The holiday shopping season has officially kicked off and that means more demand for parking at malls and in busy downtown areas. In Illinois, it also means a crackdown on illegal users of parking spaces reserved for the disabled.

Secretary of State Jesse White announced stepped-up enforcement efforts throughout the holiday season last week, calling abuse of handicapped parking spots an offense on “common decency.” State Disability Liaison Bill Bogdan joined him to explain the ins and outs of using the spaces, just to ensure clarity and encouraged drivers to embrace the holiday spirit by leaving the spaces free for those who need them. Offenders in the state face fines of up to $2,500 and license revocation.

Read the story here. To learn about what other cities have done in the fight against handicapped space abuse, click here.