A Guide to the Blue Badge Scheme

September 11, 2018   Advice

The Blue Badge scheme provides disabled motorists with a number of concessions throughout the UK. These are mostly related to parking but also include things like tax exemption and exemption from being clamped on public roads.

Parking concessions

One of the main parking concessions that Blue Badge holders benefit from is the ability to legally park in disabled spaces. Disabled parking spaces are extremely common in the UK and are found in a wide range of places, from football stadiums and arenas to supermarkets and shopping centres.

The other major parking concession for Blue Badge holders is the ability to park on roads with single or double yellow lines. In England and Wales, Blue Badge drivers can park on roads with yellow lines for up to 3 hours; there is no time limit for parking on such roads in Scotland.

On roads where there are parking meters or pay and display machines present, Blue Badge holders can park for as long as necessary. The exception to this is when there is a notice stating that there are specific time limits for Blue Badge holders. In such cases it’s necessary to display both your Blue Badge and a parking disc to show what time you arrived.

Additional concessions

Below are some of the additional concessions that Blue Badge holders can benefit from.

  • Road tax – In the majority of cases, if you hold a Blue Badge then you will not have to pay road tax. Even if you don’t currently hold a blue badge but have a disability then you might be eligible for tax exemption.
  • Insurance – disability cannot be used as a rating factor for all types of of insurance including
  • Tolls – If you’re a disabled driver then you might be exempt from having to pay the full fare at toll crossings in the UK. Visit https://www.gov.uk/toll-concessions for full details.
  • Wheel clamping – Providing your vehicle is displaying a valid Blue Badge, it cannot be legally clamped on public land.