A Blue Badge will help you to park close to your destination, either as a passenger or driver - and is aimed at helping those people who have a condtion that impacts severely on their mobility. The badge is intended for on-street parking only and so cannot normally be used in off-street car parks, such as those provided by shopping centres, hospitals or supermarkets are covered by separate rules.

But people can fall foul of the rules if they park in other places at any time of the day and risk getting a fine and even their car towed away. It is a criminal offence for a person or anyone else to misuse the badge. Doing so could lead to a £1,000 fine and confiscation of the badge.

The Department for Transport says: “You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow them to have the benefit of the parking concessions. You must never use a copied badge to park or try to change the details on a badge.

“The badge remains the property of the issuing local council. They can ask for the badge to be returned if it is being misused.”

The badge is for one person’s use and benefit only and it can only be displayed if the person who has been awarded it is travelling in the vehicle as a driver or passenger, or if someone is collecting them or dropping them off and needs to park at the place where they are being collected or dropped.

The DfT is clear on this point: “Don’t allow other people to use the badge to do something on your behalf, such as shopping or collecting something for you. You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow them to park for free, even if they are visiting you.

“You should not use the badge to allow non-disabled people to take advantage of the benefits while you sit in the car. It’s a criminal offence to misuse a badge. This includes people other than the badge holder taking advantage of the parking concessions provided under the scheme.”

It must be displayed on the dashboard or facia panel, where it can be clearly read through the front windscreen.

11 places where you cannot park at any time of day

The DfT says: “The Blue Badge is not a licence to park anywhere. If you park where it would cause an obstruction or danger to other road users you could be fined or receive a Penalty Charge Notice or have your vehicle removed.”

Even with a Blue Badge you cannot park in the following places:

  • Places where a ban on loading or unloading is in force, as indicated above by kerb markings. You may wish to check whether a particular local council has, exceptionally, chosen to allow Blue Badge holders to park where there are loading restrictions.
  • Parking places reserved for specific users such as resident’s bays or loading bays. You may wish to check whether a particular local council has chosen to exempt Blue Badge holders from these restrictions.
  • Pedestrian crossings (zebra, pelican, toucan and puffin crossings), including areas marked by zig-zag lines.
  • Clearways (no stopping).
  • A bus stop clearway during its hours of operation.
  • An urban clearway within its hours of operation. You may pick up or drop off passengers. All parking is forbidden.
  • School ‘keep clear’ markings during the hours shown on a yellow no-stopping plate.
  • Bus, tram or cycle lanes or cycle tracks. Badge holders are not entitled to drive in bus lanes during their hours of operation.
  • Where there are double white lines in the centre of the road, even if one of the lines is broken.
  • Suspended meter bays or when use of the meter is not allowed.
  • Where temporary parking restrictions are in force, as shown for example by no-waiting cones.

Do not park where it would endanger, inconvenience or obstruct pedestrians or other road users. Examples of dangerous or obstructive parking include the following, although there are others:

  • school entrances, bus stops, on a bend, or near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
  • parking opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
  • where it would make the road narrow, such as by a traffic island or roadworks
  • where it would hold up traffic, such as in narrow stretches of road or blocking vehicle entrances
  • where emergency vehicles stop or go in and out, such as hospital entrances
  • where the kerb has been lowered or the road raised to help wheelchair users
  • on a pavement, unless signs permit it

For more information visit the DfT website here.