Question: Are there any policies in place to audit disabled parking sticker holders? I've heard that once your doctor awards you one, the annual renewal is mailed to you for your signature and renewal. I know people who got a sticker a couple of years ago for an ailment that has since healed, yet they continue to use the sticker and park in handicapped spaces. Also, can another person not disabled use it?

Answer: RCW 46.19.010 covers obtaining disabled parking permits, which come in a six-month version and permanents ones. Here are some of the details about who can get the placards and how.

Parking privileges for persons with disabilities must be renewed at least every five years by satisfactory proof of the right to continued use of the privileges.

The (licensing) department must match and purge its database of parking permits issued to persons with disabilities with available death record information at least every 12 months.

It is illegal to use the placard if the person it was issued to is not in the vehicle.

Q: Are there rules about removing the hanging disabled tag in your car while driving?

A: As for disabled parking tags or other items hanging in the car or on the windows, that falls under RCW 46.37.410 (2), No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, or side or rear windows of such vehicle that obstructs the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.

Conceivably, this could be used if you could prove the placard was the reason for the vehicle not seeing the stop sign. Some people just don't stop ... difficult to prove.

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David Wright is a retired officer from the Bellingham Police Department who is now on the Whatcom County Traffic Safety Task Force.