Connecticut legislature overhauls towing laws to reduce 'predatory towing'

Kansas City, MO recently did the same thing[0], accompanied by the indictment of a tow operator in two different counties for falsifying state forms to make it appear as if the vehicles they had wrongfully towed had been towed according to the law, then abandoned by the owners, allowing for the operator to claim them.[1]

While these are nice developments, arguably, it's worse than bank robbery; in much of the country (Kansas City in particular), if you're without a car, you're screwed. No doctor appointments, no school, no grocery shopping, no social life, no job. Treat it as such. If you take someone's car without permission, you should face a significant fraction of a decade in prison, per vehicle.

[0] https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-ordinance-cracks-do...

[1] https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-towing-company-unau...

Got curious about the "century old statute" and looked it up. Original text [1]

> Section 1. Whenever any motor-vehicle is found abandoned upon any public highway… and said vehicle is not of a value exceeding one hundred dollars… said officer may cause such motor-vehicle to be removed

> Section 2. If such motor-vehicle is not reclaimed within fifteen days after such removal, said officer shall sell the same at public auction…

[1] https://books.google.com/books?id=gktNAQAAMAAJ&hl=en

"Connecticut’s law allows tow companies to begin the process to sell vehicles after just 15 days."

New law updates it to 30 days, except for vehicles worth under $1500 which is still 15 days, which may be an interesting opportunity to see how towers do time value of money decisions on so many $1499 cars.

Related context: How a Connecticut DMV Employee Made Thousands by Selling Towed Cars

https://www.propublica.org/article/connecticut-dmv-employee-...

Towing companies (and some apartment complexes) are essentially just organized crime. An apartment complex I lived in instituted a convoluted parking system utilizing colored mirror hang tags. Each unit received one exclusive parking spot (required to display a red tag only), and the remaining parking was first come first serve (but must display a yellow tag). There was never enough free parking, and tenants routinely parked overnight in fire lanes. My partner and I worked opposite shifts, so we usually only needed our designated spot, but sometimes were unable to swap tags due to schedules. Tow companies would roam the complex at night (let in through the gate by security), and haul off any vehicle without a red tag in designated spots, while ignoring vehicles in fire lanes and other no parking zones. The first time it happened, I thought my car had been stolen (why would I even think it was towed? I didn’t call to have someone removed from my own parking spot). I only found out after contacting apartment management for surveillance video. After the second time this happened (I’m a slow learner), I trudged over to the office, walking past several cars parked in the fire lane that had been there overnight. The manager stuck to their guns, stating that rules were rules, and I had broken them. I helpfully pointed out the vehicles still in the fire lane just outside the door, and asked if I should just leave my designated spot unoccupied and take up a free space (thereby using up two spaces) just to “follow the rules.” They had the gall to say it wasn’t fair to tow the fire lane violators, since there wasn’t enough parking for everyone. So it made more sense for them to endanger tenants lives. The ludicrousness of the situation made me suspicious that the apartment employees were getting kickbacks from the towing companies. It was the only scenario that made sense, other than mass idiocy.

> After weeks of negotiations, lawmakers said they came to a compromise with the towing industry.

Maybe just phrasing, but I hate the idea that we have to compromise our laws with private companies that only have to maximize shareholder value. If a law that treats the public fairly also puts tow companies out of business, so be it.

>[It] does all of this without undercutting the essential work that ethical and professional tow operators do each and every day for us

Very clever words directed at tow operators here. If you aren't doing anything unethical, you should have no objections, right?

Nothing compared to the old Chicago Lincoln Park Pirates...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Towing_Service

How come towing vehicles is so common in the US, but not so much in the UK? I've literally never heard of anyone getting their vehicle towed away over here, but it sounds like in US you can get it towed for something as minor as not paying for parking(which just results in getting a fine here).

Genuienly curious.