girls are shitty drivers.

Yep, you really showed us.


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## SinePari (Aug 15, 2004)

kwflatbed said:


> Thank you, *Mitt Romney*, Jane Swift and Argeo Paul Cellucci, it was under this trio of Republican "tax-cutters" that all our state fees ballooned into nuttiness. So, court clerks can tell you with a straight face that fighting a $100 parking ticket will cost you at least $275.


Why doesn't the author just say "GW Bush hates handicapped people". Friggin moron. The $275 court fee is so Mrs "I forgot to put the visor down" pays for the officer to appear in court, not the TAXPAYERS.


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