A NEW regulation prevents certain American car owners from having their cars towed for unpaid parking tickets.
A bill that was sanctioned last week reneged on the rule that provided that Minnesota drivers with multiple unpaid parking tickets had their cars towed.
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State lawmakers hope the change will ease a heavy burden on low-income car owners, local news publication MinnPost reported.
Before the law went into effect, tow operators could tow vehicles from expired parking meters if the vehicle had five or more unpaid parking tickets.
State Representative Erin Koegel’s new regulation prevents towers from transporting these vehicles as a way of collecting this debt.
“When parking tickets result in the loss of a vehicle, this has immediate and negative economic outcomes that can result in job loss and disruption to child care and education,” she said.
“Many people in Minnesota use cars to get to work, and 30% of families in Minnesota have only one vehicle,
“So how could we expect people to pay their fines when we are taking away their way to work?”
The new provision was part of a transportation policy bill approved by both chambers earlier this month.
It received a unanimous vote of 67-0 in the Senate.
The law builds on legislation passed last year in the state that prohibits debt-based driver’s license suspensions.
Gov. Tim Walz signed the policy into law Wednesday.
It can cost a vehicle owner about $640 to recover their vehicle from an impound lot, Justice Action Network state policy manager Jenny Catchings told MinnPost.
The huge total includes the previous parking debt and the new fees incurred for towing.
Aside from how expensive debt collection towing is for low-income residents, Catchings said the practice isn’t actually effective.
An audit found that the city of San Diego, California, was losing about $1.5 million by towing vehicles and housing them in impound lots.
What to do if your car is towed
Unfairly or not, recovering a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are some steps you can take to get it back.
Steps to follow when your car is towed:
- Try to find out why your car was towed. Haven’t you seen a “No Parking” sign? Did you miss your car payment? Have you returned to a lot where there were unpaid citations? Finding the reason may narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some type of contact information via a posted or mailed sign.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but these times will be posted on the website or may be provided by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as quick as possible as some towing yards may charge per day storage fees.
If you believe your vehicle was improperly towed, you can dispute the action by following these steps:
- Be quick – many states have a small window of time in which it is acceptable to file a claim against a company that improperly towed your vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements, if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Familiarize yourself with local laws, as laws for towing companies vary by state.
- Try talking to the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact your local Justice of the Peace as they may have more information or resources to help. They are often used for towing cases.
- Speak to a lawyer. Many lawyers offer free consultations and, depending on the case, it may be worth calling on a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak law firm
Almost 30% of vehicles towed in the city were never recovered.
WHAT CAN A CAR BE TOWED FOR
Despite new towing restrictions in Minnesota, vehicles can still be towed for violating snow emergency regulations.
A car may also be towed if it is blocking sidewalks, fire hydrants, or parked in restricted areas.
Minneapolis issued about 430,000 tickets between 2018 and 2019, according to an analysis released last year by the Urban Institute.
This is the fifth highest number of parking fines in the country.
According to the data, Minneapolis had the highest number of tickets issued per resident.
The city also had the highest ticket value per resident among the three cities – totaling about $37 million.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
