Handicap Parking Gets Another Boost with License Plate Detection Software

May 30, 2012


1 Hour: Violators will be towed at vehicle owner's expense parking sign

Overstay your parking spot? New technology will alert the police and result in a fine. (Via myparkingsign.com)

May 30, 2012 — After our coverage of a new app that combats handicapped parking, we’re pleased to celebrate the success of automated license plate detection software.   Cameras installed in parking patrol vehicles allow cops to take pictures of license plates of parked vehicles. Then, a GPS feature tracks the vehicle. The photo also records when the car is parked and if the car exceeds the parking space time limit, an alarm will sound. This new technology, currently being tested in Breckenridge, Colorado, facilitates police in locating vehicles that violate accepted time limits. The effectiveness of this new technology was highlighted by a local news report which found that the number of parking tickets issued last February jumped nearly 60% from the same month last year prior to installation.

Reserved Handicap Parking Sign from MyParkingSign.com

Handicap parking signs send a clear message to able-bodied drivers to follow the rules for parking. (Via myparkingsign.com)

Interestingly, while there was a sharp increase in parking tickets overall, handicapped parking violations decreased. Why the disparity? Police authorities’ credit the decrease to recently installed handicap parking signs. Reports revealed that only 15 handicap parking violations were issued in the six months following the changes compared to 253 six months previously. This shows that handicap parking signs play a vital role in deterring would-be-violators. Plus, these signs do just as good of a job of enforcing parking rules as the newly installed expensive technology. Thus, despite the simplicity of handicap parking signs, they are extremely successful in letting drivers know the rules for parking in handicapped spaces.

– N. Gilliat

Category: News, Parking Tech, Regulations

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