Drivers given 8.6 million parking tickets by private firms in a year
Elderly drivers could be slapped with a £100 fine for making a major error when parking their vehicles.
Motorists could be issued the strict penalty for stopping in a disabled parking bay without a valid blue badge.
Older road users are perhaps more likely to make the mistake as disabled parking bays are usually located close to stores.
However, experts have warned motorists that only blue badge holders can use the bays with offenders likely to face severe consequences.
A new survey from CarMats.co.uk found one in 20 motorists across all age ranges admit to unauthorised parking.
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Five percent of the 1,366 respondents admitted to parking in disabled spaces when they shouldn’t with seven percent doing the same for parent-child bays.
Ash Young, founder of CarMats.co.uk said parking in these spaces can cause headaches for motorists.
In some cases, he warned disabled people may even ditch their shopping if they can’t find a comfortable place to park.
Mr Young explained: “Our survey results show that there’s still a lot of unauthorised use of parking spaces.
“They’re designed to make it easier for anyone with specific needs so they can access shops, facilities and services.
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“Parking in these when you don’t need them can make it really difficult or impossible for those who require them to go about their daily life.
“Some disabled people may even be forced to abandon a shopping trip and go home if they can’t find suitable parking”.
Drivers who ignore the rules and park in spaces illegally could be slapped with a fine between £70 and £100.
Meanwhile, road users who use a blue badge without being entitled could be issued a whopping £1,000 charge. Specialists have reminded motorists that a blue badge is linked to a specific person and not a vehicle.
This means that you can still use a blue badge in a vehicle which is not owned by the disabled person if they come along as well.
However, this would mean the blue badge could not be used if you borrow a disabled person’s car without them in attendance.
Age UK added: “Disabled parking spaces are generally the same width as standard bays, however, there is more space between each bay that is usually marked out with white or yellow crosses on the road to enable sufficient access for those with limited mobility and wheelchair users.
“This makes them approximately 1.2 metres wider than a standard space and they have a total width of 3.6 metres.”
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