5 Things To Do When Your Car Has Been Towed

Getting your car towed is sure to ruin anyone’s day. When a driver parks their car in a certain location, it’s nerve wracking to come back and see it gone. If your vehicle has been towed, make sure to follow these five steps to ensure you get your vehicle back as soon as possible.

1. Make Sure The Vehicle Was Actually Towed

Our first instinct when we a driver can’t find their car is to call the police department to make sure their vehicle wasn’t stolen. The police will be able to tell you if your car has in fact been towed, the police will be able to tell you where it is. Your car will typically be towed to the closest police impound yard to where it was seized. The police will try to contact the registered owner of the vehicle, who will be the only person that’s able to come and pick it up.

2. Pick Up Your Vehicle As Soon As Possible

You’ll have to pay a ticket fee for your vehicle. Most often, police will ticket your car before towing. What the police department sometimes does not tell you though, is that you are charged for every hour that your vehicle is sitting in their impound lot. The moment you realize that your car has been towed, make arrangements to get to the lot it’s being held as soon as possible. Your likely to pay more than $100 as a baseline fee, plus an hourly fee for storage of your vehicle.

3. Check The Reason For Towing

If you have unpaid parking tickets, your city may tow your car until the entirety of your outstanding tickets are paid. According to The Toronto Star: “If you have three tickets after 75 days, the can tow your vehicle after the third.”

4. Make Sure The Towing Was Justified

It’s possible that your vehicle was unjustly towed. Make sure to take photos of the entire area surrounding where your car was towed, and make note of exactly what time you came back to get your vehicle and what time you parked. If you are able to prove that your car was towed for an invalid reason, you may not have to pay the impound fees. Keep in mind that you will still have to pay the fee upfront regardless of your reasoning to dispute such a charge.

5. If You See Your Car Before It’s towed, You Can Stop It

See a tow truck pulling up to your vehicle? You can actually stop them from hooking up your car and taking it away, usually if you agree to pay 50% of the towing fee.

Misreading parking signs happens to the best of us, so it’s good to be prepared and know how to deal with a towing. Make sure that your insurance provider has towing coverage for your vehicle, especially if you live in a larger city. If your policy doesn’t cover this, compare car insurance with a calculator to other leading insurance policies on the market to ensure that you’re covered at the best rate.