Blue badge misuse is becoming an increasing issue in the UK
Blue badge misuse is on the rise.
Traffic wardens have been left appalled after checking blue badges on display in car windscreens, only to find they are in the name of dead people.
The brazen trick is being used increasingly amid an explosion in blue badge rules, as dishonest drivers try to get around parking rules.
Hundreds of cases of blue badge fraud have been identified in Birmingham over the last few years, while there have been thousands more incidents nationally.
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Birmingham City Council released details of blue badge misuse following our freedom of information request.
There were 78 cases of blue badges belonging to dead people being used since 2021, as drivers who weren’t disabled and didn’t have any medical conditions tried to cheat the rules.
This will likely have included relatives, as people continued fraudulently using their badges after they had died. Other badges may have been sold.
The most common method of misuse is when badge holder is not present.
This may have been when someone has lent their blue badge or it has been taken without their knowledge.
Experts said ‘borrowing Grandma’s badge’ just to get free, convenient parking was becoming increasingly common.
There were 327 reported cases of this over the last four years in Birmingham.
Stolen blue badges being sold on is also becoming an increasing issue.
Rhydian Jones, motoring expert at Confused.com, said: “With news revealing the abuse of blue badge permits in the UK, it’s clear that more needs to be done to protect these accessible parking spaces for those who need them.
“Our research found that 705,310 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued related to blue badge misuse between 2022 and 2024.
“If you’re using a blue badge space without needing one, even for just a few minutes, you could be stopping someone from being able to work, shop, or attend a medical appointment.
“That’s as a third (36%) of blue badge holders have also said that they have arrived to find someone without a blue badge parked in an accessible space, while 34% say there simply are not enough accessible spots in their area.”
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