OLYMPIA — Citizens should never be slammed with charges upward of $2,000 to get their car back after being towed by a predatory towing company. That’s the very message for which a Seattle lawmaker won broad support in a measure approved by the state House of Representatives today.
State Rep. Gerry Pollet rounded up a large majority of House colleagues needed to pass his House Bill 1625, 91-7, and the proposal now goes to the Senate for more discussion. He pointed out that “the Towers Association has been willing to help pass this reasonable, statewide cap on tow-rates so that we can rein in predatory towing.”
Pollet’s measure says that the most folks would have to pay to get their car back for in- city tows will be will be between $150 and $256 (depending on how long it took to tow the car).
Stu Halsan, who represents the Towing and Recovery Association of Washington, said that “there needs to be a statewide standard that is fair to the operators and fair to the public.
“It’s best for the industry and for the consumer to have rates that are reasonable,” Halsan added, “and this bill is very important for the operators because they are concerned about their reputations.”
“Our state must implement reasonable safeguards protecting people from predatory-towing practices,” emphasized Pollet.
“It’s simply and unacceptably outrageous that some towing companies are charging folks more to recover their car that was parked in the wrong place than what a criminal is fined for a misdemeanor,” Pollet said.
“Parking your car in the wrong place for some fairly brief period of time is hardly what any reasonable person would call a serious offense. Frankly, it’s time for our state laws in this area to get real.
He said towing operators with a responsible track record shouldn’t be punished “and fewer people will lose their car when they are towed, with a reasonable cap on the charges, because towing companies can sell impounded vehicles if they are held more than 15 days.”
Pollet said that Seattle city officials agreed to support the statewide cap after being assured that the legislation doesn’t impact the legal defense of the city’s own recently adopted ordinance, which is being challenged in court.