“I’ll just leave my car in the disabled car parking space for five minutes.”

It’s a common excuse people use to take up disabled car parking spaces they don’t need.

And it’s illegal.

Every year, across the country, our ingenious members take this matter into their own hands through the Back In 5 campaign. During a day of action, hundreds of wheelchairs are parked unexpectedly in car parking spaces around the country, to put the brakes on this illegal parking.

There are currently almost 75,000 Disabled Drivers Parking Permits in circulation in Ireland. The availability of wheelchair accessible parking spaces is an essential lifeline for motorists with disabilities. Yet far too often these spaces are occupied by able-bodied drivers.

‘Back in 5’ reminds motorists that it is an offence to park in a disabled parking space without an official Disabled Drivers Parking Permit. Offenders are dealt a fixed charge notice for €150, rising to €225 if not paid in the first 28 days, which results in a very expensive five minutes.