‘It’s not on the street’, driver shouts as dozens of cars are towed from sidewalks, prompting authorities to push for changes to the law

MISSOURI drivers have been complaining about a law that causes countless vehicles to be towed from their own driveways.

Lawmakers are now reviewing the practice of towing cars with expired tags on St. Louis sidewalks due to the backlash, according to Missouri state Rep. David Evans last year.

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The ‘safety risk’ part of state law has allowed municipalities to remove cars from homes if they violate the St. Louis ordinance, Fox News affiliate KTVI reported.

Some local drivers emphasized that this makes them feel like they are “losing everything.”

“The city inspector came to tow my vehicle off my private property,” emphasized Robert Cotton Sr., a driver from Jennings, Missouri, when interviewed last year.

“It’s not in the street, it’s not blocking the sidewalk.”

Evans said the law requires “basic due process before government seizure and confiscation of personal property.”

In Calverton Park, Missouri, car owners are given 10 days notice before their vehicle is removed from their property, explained code enforcement Lt. Sean Gibbons.

The lieutenant gets a search warrant from a judge to take people’s vehicles.

“It’s up to the courts to decide whether we stay on one side or the other,” Gibbons said.

“It’s not up to us.”

The city inspector came to tow my vehicle off my private property. It’s not in the street, it’s not blocking the sidewalk.

Robert Algodão Sr.Jennings, driver from Missouri

The state is also considering a new rule that would prevent mechanics from making repairs to vehicles with expired tags.

Missouri State Rep. Gretchen Bangert, who made the proposal, said, “In our area right now, they don’t even bother to get temporary tags. They just drive around without plates.”

Some mechanics have strong feelings about working on cars with illegal tags.

“I’m uncomfortable working on these cars,” said Kevin Claspille, a former repairman at Pit Crew Tire & Auto Service in Florissant, Missouri.

“Because I feel like I’m contributing to a crime,” he said. “If this car goes out and kills someone because I put a battery in it, then I’m an accomplice.”