We all have a stereotypical view of disabled drivers and this Toyota GT86 doesn’t fit in that view! I had the same thing about 13 years ago with a Subaru Impreza GT Turbo, which turned out to be a genuine disabled person. I have met a fellow AE86 owner who also genuinely drives around with a disabled driver’s permit. So why don’t people with sportscars fit this view we have about disabled drivers?

I personally think it has to do with the prejudice we have on disabled people: they have difficulty getting in and out of cars and have difficulty walking at all. However, this view is wrong. Very wrong! Some disabled drivers actually don’t have the issue of getting in- and out of the car and walk perfectly straight, but have difficulty managing distance. Hence they do need the disabled driver’s permit. So what about this Toyota GT86? I spotted it driving towards the disabled parking area near the local city centre. Naturally, I followed it and watched the driver exit the GT86 and walk towards the city centre. I quickly took one photo from where it parked:

Toyota GT86 parked in the disabled parking area
Toyota GT86 parked in the disabled parking area

A funny detail: the Toyota Estima I featured three weeks ago was parked on the third floor in the parking garage above the store in front of the GT86. But I digress…

I crossed the street to take another photo from the other side. After crossing the street, I wasn’t able to take another photo as pedestrians were flocking the sidewalk and I had to wait about 15 to 20 seconds for them to pass. Then, even before I could take a photo, these two walked up to the car:

Toyota GT86 gets a fine for not having the proper permit
Toyota GT86 gets a fine for not having the proper permit

These two are called Buitengewoon Opsporingsambenaar (BOA), which roughly translates to extraordinary investigating officer. They aren’t parking police, but they do have jurisdiction to fine cars and persons for parking- and traffic violations. As the Toyota GT86 didn’t have a disabled persons parking permit under its windshield, it received a fine from these two fine gentemen.

In case you wonder how these two were able to be present within 1 minute after the violation happened, that’s because their HQ is located only 30 metres away. Whilst drinking coffee, they could literally have seen it happen! So if you ever decide to visit my hometown without a disabled parking permit, don’t park at this spot!