So you are in the unfortunate situation where your car has been towed, what the heck do you do now? The first things should be, take a breath. 

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Ask yourself the following questions:

  • When you parked your car was it illegally parked, or causing a huge safety issue for people in that area?
  • Were you parked in a construction zone, fire lane or in front of a fire hydrant?
  • Did you park in a handicapped lane? Bus loading zone? Or a place that had a "No Parking" sign?

While it varies by area, most places will ticket you first and then tow you later, but not all places.

Which might lead you to this next question, did you pay those outstanding parking tickets? Is there a chance, even a small chance that your car was stolen or repossessed? Not judging, just asking you to keep the option in mind.

So, it's not there, where is it? If it was in a public lot and it was towed, look for the sign with the information of the tow company. If you need to get it back that night, you will need to pay for it, more than likely in cash.

If there isn't a sign, with a tow company's information, you are going to need to call the local police. You will need to provide the police with the VIN for the car, your registration and your photo ID. This is one of those times you are going to hope that your drivers license (and your registration) have not expired.

Have you ever had a car towed? How can people prevent it from happening and do you have tips to help them out, once it has been towed?

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