Disabled people across the UK and Europe can apply for, and be awarded a disability parking card - 3 million people in the UK have the Blue Badge - and 30 million across the EEC parking cards by various other names.

Possessing a disability parking card does not guarantee any parking space of which there is already a decreasing number. Let’s look at the ten most popular reasons why genuine disabled people are missing out on this benefit;

1. Non Badge holders - the motorist using the disability parking bay does not have or is not displaying any form of Blue Badge. Inspect your local disability parking areas, it is not hard to spoke illegal parkers without a badge.

2. Found badges - although no statistics are available to the number of badges which are lost each year, as most are never reported, finding one (usually in the street or a car park) is a free ticket to parking for finders.

3. Card Holder deceased, although there is an obligation for executors to resign the badge on the death of the card holder many families are tempted to use the badge after the badge holder passes. Some may even apply to renew the badge as there is often no check on applicants being alive, re-assessment is often casual and random checks are used at infrequent intervals.

4. Stolen - the badge on display is stolen - over 6,000 are taken illegally every year in the UK alone, as they are valuable on the black market often fetching over £1,000 GBP. In high cost parking areas like London which also has the added charge for congestion having a disability parking badge is a great investment.

5. Cloned and fake parking cards - possession of a card even if you are not entitled is a great benefit hence the growing trend to set up in business making and selling fake cards. New legislation is improving identification methods by adding a hologram to the card but inspection using appropriate technology is still limited.

6. Borrowed cards - friends and family use the card of a disabled person when they are not in the vehicle, a blatant abuse which if detected can incur a fine of up to a £1,000 GBP, and confiscation of the card from the disabled person. Serious cases of fraud can involve a prison sentence. In practice, despite a few isolated crack downs by police the number of successful prosecutions in miniscule compared with the number of offences that go undetected.

7. Driver abuse - this is where the normal driver of a disabled person uses the card personally when the actual card holder is not present. This apparently minor indiscretion is in truth just as illegal as the other issues. The Blue Badge is for the exclusive use of the disabled person and is issued personally to them.

8. Member countries of the ECMT comprising 29 countries across the EEC by reason of international treaty are now entitled to the same parking concessions as nationals in all ECMT Countries. The only condition is the display of a badge showing the international wheelchair symbol. Visitors from abroad who possess a disabled parking card can use parking bays freely, often confusing traffic wardens who lack familiarity with the alternatives, thus abuse and fraud usually goes undetected.

9. ECMT associated countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, United States) are now entitled to the same parking concessions as nationals in all ECMT Countries. This means that visitors and temporary residents who use a motor vehicle whilst in the UK can use disablity parking bays freely provided they display a badge showing the international wheelchair symbol.

10. Reduced parking spaces - land and this car parking spaces are being eroded by new building especially in town and city areas. The resource of well sited disabled parking bays is fast shrinking.