Blue badges for anxiety are set to go ahead

[Still Waters]

Blue badges for anxiety are set to be given the green light, as the government acknowledges “hidden disabilities” for the first time.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has today issued new guidance to councils, advising parking attendants that people with conditions such as dementia or anxiety disorders could be eligible for the scheme.

However as the DfT announced its extension of the Blue Badge scheme to those who cannot undertake a journey without considerable psychological distress or at risk of serious harm, it also announced a crackdown on fraudulent applications.

The announcement, made last summer, marks the biggest shakeup to the scheme in nearly 50 years, however it is only now that people can apply for the new badges and guidance has been issued to local authorities.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/blue-badges-anxiety-given-ahead-230100613.html

[Farmer77]

Thats really cool.

[aztek]

should such people drive at all?  i wonder if dementia will be ok for a bus driver application

Edited June 18, 2019 by aztek

[Setton]

1 hour ago, aztek said:

should such people drive at all?

Yes. 

Your turn: why should such people not be allowed to drive. 

1 hour ago, aztek said:

  i wonder if dementia will be ok for a bus driver application

Edited June 18, 2019 by Setton

[+and-then]

4 minutes ago, Setton said:

Your turn: why should such people not be allowed to drive. 

Have you ever experienced or seen someone experience a full-fledged panic attack?  If it happened behind the wheel in heavy traffic or on the interstate at speed it could easily be deadly.  People with a history of severe anxiety attacks who aren't being medically managed should be treated just as seizure patients are treated.

[Setton]

6 minutes ago, and then said:

Have you ever experienced or seen someone experience a full-fledged panic attack?  If it happened behind the wheel in heavy traffic or on the interstate at speed it could easily be deadly.  People with a history of severe anxiety attacks who aren't being medically managed should be treated just as seizure patients are treated.

Which is why it will be decided according to the individual in question. 

You know, the same way we don't just slap a blue badge on and let blind people drive. 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Setton

[+and-then]

22 minutes ago, Setton said:

Which is why it will be decided according to the individual in question. 

You know, the same way we don't just slap a blue badge on and let blind people drive. 

Hey, if it helps disabled persons to live a fuller, less stressful life, I'm all for it.  I wonder what the penalty should be for those caught using a badge illegally?  There are probably millions of city drivers in the U.S. who would attempt to abuse this situation just to get better parking spaces  

[Farmer77]

9 hours ago, and then said:

I wonder what the penalty should be for those caught using a badge illegally?

1000 volunteer hours doing hands on work with folks suffering from invisible disabilities.................and a hard kick in the crotch

[aztek]

15 hours ago, and then said:

Hey, if it helps disabled persons to live a fuller, less stressful life, I'm all for it.

so convenience of a disabled person worth more than lives of others??

[aztek]

16 hours ago, and then said:

Have you ever experienced or seen someone experience a full-fledged panic attack?  If it happened behind the wheel in heavy traffic or on the interstate at speed it could easily be deadly.  People with a history of severe anxiety attacks who aren't being medically managed should be treated just as seizure patients are treated.

meds that they get to treat condition, would put them in DUI category, i know a case where a person was charged with dui after the accident, cuz he was taking prescription drugs for blood pressure, it says on the label, it may be drowsy, and may impair driving, he knew all of that before getting behind the wheel, so that was enough to charge him

Edited June 19, 2019 by aztek

[stevewinn]

who cares, the more they re-classify eligibility for a blue badge the quicker they reach saturation point and the limited parking means blue badge holders will be preventing fellow blue badge holders from parking. the irony is the able bodied anxiety blue badge holder will be preventing the disabled person with no legs blue badge holder from parking.

 

[aztek]

Sounds logical, however my concern was road safety,  i do not mind a guy with no legs driving, i do mind someone with known and diagnosed condition that can send someone  into full panic attack when someone cut him or her off,   convenience of some should never be put over lives and health of others, but in liberal uk things are backwards

[Setton]

3 hours ago, aztek said:

so convenience of a disabled person worth more than lives of others??

How, in your mind, does a blue badge put others lives in danger? 

Are perpetually terrified of wheelchair users? Or do you believe blind people are allowed to drive here? 

3 hours ago, aztek said:

meds that they get to treat condition, would put them in DUI category, i know a case where a person was charged with dui after the accident, cuz he was taking prescription drugs for blood pressure, it says on the label, it may be drowsy, and may impair driving, he knew all of that before getting behind the wheel, so that was enough to charge him

And do anti-anxiety meds also bear the same warning about driving? The ones I know of don't. 

And you do realise those who would get these blue badges are already driving? Without killing anyone? 

All this does is let them park closer to the shop. Now I realise in the US walking 100 yards might be a matter of life and death to you, but it isn't here. 

[Setton]

2 hours ago, aztek said:

Sounds logical, however my concern was road safety,  i do not mind a guy with no legs driving, i do mind someone with known and diagnosed condition that can send someone  into full panic attack when someone cut him or her off,   convenience of some should never be put over lives and health of others, but in liberal uk things are backwards

So we shouldn't have blue badges for anyone? 

[spartan max2]

I'm cool with this for the most part.

As mentioned before these people already drive, this is just about giving them an easier parking spot.

Which for someone with dementia is good. Don't want them losing their car lol. 

I'm a little unsure about the anxiety disorders. Not sure what disorders they are having fall under that.

Like if someone has some kind of PTSD or agrophobia where they are terrified walking in the parking lot then sure.

Overall the sooner we have self driving cars the better lol

[aztek]

but it will not get better, to get better we need to stop being suicidal pc liberals and do things based on real world action\reaction.  not on our feelings

[Setton]

4 minutes ago, aztek said:

but it will not get better, to get better we need to stop being suicidal pc liberals and do things based on real world action\reaction.  not on our feelings

Again, and please try to answer for a change - what, in your mind, is the problem with giving these existing drivers a blue badge?