Q. How does one go about becoming an organ donor?

A. This is a very timely question, because April is “Donate Life Month.” RIGL 31-10-26.1 — Anatomical gifts by drivers — provides Rhode Island drivers with the means to register to become organ and tissue donors. Upon performing a license transaction at any DMV or AAA office, clerks are required to ask if the customer wishes to become an organ donor. That data is then collected and forwarded to the New England Organ Donor Bank, and your status is noted on your driver’s license by a small red heart at the top of your license. Some important facts to remember about organ and tissue donation:

• Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race or medical history.

• Your commitment to donation WILL NOT compromise your medical care.

• There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate for donation.

For more information, you can go to the New England Organ Donor Bank website at www.neob.org or visit www.donatelife.net or call (800) 466-6362.

Disability decal

Q. Settle a bet for me, please? I have a handicapped (disability) parking permit tag. The red and white decal that is issued upon renewal — is that supposed to go on the tag itself or on your license plate?

A. That decal is supposed to be affixed to the disability parking placard with only one exception — if the vehicle in question is a motorcycle. The decal must then be affixed to the motorcycle plate, because obviously, one cannot hang a placard on a motorcycle. RIGL 31-28-7 Motor vehicle plates for persons with disabilities — Entitlement — Designated parking spaces — Violations (2), states, “The certificate of entitlement to the placard or motorcycle sticker shall be covered with plastic or similar material. The applicant shall, upon timely renewal, receive a sticker bearing the expiration date of the certificate of entitlement to be affixed across the expiration date of the disability parking privilege placard or in the case of a motorcycle the applicant shall receive a new motorcycle sticker. The division of motor vehicles shall establish rules and regulations allowing for the renewal of the certificates of entitlement by mail.”

Disabled parking permits are issued to a person, not to a vehicle, allowing any vehicle transporting a disabled individual to use disabled parking.

Gina Antonucci Zanni, supervisor of communications for the State Division of Motor Vehicles, has agreed to answer questions of general interest posed by Journal readers about state motor vehicle laws and procedures. To ask a question that would also be of interest to other readers, send a letter to Ask projoCars, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI, 02902. You can e-mail your question to projocars@projo.com. Please put “Ask projoCars” in the subject field. Questions or complaints of a specific nature should be posed to the DMV directly and will not be answered in this column.

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