| CONTACT: | Buel C. Young
Caryn Coyle | | MVA Organization Relations
(410) 768-7386 |
Glen Burnie, MD (December 29, 2005) -- Several new changes to Maryland disabled parking laws will take effect on January 1, 2006. It is estimated that approximately 89,000 vehicles currently display disabled parking license plates in Maryland, and the new law will reduce that number to about 60,000. The changes were approved during the 2005 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly and were introduced on the recommendation of a Governor’s Task Force that included disabled advocates, government, and commercial retail representatives. One of the most notable changes is the requirement that only an individual with disabilities can apply for parking privileges. The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) estimates that there are currently 30,000 vehicles with disabled plates that are used by non disabled people who transport someone who is disabled. The new law does not affect nursing homes and other facilities that currently use the plates to transport their patrons. In addition, disabled individuals have always been able to obtain a disabled parking placard, which hangs from the rear view mirror of the vehicle. The disabled individual can obtain the placard regardless of whether they own a vehicle, have a driver’s license or not. To further strengthen the law, several new options for those who qualify for disabled parking privileges will also go into effect on January 1, 2006. They include the selection of only one of the following four options: Anyone with extra placards or plates will be required to return them to the MVA for cancellation. This means that individuals may no longer have two sets of disability plates. If they have more than one set now, they must decide on which vehicle to keep the disability plates, and apply for regular plates for use on other vehicles. The Governor’s Disabled Parking Task Force also realized the importance of public awareness in the effort to curb abuses of the disabled parking privilege. The MVA implemented a comprehensive outreach effort, including public service announcements that illustrates the vital issues involved with the disabled parking privilege. All registration renewal mailings carry disabled parking information, and posters on disabled parking have been widely distributed. With an enhanced public outreach effort and a tightening of the eligibility and parking accessibility standards, the new law is expected to offer some clear and viable solutions to the disabled parking problem. For more information on the new law, contact the MVA Customer Service Center at 1-800-950-1682 or log onto the website: www.marylandmva.com ### Return to Press Release Main Page | 
