Many Tri-Cities Drivers Get This Handicap Placard Rule Wrong

My wife always gets mad at me because when we get passed on the freeway by a vehicle with a handicap placard speeding, I point out that it’s ridiculous that they are supposed to be handicapped and yet they are breaking the rules of the highway.

Why Washington Drivers Shouldn’t Leave Their Handicap Placard Hanging

My wife quickly reminds me that I don’t know what the handicap is for, but I’m also in the camp that if you are getting special considerations, you should follow the law.

Are You Making This Common Handicap Placard Mistake in Washington?

I was watching the YouTube series “Fridays with Frank,” where an Arizona deputy pulls over drivers for driving infractions.

One of the things he mentions is that driving with your handicap placard hanging from your rearview mirror is illegal. You are only supposed to put up the placard when you are parked.

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Now that’s in Arizona, so what is the law in Washington State?

I did some research, and this is what I found about the law.

In Washington State, the disabled parking placard must be displayed when the vehicle is parked by hanging it from the rearview mirror (or on the dashboard if the vehicle doesn’t have a rearview mirror).

However, once you start driving, you should remove the placard from the mirror. While RCW 46.19 specifically addresses how the placard must be displayed while parked, leaving it hanging while driving can obstruct your view and may lead to a traffic stop for an obstructed windshield.

The law doesn’t specifically say that it’s against the law, but if the officer wants to cite a driver for an obstructed view, they would be within their right.

With all that said, it still doesn’t solve my frustration with being passed on the freeway at a high rate of speed with drivers breaking the law.

You can read more about the law here.