Who, in your opinion, is the main “enemy” of city drivers? Pedestrians? Cyclists? Employees of the police and civil guard? According to the results of public opinion polls conducted by Spanish online publications, tow trucks – grúa – pose the greatest danger and threat to drivers’ wallets.
Starting a conversation on this topic that is painful for all drivers, it is worth noting that the prices for tow truck services vary greatly from city to city. The most expensive tariffs are in Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and Zaragoza; the cheapest – in León, Ciudad Real, Melilla and Jaén.
Reasons for car evacuation in Spain
The least common reason is the evacuation of a vandalized car. Broken windows, punctured wheels, long-term parking in the same place without moving to a garage can be a reason for evacuation.
The most frequently evacuated:
1. Badly parked cars that obstruct the movement of other vehicles.
2. Cars are parked on a double continuous lane.
3. Cars parked in places where it is prohibited or where warning signs (vado) are posted about the prohibition of parking:
- transport entry and exit zones (underground and surface garages);
- loading and unloading areas of goods;
- zones reserved for use by emergency services;
- taxi stands;
- pedestrian zones closed to traffic;
- pedestrian crossings;
- roadsides with prohibition markings (solid yellow line), etc.
Evacuated the car in Spain: what to do
- What to do if you find your car “missing”? You should call the Municipal Police Department (Policía Municipal), where they will tell you which penalty parking spot your car was parked on.
- There are unpaid fines. Do you need to pay them before you pick up the car? No, it is not mandatory. When you receive the car, you will be required to pay only the duties related to the current evacuation.
- You arrived at the place even before the car was taken away. Is it possible to pay the fine on the spot? Yes, it is allowed. Don’t forget to ask for a payment receipt. If you are lucky and you arrive on time, even before your car is submerged in the tow truck, there will be an opportunity to negotiate with the service representative, get rid of a verbal warning and leave the “crime scene” without a hole in the family budget.
- Is it possible to refuse to pay for tow truck services? Yes, you can opt out. However, in this case you will not be allowed to take your car from the penalty area.
- How to pick up your car from the penalty parking lot? If you are the owner, you must provide a driver’s license or ID. You may be required to provide documents for the car. In this case, you will have to go to the parking lot and pick them up from the car. Do not forget that one of the main documents is the auto civil liability insurance policy.
The situation is complicated if you are not the owner of the car. You will need to provide official permission from the owner (power of attorney) and his documents.
If your car was towed at the end of the business day, you won’t be able to get your car back until the next morning.
Tips for motorists in Spain:
- follow the traffic rules,
- park in the right places,
- use paid public parking lots.