Folks seem to be concerned that tow truck drivers are overstepping their bounds by towing vehicles that violate parking regulations. Read about the horror and abuse here. There is a case of a car being towed while a four year old slept in the back seat, a man dieing when he ran beside the tow truck trying to get his car back, and my personal favorite, a church’s delivery truck being towed from its own lot.
Now, here’s what I think — people break the rules, they should pay the fine. I’ve ignored the "no overnight parking" signs and been towed. Sooooo — I rolled the dice and lost. What seems to be the problem here.
People are complaining that they were towed from a fire lane. They were parking in front of a sign that said "no parking, fire lane, you will be towed." and they were amazed when they came out and found their car gone. As for the woman whose kid went along with the car. — What the hell was she doing leaving a four year old sleeping in the back of an unattended car? It seems like more than just a simple towing charge should be considered.
I love the story about the guy whose daughter’s car was being towed, and he blocked the tow truck and they called a second truck to tow his car. What started the problem? She parked in a private lot reserved for "Mazies Pet Store" and went to the bank. Sorry, but I’m betting Mazie paid a lot of money for that lot for her customers, and the bank paid nothing. Therefore it seems to me that Mazie has the right to reserve the spots for her customers. (My eye doctor is located next to a pet store and the sign in the lot says "Pet Store Parking" and I usually go into the pet store and buy some treats or whatever for my herd when I visit the doctor. -=- See how it works — I could park in the doctor’s lot, but then I would have to enter a garage and pay $5. But because The Pet Store pays for the surface lot next door, they get the $5 and I get some kibble. This doesn’t seem so complicated.)
OK, some tow drivers can be over zealous. However my guess is that the church noted above contracted with the tow company to keep its lot clear of overnight parkers. Probably for good reasons. As for the fire lanes — give me a break. I wonder what the residents of the building would say if the fire department couldn’t get to their apartments because some dummy left their car blocking the fire lane "for only a few minutes." I’m sure they would understand..Right.
The feds are involved and passing laws right and left to regulate towing companies. I don’t see why we need laws like this. If the car was towed properly, so be it. If not — then arrest the tow driver for grand theft auto. Seems pretty simple to me. The tow guys would be careful, and parkers would park where they should.
JVH
One Response
I agree that rules designed for our safety and security should be respected (e.g. don’t park in the fire lane). However, not all towing incidents are as cut and dry as those cited in your post. Take my experience, for example. Two weeks ago, as my wife and I were swapping cars between our garage and driveway in an HOA community, a tow truck operator threatened to tow me for stopping in the fire lane. Never mind that I was in my car and it was idling, while waiting the 60 seconds for my wife to close the garage and join me.
The next day, a driver from the same tow truck company threatened to tow a car in front of a house for sale down the road – WITH A KID IN THE BACK SEAT! Again, never mind that the parents were standing right there, speaking with the home seller.
Rules are important, and I wouldn’t want to live in a society without them. But there’s nothing like an overzealous tow truck operator or an HOA Board that allows such tactics, to send people packing.
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Thanks!