What is a parking lot?
The impound lot is a specialized parking lot, which is under the jurisdiction of the traffic police and is intended for detained vehicles. In this parking lot, which is under 24-hour security, cars are located until they are returned to their owners. All cars that end up in the impound lot are delivered by tow truck.
Can a car be towed if there are people in it?
The car can only be taken to the impound area if the driver is not present. If the driver appears during the evacuation process, he can challenge the decision to evacuate on the spot. In such cases, police officers are prohibited from using force or unauthorizedly seizing a vehicle.
They must invite the car owner to voluntarily submit to their demands and not interfere with the evacuation. Otherwise, an act of disobedience and obstruction of lawful police actions is drawn up. In this case, the amount of the fine may increase significantly.
For what violations can a car be towed to an impound lot?
In 2020, there are several cases when a person who violates traffic rules is subject to not only fines, but also additional measures to prevent violations.
The violator’s vehicle will be detained and then evacuated to the impound area if the parking is committed:
- a four-wheel (or more) vehicle in the second, third and subsequent rows;
- on the road, if the distance between the car and the dividing strip is 3 m or less;
- at a pedestrian crossing or in close proximity to it (more than 5 m);
- in the tunnel;
- under prohibitory signs, if there is a sign containing information about the operation of the tow truck;
- at a distance of 15 m or less from the designated trolleybus, bus, taxi stop, provided that there are no parking spaces in this interval;
- on a site that is intended for people with disabilities;
- on the pedestrian sidewalk;
- the vehicle blocked the entry or exit of other vehicles;
- on tram tracks or near them, provided that the vehicle interferes with the movement of the tram.
Also, the car can be towed if traffic police officers identify the following violations:
- the person driving the vehicle does not have documents;
- the car has a faulty brake system;
- the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- the driver refused to undergo the examination procedure;
- the rules for transporting oversized and/or dangerous goods are not followed.
How to call a tow truck for an illegally parked car if you notice such a violation? Read on our website.
In addition, evacuation of a car is possible in the event of a serious accident, when there is a need to conduct an examination of the vehicle.
If the evacuation of the ball was carried out with violations, the car owner has the right to challenge the actions of the traffic police officers.
Is it possible not to pick up the car?
The longer the car is parked, the higher the amount for its stay becomes. Therefore, it is necessary to pick up the vehicle as soon as possible. In some cases, tow trucks are forced to go to court to recover the necessary amount from the negligent owner.
Sometimes it happens like this: the car is already in such a condition that it becomes impossible to drive it, and the owner decides to leave it to the owners of the parking lot as compensation for expenses. However, this is not always possible; a car, even in reasonable condition, will most likely not be valued at one hundred percent of its value.
Where and how can I find out about car towing in 2020?
If a vehicle is seized for subsequent evacuation to an impound lot in the presence of the car owner, the owner of the car is given a protocol indicating the place where he can pick up his car back.
However, in most cases the car is towed without the driver being present. In this regard, the question arises of how to find out whether the car was towed to an impound lot or the vehicle was stolen. When faced with a situation where the car is not at the place where it was left by the driver, to clarify the situation, you need to call the traffic police, reporting the loss of the vehicle. During a conversation with representatives of the State Traffic Inspectorate, you should inform the place and time of the incident, as well as indicate the make and license plate number of the car. So, who to call when towing a car? Subscribers of mobile operators can contact representatives of the State Traffic Inspectorate by phone:
- Tele2, MTS, Megafon - 020;
- "Beeline" - 002;
- Skylink and "Motive" - 902.
In addition, subscribers of mobile operators can call the single emergency number 112.
You can read details on how to find out where your car has been towed to on our website.
If the vehicle has been towed, the operator will dictate the service number, by calling which the driver will learn about the location of the vehicle.
It is worth noting that in large cities of Russia special help centers have been created - unified dispatch services designed to help people whose cars ended up in the impound lot.
In small towns where there are one or two impound lots, you don’t have to waste time figuring out where the car was towed to, but go to the nearest impound lot.
A motorist whose car ends up in an impound lot is advised not to delay, but to take measures to return the vehicle. Otherwise, he will not be able to avoid significant financial costs, since storing the car is free only for the first 24 hours.
Evacuation of the vehicle along with documents for the car
In most cases, all personal documents and papers for the car remain in the towed car, and the owner does not have the opportunity to present them to the traffic police. In such circumstances it is necessary:
- find out and come to the penalty area where the car is located;
- employees are required to open the car in the presence of the owner and give all documents to the owner;
- on this fact, an autopsy report is drawn up, which is endorsed by the parking lot employee and the owner of the car;
- the car is sealed in the presence of the owner․
Evacuation if the driver managed to appear before the vehicle was transported
We recommend that you read the article about the procedure for towing a car so that you know your rights and be able to protect them even in such a stressful situation.
The situation when a vehicle is towed in the presence of the car owner causes a lot of controversy. Forcible transportation of a car to a parking lot can be carried out in a situation where the driver is not able to eliminate the offense, for example, move the car to another place that complies with traffic rules. In addition, the vehicle will be confiscated if the driver does not have documents, the person driving the car is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and also refuses a medical examination.
What should you do if, after leaving your car for a while, upon returning you see a traffic police inspector and a tow truck near your car? Remaining calm, approach the State Traffic Inspectorate employee, introduce yourself and find out the reason for the evacuation. If the evacuation occurs due to violations of parking rules, ask the inspector to issue you a fine and repark the car. If you do not have a driver's license and other required documents, urgently contact your relatives and ask them to bring them to you as soon as possible.
The driver must take an active part in drawing up the protocol, which is the basis for the seizure and evacuation of the vehicle. It is necessary to ensure that all sections of the document are completed, including the nature of the offense, the date and time of the car’s detention, and the presence or absence of physical damage to the car.
If the vehicle being towed has low ground clearance and an automatic transmission, it is necessary that the tow truck meets the technical requirements for the recovery of vehicles of this type. Otherwise, there is a high risk of damage to vulnerable elements of the machine. Having discovered a discrepancy in the tow truck, you should immediately draw the attention of traffic police officers to this circumstance. If this fact does not stop the evacuation process, all that remains is to complain about the actions of the inspectors to higher authorities or go to court. If damage is caused to the vehicle during delivery to the impound lot, the car owner will have to document the damage in accordance with the established procedure, and then go to court to compensate for the damage.
Evacuation if there are people inside the car
It is prohibited to evacuate a vehicle with one or more people inside. The regulations do not allow such a vehicle to be loaded onto towing equipment and transported to an impound lot.
If the car is damaged during loading or unloading
According to human rights activists, during the process of evacuating a car, mirrors, bumpers or the side surface are often damaged. It is recommended that before returning the car, you examine it in detail for possible damage.
If some defects, damage or missing parts are visually revealed, then you need to familiarize yourself with the evacuation protocol and take a copy of it. If it does not contain information about these damages, then you should immediately contact the police.
Its employees are required to inspect the machine on the spot and fill out a protocol, which will later serve as the main evidence in court proceedings. You also need to know that before evacuating a car, you must photograph it from all sides with a camera.
Before going to court, it is recommended to meet with the responsible employees of the impound lot and try to resolve any complaints in a civilized manner. It is necessary to indicate the data of the evacuation protocol and photographs confirming that the car was in normal condition during evacuation. If the opposite party does not want to resolve the issue voluntarily, then a claim must be filed in court.
How to pick up a car from an impound lot?
Current legislation allows the car owner to pick up the vehicle from the impound lot without first paying an administrative fine for the offense and car towing services.
In order to avoid unnecessary hassle, the car owner is recommended to contact the impound lot representatives in advance to clarify all the details of returning the car.
If for some reason you cannot pick up your car, we recommend that you pay attention to the possibility of selling the car from the impound lot.
If the driver has documents
In order to return your car, you need to collect a package of documents, which includes:
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
- official permission from the traffic police to pick up the vehicle from the impound lot;
- driver's license;
- OSAGO policy;
- a notarized power of attorney for the right to pick up the car (required only if the car is picked up not by the car owner, but by another person);
- receipt for payment for impound parking services.
In this case, a receipt for payment for car evacuation services, as well as a receipt for payment of an administrative fine, is not required.
The collected package of documents is presented to the impound lot employee. Next, the vehicle is inspected for damage caused during evacuation and storage at the impound lot, and then a vehicle acceptance certificate is signed. After this, the car owner or his representative has the right to pick up the car.
It should be noted that if damage to the vehicle is detected, this fact must be recorded in the vehicle acceptance certificate. In the future, the document will become the basis for proceedings to compensate the car owner for material damage.
If the car was towed along with documents
Many motorists prefer to store car documents in the vehicle interior. Therefore, towing a car with documents is a fairly common practice.
If all the documentation necessary to return the car is inside the towed vehicle, the motorist must visit the impound lot and write a statement about opening the car. In his presence, the car will be opened by the impound lot employees, who, after issuing documents, will reseal the vehicle. The procedure for opening a car must be recorded in the protocol.
Having received the documents, you can begin to act according to the standard procedure.
How to obtain permission to return a car
Before picking up a car from the impound lot, you should visit the traffic police and obtain permission to return the vehicle. The certificate will be issued to the owner of the car or any other person who has the right to drive this car and a notarized power of attorney from the car owner to pick up the vehicle.
To obtain a certificate, a citizen must have documents proving his identity and confirming his right to drive a car, as well as documents for the vehicle and a compulsory motor liability insurance policy.
conclusions
What to do if your car is towed by a tow truck:
- Find out where to pick up your car from the impound lot. Call the police at number “02”, to the nearest impound lot (address and telephone number can be found on the Internet).
- Contact the traffic police to fill out a violation report. Check if it is formatted correctly.
- If you have a complete package of documents that are needed in order for the car to be returned to you, go straight to the impound lot.
- If the documents are left in the car, before visiting the traffic police you need to drive to the parking lot and pick them up. For this purpose, a special protocol is drawn up allowing the car to be opened . Afterwards, the car is sealed until the fine is paid and a package of documents is provided.
We wish you good luck on the road and be careful when parking!
Payment of impound parking in 2020
A fee is charged for keeping a vehicle in the impound lot, the amount of which depends on the type of vehicle. How much you will have to pay for storing a car depends on the specific impound lot, since tariffs for storage services are determined by each impound lot individually and can range from several hundred to several thousand rubles per day.
Until 2018, only a full day was taken into account, starting from the second day the car was in the impound lot. Now, unfortunately, you will have to pay from the first day, per day, regardless of whether your car has been parked for an hour or a day.
Having paid for the services of the impound lot, the motorist must receive a check or receipt in hand, which confirms the fact of depositing funds.
Do I need to pay fines?
Payment of an administrative fine is currently not a prerequisite for obtaining a traffic police certificate, which allows you to pick up a vehicle from the impound lot. The violator may pay the penalties imposed on him within 60 days from the date of the decision to detain the car.
How to pick up a car without paying?
A motorist will be able to reimburse the costs associated with paying an administrative fine, as well as the services of a parking lot and a tow truck, if the towing of a vehicle is declared illegal.
