"Prometheus" wrote in message
She can only ride in the van, but my mother still uses the
handicapped spots in her Taurus, without a handicapped person in sight
just because she has the plates.

That's different from up here in Canada. Parking permits for the disabled
are assigned to the person, not the vehicle. I can use the permit when I'm
travelling around as a passenger with someone who is able bodied or when I'm
driving a vehicle with hand controls.