8 Great ways to avoid being towed in Chicago

Published By Chicago Towing
8 Great ways to avoid being towed in Chicago

Even if it seems like a rare occurrence, it’s actually not that rare that cars find themselves getting towed. Here’s eight great tips for avoiding ever having to deal with getting your car towed in Chicago.

  1. Try not to park in common towing spots

These spots vary from place to place – but in most areas, blocking active driveways, intersections, and curb ramps is a sure way to get towed. Many areas also have laws determining how long you can keep your vehicle street parked. It’s worth it to become familiar with the laws regarding parking, driving, standing, and stalling in your area. As a ground rule though, never park by

  • Bus Stops
  • Loading Zones (usually marked with yellow)
  • Blue Zones (if there’s not a disabled person marker on your vehicle)
  • Red zones (curbed painted Red)
  • Tow Away zones during normal commuting hours.

 

2. Always Read Street Signs

It’s important to read these carefully, especially when you’re in commercial areas with high traffic. Police and traffic officers tow illegally parked cars much more often, and with a much greater number in high traffic areas – which also often carry much more parking restrictions.

 

3. Be aware during commute hours.

During crowded evening and morning commutes, many cities bar parking on many streets. A certain parking space could be completely legal at 2pm, but would get your car towed at 3pm. You have to be aware of what the parking ordinance for that space is – even when you’re at a meter. The usual peak commute hours are from 7am to 9am and from 3pm to 7pm.

 

4. Call a tow company yourself.

Don’t rely on city services to tow your car if it breaks down. Call a private towing company in Chicago or roadside assistance agency yourself.

 

5. Pay all outstanding traffic tickets.

In some areas, cars with delinquent parking tickets can be booted or even towed – this can happen even if your car is in a perfectly legal parking space. If your car gets booted, you’ll have to pay an extra cost to remove the boot. Booting and towing, added with tickets and time penalties add up to a lot of money. You can avoid this if you pay your parking tickets.

 

6. Avoid getting parking tickets in the first place.

  • Set an alarm on your phone to remind you that the meter is about to expire.
  • Keep a bunch of quarters for meters in your car.
  • If it’s offered in your area, buy a prepaid parking card.
  • Mark your calendar with the street cleaning schedule and no-parking times for the areas that you frequent.

 

7. Keep current vehicle registration.

All police have the right to tow and potentially impound your car if your registration isn’t current when you’re stopped by a police officer.

 

8. Always keep your driver’s license current.

If you’re ever stopped by police while you’re driving, and your license has expired or is otherwise illegible or not current, the police have the right to tow and impound your vehicle if nobody else is available inside the car to take over the wheel.

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6 Essential Tow Truck Towing Tips

Published By Chicago Towing
6 Essential Tow Truck Towing Tips

Always know your ratings

Tow trucks can only carry a particular amount of weight. By overloading a tow vehicle or trailer, you can cause a variety of problems like broken suspensions, failing brakes, overheated transmissions, or broken tires. It’s important to be certain of your vehicle’s tow ratings before you tow anything, making sure that your hitch system is matched to your vehicle’s towing specifications. The tow vehicle’s specifications are usually listed in a vehicle’s owner’s manual, as well as on the window will of the driver-side door. With trailers, the unloaded weight, and rest of the weight ratings, can be found on the Vehicle Identification number plate.

 

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 

This is the weight limit for the entire vehicle, including the vehicle itself added with all passengers, cargo, and accessories.

 

Gross Combination Weight Rating

This is the maximum weight of the tow vehicle plus the loaded trailer, equipment, fuel, passengers, or anything else inside the car.

 

Gross Axle Weight Rating 

This is the amount of weight that one single axle can hold safely. This is important to know for both tow vehicles and trailers.

 

Tow Truck Towing Capacity

This is the total amount of weight that your vehicle is able to pull.

 

Tongue Weight

This is the amount of the trailer’s weight picked up by the trailer’s hitch. This should be 10 percent of the entire trailer weight – with too much tongue weight, your vehicle’s steering becomes less responsive. With too little, the trailer might sway too much. Tongue weight can be measured with a specialized tool that you can buy at trailer supply shops. If you’re having issues calculating the combined weight of your trailer plus cargo, bring the trailer to a vehicle scale at a weigh station or trucks top.

 

Always remember to put on brakes and wires

The combined weight of the trailer and the cargo gives your vehicle extra momentum – taking longer to reduce speed. This is why many areas require that trailers of a certain high weight to have special braking systems installed. Trailer brakes improve navigation and control, and can also stop trailers from moving away if they get separated from the tow vehicle. You can get electronic trailer brakes (attached to a controller inside the vehicle) and surge brakes (independent hydraulic brakes activated by particular momentum.) Since cars behind you can’t see lights on your tow vehicle, federal law requires that trailers are equipped with taillights, turn signals, brake lights, and reflectors that are powered through a connection cord attached to your vehicle. It’s important to ensure that the wires are tight enough to not drag on the road, but loose enough to stay plugged in during turns.

 

Load your cargo correctly

If your tow truck is packed off-balance, it will be harder to drive and control. Ensure that your cargo is distributed evenly, with 60 percent of the weight in front of the axle (but not excessively far forward.) Make sure to secure cargo to prevent them from moving around and shifting during movement, and to keep the center of gravity low.

 

Remember that you’re towing a trailer

Regardless of how strong and dexterous your vehicle is, it will be a lot less responsive when a trailer is attached behind it. Since you won’t be able to accelerate, brake, or turn as fast as normally, you’re going to want to plan it advance and give yourself extra time to change lanes or slow down. It’s always great to do some practice drives to get the hang of navigating the trailer before embarking on your major trip.

 

Always check tire pressure of

If it’s been awhile since you’ve used your tow truck, it’s highly likely that the tires need to be inflated. Driving a loaded trailer with low-inflated tires is incredibly dangerous – under inflated tires can lead to crashes, blowouts, or rollovers. Make sure to check the tire pressure on your tow vehicle and your trailer before you go, and refill tires, or replace them if necessary,

Always check local regulations

Remember that towing regulations and laws are different in different states. Some states require taillights on your trailer, as well as safety chains that connect the trailer to the tow vehicle. Other states might require specific braking equipment, or side and rearview mirrors. Some states have different maximum towing speeds, trailer width requirements, and amount of towable vehicle requirements. Always familiarize yourself with the local laws in any state that you will be traveling in.

 

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