Can a running car be towed away?

Five legal ways to protect your car from towing, which the traffic police are powerless against

Drivers, especially in the capital, even when they want to park in a permitted place, sometimes they simply cannot do this - everything is occupied. They abandon the car wherever they have to, and then receive a three thousand fine for illegal parking, pay five thousand for a tow truck service and spend half a day in line at the impound lot. Those who are tired of this are looking for ways to protect themselves from tow trucks.

Myths about evacuation

They say that if you turn the wheels all the way, you won’t be able to lift the car onto the loader. This is not true; tow trucks are equipped with special fasteners that cling to the wheels at any angle.

Photo: RIA Novosti

Or another statement - if you park close to the curb, the car will not be able to be picked up. This is also a myth - an experienced loader will cope with this task. As with large cars like GAZelle, large equipment is used to evacuate them.

Method number 1. Removal of numbers

Drivers roll up license plates. You cannot drive without a license plate - a fine of five thousand rubles or deprivation of rights by a court decision. But you can stand still without numbers and not move anywhere. True, your car may arouse suspicion among the police - you never know what’s inside.

Photo: Public domain

Method number 2. Car hamster

Neither police officers nor towing service personnel have the right to remove a vehicle if there is a person or animal inside. Therefore, some drivers deliberately leave dogs in the car or get a car hamster. The fact is that any evacuation can cause harm to a living being. We are talking about transporting the car, and about possible downtime at the impound lot. But no one will feed the animal in the impound lot. Think about this if you've just looked at your cat differently.

Photo: Public domain

Method No. 3. Chain

Those who are not willing to risk their pets tie down their cars with chains and tow ropes. To everything: to a fence, a tree or a neighboring car. The fact is that it is impossible to remove the chain without a lock, and the law does not allow traffic police officers to do this otherwise. After all, what you hitched your car with is your property, which cannot be damaged. This can be done by a police officer, who may be called in such cases.

Photo: Public domain

Method number 4. Bicycle on the roof

Some drivers have started carrying a bicycle on the roof of their car. For this purpose, special fastenings are installed for transporting two-wheeled vehicles. As a result of this, the actual height of the machine increases by one and a half meters. This method is not suitable for car owners, since the final height of the car becomes identical to the height of a small truck. Such cars can be towed. But large SUVs and minivans with a bicycle on the roof have every chance of remaining in their parking space after the forklift arrives.

Photo: Public domain

Method No. 5. Anti-tow truck

The principle of operation of the device is simple - a steel shield is attached to one of the wheels with bolts, thereby covering it. Costs from two to four thousand rubles, for the most part it really makes loading the car difficult.

Photo: Public domain

But, judging by the videos on the network, there are also tow trucks for which the shield is not a hindrance. In general, it’s better to take an extra couple of laps when looking for a parking space, but still leave the car in the right place. Both time and money will be safer.

Cars that are not towed

Let's start with the theory. A towing service (public or private) can take a car to the impound lot only in the presence of a traffic police officer who has drawn up a report on the detention of the vehicle (required in two copies), and in strictly defined cases. Among them are driving a car without documents, with faulty brakes, while intoxicated (including when refusing a medical examination), and in violation of parking or stopping rules (including stopping at a pedestrian crossing or in the immediate vicinity of it). If a driver is caught driving drunk, there is no question at all about whether his car will be towed to a special parking lot or not. But we should talk specifically about violating the rules of stopping and parking a vehicle. It is this violation that usually attracts the attention of the tow truck. If the owner of the car is not nearby, the car will be towed without him. But if he appears before the tow truck starts moving (a rule that has been in effect since 2015), the car must be parked on the ground. In turn, the driver must eliminate the cause of the violation (drive the car away). In addition, he will probably receive a protocol on an administrative offense from the traffic cop. You will have to pay for traffic violations one way or another, but the car will be saved.

As tow truck operators told us: stories about the fact that they take great pleasure in taking Zhigulis and budget foreign cars off the streets, while leaving expensive ones untouched (to avoid troubles with their owners - perhaps wealthy people with great connections), do not correspond to reality. They “grab” everyone. Well, or almost everyone. There is a story about one influential Moscow official, whose car is not only not touched, but, on the contrary, the streets are cleared of cars for him in those places that he is in the habit of visiting.

We should warn you right away: the decision to evacuate a car is made not by the tow truck operator, but by the traffic police officer. He determines priorities when “hunting for violators” not by make and model of car, but by. her number.

The towing service does not touch cars with red, blue or black license plates. She is also not interested in cars with special signals (“flashing lights” on the roof) and with certain letter indices. We have a tradition in our country of assigning company cars with a specific combination of letters in the license plate to certain services and government agencies. Traffic inspectors seem to learn them by heart and, when they meet them on the road, they either pointedly turn away or salute.

There are different types of tow trucks. This is not about the brand, but about the load capacity and characteristics of the lifting equipment (if we are talking about a crane). The owners use this successfully. armored "wheelbarrows". They say there was a case: the tow truck workers followed the principle and for several hours tried together to lift a jeep onto the platform. And its owner sat nearby at a table in an open cafe and peacefully watched people suffer. Then, after drinking his coffee, he approached the tow truck driver: “Guys, come on. It weighs eight to eight tons!” They left.

There are certain addresses in Moscow where there are signs prohibiting stopping and parking, but there are always a lot of cars parked under them. And tow trucks do not go to these addresses. Never. What kind of places are these? A military secret! Guess for yourself!

Tow truck drivers say it is useless to twist the wheels. Loading such a machine is not difficult - only the loading time increases slightly. The same applies to those who try to place the machine close to a tree. But if the driver parked the car on the sidewalk, there are options. If the car is easy to pick up from the roadway, a tow truck will do so. If the sidewalk is wide, he can drive onto it himself. But if the car is parked far from the edge of the road, sometimes the traffic cop gives the go-ahead: “Come on! Let's move on! " There are several reasons for this: difficult to get, heavy pedestrian traffic, etc.

Parking a car under tree branches and wires is not a guarantee that it will be left alone. Tow truck operators, especially in Moscow, are seasoned and experienced guys - they will fish the car out from under the branches and not even scratch it.

In Moscow, cars are towed even when the owners change their license plates. The corresponding entry is simply made in the protocol. And the photo recording of the car takes a little longer and more carefully (instead of the number, the VIN code under the windshield is photographed)

Do you know why in America drivers place a dummy or a rubber woman next to them in the passenger seat? To use special lanes in which you can only drive if there is more than one person in the car. In Russia there is no such rule, but some have also gotten used to taking a human-sized doll with them. We have a different specificity - the inspector usually does not contact a car with an adult passenger inside. The tow truck just drives by.

Evacuation of a car with the owner: basic rules

There are many legal grounds for towing a car to an impound lot. Also, at the level of individual regulations, the evacuation procedure itself is regulated - including at the stages of participation of the car owner himself in it. Let’s take a closer look at these rules, which establish the rights and obligations of the vehicle owner in interaction with evacuation services.

Towing a car: when can you stop it?

Can a car be towed if the driver approaches? The answer to this question depends on a large number of circumstances characterizing the evacuation procedure. In the most general case, it includes the following main steps:

Discovery by the traffic police inspector of a violation of traffic rules, which requires the evacuation of the car.

A common scenario is a parking violation. For example, parking at a pedestrian crossing, at a bus stop, second row.

The traffic police inspector, based on the circumstances of the identified traffic violation, makes a decision to detain the vehicle, and then calls a tow truck, which is provided by a specialized public or private organization.
Registration by the traffic police inspector in the prescribed manner of traffic violations, drawing up protocols provided for by law on the detention of the car and on the commission of an administrative violation by its owner.
Inspecting the vehicle before loading, documenting, if necessary, external defects of the body (scratches, damage), sealing the vehicle.
Loading the car onto an arriving tow truck and then moving it to the nearest impound lot.

If the owner of the car approached it before the start of the procedure under point 5, then the car must be given back immediately and unconditionally - provided that the owner promptly eliminates the reason for its detention. That is, if we are talking about incorrect parking, he will move the car to the correct place or simply drive away with it.

In this case, of course, the driver will be given fine documents in the prescribed manner - according to which he will have to pay a fine for the offense committed. The fact that the car owner manages to “intercept” the car before its towing does not relieve him of responsibility for the actions taken that served as the reason for calling a tow truck.

If the car owner comes to the place where he left the car at the time of completing the procedure described under paragraph 5, then he has the right to stop the evacuation process only in one case - if he clearly lets the evacuation service workers know about his appearance before the moment when the tow truck will move.

That is, the car must be given back if, for example:

the structural elements of the manipulator began to be attached to it;
it is already “hanging in the air” - before being placed directly in the tow truck;
she is already in the tow truck - which is still standing still.

If a tow truck with a loaded car moves even a few centimeters, it is no longer possible to demand the return of the car.

Thus, the evacuation of a car in the presence of the owner will be stopped if he notifies of his presence before the tow truck starts moving. At the same time, it doesn’t matter how far he managed to drive away: it is quite possible that he is performing some kind of local maneuver (for example, turning around), standing at the nearest traffic light, or, having barely driven away from the place where the car was loaded, got into a traffic jam and has been standing there for several minutes (or even hours). In such cases, the car will not be given back. You'll have to go pick her up to the impound lot.

The driver should be aware of certain rules for interacting with evacuation service employees. There are certain things that are unacceptable to do during such interaction.

What should a driver not do when towing a car?

If the driver arrives at the place where the car is being towed at a time when the tow truck has already begun to drive away, then it is important for him to refrain from interfering with the movement of the tow truck. If a person does create such interference, he will be fined 1,000 rubles.

What to do if a car is towed illegally?

If the car was taken away, despite the fact that, in the driver’s opinion, there was no legal reason for its evacuation, he must:

Pick up the car at the impound lot in accordance with the established procedure.

However, at this stage you will still have to pay for the services of the organization that houses the evacuated vehicles. And it’s better not to delay this, since the “tariff” at impound lots is usually hourly.

Contact the traffic police with a request to provide a copy of the resolution identifying an administrative offense, which became the basis for calling a tow truck.
You can appeal this decision within 10 days.

You can appeal a document on various grounds. The simplest is based on the discovery of inaccurate information in it regarding the identification of the car or the place from which it was moved to the impound lot.

It also makes sense to visit this place and carefully study the signs that prohibit parking the car the way the driver did - in the opinion of the traffic police inspector, he violated the rules. There are known cases in which drivers discovered that such signs were hidden behind trees, buildings or were difficult to read, as a result of which car owners simply did not have the opportunity to navigate the parking area.

Thus, in such cases, photographs or video recordings from the parking area should be attached to the appeal documents, confirming the fact that the signs were placed incorrectly.

If the results of the appeal are positive, the fine will be canceled. In addition, the driver will have grounds to return the money paid for the services of the towing service. There you need to send:

A statement stating:

Driver's full name;
car make and number;
details of the bank account to which the refunded funds will be transferred;
Contact details.

A copy of your passport.
A copy of the resolution certifying the fact of cancellation of the traffic police decision recognizing the offense.
A copy of documents proving ownership of the car.

As a rule, funds are returned within 1 week from the date of submission of documents to the evacuation service.

In accordance with the procedure established by law, issues related to possible damage to the vehicle during its movement from the evacuation site to the impound lot can be resolved between this service and the driver. The fact is that during such a movement the evacuation service bears full responsibility for the safety of the vehicle.

If damage is discovered on the car, then the driver needs to document them at the stage of receiving the car from the impound lot (for example, by filming it), and then contact the towing service regarding compensation for such damage. If they refuse to recognize them, an appeal to the court should be initiated.

These are the general regulations for the procedure for moving a vehicle to an impound lot. At the legislative level, new rules for evacuation of cars can be regularly established, and current ones can be clarified or clarified. But, one way or another, there is no reason to say that the basic norms of the law - according to which vehicle drivers have a fairly wide range of rights in interaction with the traffic police and evacuation services - will be significantly adjusted.

Summary “Q&A”

Can a car be towed in front of the owner?

They can if he approached the evacuation site after the tow truck with the vehicle being moved had already started moving. If the driver arrived earlier and let you know about it, the evacuation process should be stopped.

What to do when you start to evacuate a car - if you couldn’t stop it?

The main thing is not to interfere with the further movement of the vehicle to the impound lot. You need to go there and arrange to receive the car back by paying for the services of a towing service.

Is it possible to challenge the towing of a car?

You can contact the traffic police with evidence of the illegality of recognizing the driver as having violated traffic rules, which became the reason for calling a tow truck. Or - citing incorrect documentation, if any. Evidence may include photos and videos from the vehicle evacuation site.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EVACUATE A CAR THAT IS STANDING IN A BREAKDOWN

THIS IS WHAT MOST CAR ENTERS THINK
In the modern pace of life, many have to abandon their car right on the roadway and run to the bank, hospital or work.
This is especially true for cities with a population of more than 1 million people. Often, many people simply turn on the hazard lights and go about their business, while the car is parked right on the road. This leads to the fact that other road users suffer inconvenience and are forced to either wait or go around. At the same time, those who abandoned their car are confident that turning on the light alarm will help avoid evacuation, because it is supposedly “broken.”
In fact, this is a big misconception, which often results in big trouble.
In order to explain why light signaling is not a panacea for evacuation, let us turn to the Traffic Rules, according to which the hazard warning lights must be turned on:
- in case of a traffic accident;
- when forced to stop in places where stopping is prohibited;
- when the driver is blinded by headlights;
— when towing (on a towed motor vehicle);
- when boarding children in a vehicle with identification marks “Transportation of Children” and disembarking from it.
The driver must turn on the hazard warning lights in other cases to warn traffic participants about the danger that the vehicle may create (clause 7.1 of the Russian Traffic Regulations). However, many people forget that, along with the use of hazard warning lights, an emergency stop sign must be displayed in the following cases:
- in case of a traffic accident;
- when forced to stop in places where it is prohibited, and where, taking into account visibility conditions, the vehicle cannot be noticed in a timely manner by other drivers.
This sign is installed at a distance that provides timely warning to other drivers of the danger in a particular situation.
However, this distance must be at least 15 m from the vehicle in populated areas and 30 m outside populated areas. Thus, if the driver of a vehicle left it in places where stopping or parking is prohibited and did not display a warning triangle, the car may well be towed.
Let us remind you that the “evacuation” information sign is used only with signs prohibiting stopping or parking of vehicles. Therefore, if a car is abandoned in places where stopping or parking is prohibited by the provisions of the Rules, and not by road signs, it can be towed without informing the driver about it.

Good luck on the roads!
(“Car Owners of Russia” is an information and legal portal for car enthusiasts).

Is it possible to tow a car with its wheels turned out?

A pressing issue for motorists is still how to park the car so that a tow truck cannot pick it up. You can, of course, say that for this you should adhere to the parking rules and calmly go about your business, without worrying about the presence of the car in the place where you left it. But in most cases, there are absolutely not enough parking spaces and you have to park your car along the roadsides or on sidewalks so as not to interfere with the passage of cars, but at the same time break the rules. Otherwise, you will have to walk a good few kilometers to the desired location.

Many drivers have heard that if you turn the steering wheel all the way, the tow truck will not be able to pick up the vehicle. In this article we will look in detail at whether a car can be towed if the wheels are turned out, and what to do to prevent the tow truck from picking up the car.

Can a car be towed with its wheels turned out?

There is a myth among car enthusiasts that if the wheels are turned out, the car will not be towed. In fact, such a trick could have happened several years ago, when the intelligence services did not have good technical equipment. Today, even if you twist the steering wheel all the way, the mounts will still be able to catch on them. Therefore, evacuation of a car with its wheels turned out is still possible.

Another option is that during loading the car may be damaged, and funds for repairs can be recovered from the special services.

So, is it possible to evacuate a car with the wheels turned out? We figured it out, but motorists should also know that if the wheels are screwed in, they themselves can cause damage to their vehicle.

Turning the steering wheel all the way while the engine is running puts a significant load on the power steering. When the engine is running, do not hold the steering wheel turned all the way for more than 15 seconds. If this happens, you will hear a noticeable noise, and as a result, the amplifiers may fail.

If you didn’t know how to park the car so that a tow truck wouldn’t pick it up and you still turned the steering wheel all the way, even in cold weather, then the load falls not only on the power steering, but also on the boots of the steering rack.

As a result, we can say that if you unscrew the wheels all the way, the tow truck will be able to pick up the car, but with this position of the wheels, you yourself can cause damage to the vehicle, or this will happen during its evacuation. Whether it's worth it is up to you to decide.

How to prevent your car from being towed

Now let's talk about how to park without getting picked up by a tow truck. There are several smart ways to make sure your car stays where it is. Where you put it, turning the steering wheel to prevent the car from being towed will not help. The same as if the car is on the handbrake or speed.

But if:

if you place the vehicle close to another car, wall or fence, then the tow truck with its dimensions will not be able to be in a position suitable for loading, so it will not take risks; but this is not a panacea either - there are those who will:

If you returned before the car was towed, then you may well demand its return to its place by paying for calling a tow truck (if you are refused: ask to present witnesses other than the tow truck driver, and also threaten the latter with the fact that this is unlawful and when going to court - he will pay out of his own pocket);

Is it possible to evacuate a car with a person inside? No, you can’t, so you can easily get inside your car and start the engine, in which case loading will be stopped.

If, out of ignorance, you still decide to turn the wheels so that the tow truck does not pick it up, put it on speed or the handbrake, but the car is still towed, then we recommend immediately conducting an examination that will help prove the damage caused to the car during the loading process. You can recover the amount required for repairs and moral damages under Article 12.35 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation from the inspector who authorized the evacuation in such circumstances.