The San Diego City Council gave final approval Tuesday to a new law increasing the penalty for an able-bodied driver who uses a handicap placard issued to someone else.
The new fine is $740, up from $452.50.
On Tuesday, the city council also approved another ordinance cracking down on handicap placard abuse.
This new law classifies placard abuse as a parking violation, instead of a criminal misdemeanor. Doing so will allow parking enforcement officers, not just police, to issue citations for placard misuse.
According to a San Diego Police Department study, officers currently write about 400 misdemeanor citations a year for placard misuse. That number is expected to increase with parking enforcement officers now also being able to cite drivers.
An NBC 7 Investigation found some drivers, including local government employees, using disabled placards issued to their relatives, which the DMV says is illegal.
Click here to see the full investigation.
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The San Diego Police Department estimates, 60 percent of placards issued in California are being misused by able-bodied drivers, and that “flagrant and willful misuse of placard(s) has increased substantially.”
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