If the car is in the impound lot, what should I do and how much does it cost to pick it up?

When can the car be taken to the impound lot?

Often, owners do not understand why their car was taken by a tow truck. A car can be taken to a traffic police impound lot in 2021 for the following reasons:

• Incorrect parking or parking. Such “unauthorized” places include pedestrian crossings, through tunnels with a lot of traffic, tram tracks, public transport stops, playgrounds, and specialized drive-in pockets.
• Lack of a driver's license or documents that allow you to drive a car.
• Lack of an insurance policy, technical passport, registration certificate, waybills (for heavy trucks), and a license card for the cargo itself.
• The driver of a vehicle is intoxicated, especially when the drunk person may endanger others.
• Significant breakdowns in the vehicle that cannot be repaired on site, for example, faulty brakes, clutch, non-working lighting fixtures, broken mirrors.
• Violating traffic markings or driving through prohibitory signs.
• The driver’s refusal to undergo a medical examination to detect signs of drugs or alcohol.
• Detection of illegal items in a car, for example, unregistered gas equipment, drugs, a large shipment of foreign items without a license, etc.
• Applying logos or other marks to the car body part;
• Illegal installation of lighting or radio equipment.

Also, the car can be handed over to the traffic inspection parking lot if the owner’s body contains toxic or explosive substances without following the transportation rules and in the absence of the necessary documentation. In addition, property may be confiscated if the theft and illegal driving of the vehicle is confirmed.

How does a vehicle end up in the impound lot?

The evacuation of a car to a special parking lot occurs in certain cases of violation of traffic rules by its owner. This preventive measure is not confiscation and is applied only when committing a certain number of offenses provided for by the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

Among them:

• leaving the vehicle under prohibitory signs or in places where only disabled people have the right to stop;
• parking in a place where the car significantly interferes with the ability of other road users to move, for example, on a sidewalk or in a city square before a cyclist race;
• driving on the road without documents for a vehicle, without a license or with an expired license;
• using a car if it has malfunctions that prevent it from being used, for example, if the steering or brake system breaks down;
• driving a vehicle while intoxicated;
• transportation of dangerous goods;
• for heavy trucks - exceeding the permissible weight.

All these violations are not only punishable by a fine, but also entail a decision by the traffic police inspector to send the vehicle to a impound lot.

Attention: Evacuation is not a type of administrative punishment, but the costs associated with it will once again make you think about complying with traffic rules,

Car return algorithm

To return a towed car, you need to act strictly according to a specific algorithm. The issuance of movable property is possible by following these steps:

• take all the documentation and go to the traffic police department, whose employees issued a protocol for violation of rights;
• deposit money into the cashier to pay the fine and pick up a permit to legally leave the car from the parking lot;
• come to the penalty area, give a copy of the document received at the police station to the guards and leave by car.

Attention! In principle, it is enough to perform the above steps. However, in some situations, their list may be increased (for example, when leaving documents in the car).

How to find out where they were taken

When answering the question of what to do if your car is taken to an impound lot, you should first determine where it is located. You can find out using the mos.ru or Autocode websites. This can also be done by calling 02 or 112 or by sending an SMS to phone number 7377 EV<license number> TS. Alternatively, you can go in person to the nearest traffic service, request such information and receive assistance.

Required documents

To pick up the car, you must show documents. To obtain permission to remove your car from the traffic police site, you should go to the road service department and provide at the reception desk:

• Driver's license or relevant title documentation;
• OSAGO policy;
• Power of attorney with a notarized signature (if another person takes the car instead of the owner).

You may also need a Russian passport for issuance if errors are found in the documents and identity confirmation. OSAGO will only be required at the department.

What documents does the owner need to pick up the car from the impound lot?

The Code of Administrative Offenses contains a list of reasons why a car can be taken away. Refunds can only be made once the violation has been eliminated. You can avoid punishment if you comply with the requirements of the inspector at the scene. For example, if the car was parked in the wrong place, so that it would not be evacuated, it must be moved in a timely manner at the request of the inspector, but a fine in this case cannot be avoided.

Initially, you need to find out where exactly the impound lot is located. Then, you should go to the traffic police department, where the protocol was submitted, and obtain permission to issue the car. There are no difficulties with this; the document is provided on the day of application.

Attention! In 2021, a period of 60 days is allotted to pay the fine. Therefore, neither the traffic police nor the parking lot have the right to demand a receipt for payment of a fine. Payment can be made after returning the vehicle.

Documents for receiving a car from the impound lot for an individual:

1. Application for the return of the car to the owner - filled out according to the sample provided by the impound area employee.
2. Passport of the car owner or authorized representative.
3. Title documents for the car, PTS and STS are sufficient.
4. Permission to provide a car to the owner, issued by the traffic police.
5. A valid MTPL policy.
6. Driver's license.

There are situations when cars sit for years and when the amount of parking services is equal to the price of the car. In such cases, the confiscated property is put up for auction in order to reimburse the organization’s expenses. Naturally, a notification is sent to the owner’s address in advance. The management of the parking lot is a commercial structure, so the owner can agree on a transaction, for example, the exchange of collateral, etc.

To receive a notification to the traffic police, legal entities must additionally present:

• waybill;
• power of attorney in the name of the driver driving the vehicle.

Otherwise, the return procedure and the list of required documents are identical to the list for individuals.

Will they give the car back if there is no insurance?

Some owners do not know the answer to the question of how to pick up a car from an impound lot without the owner and without insurance. It is important to remember that this is not prohibited by law. Traffic police inspectors often take advantage of this, trying to extract more money from an inexperienced driver through illegitimate actions. OSAGO is not an essential document, unlike a license with a registration certificate.

For this reason, this document is not required. This applies to both the owner and his authorized representative, who, according to a notary certificate, resolves all issues for him.

Advice! If the car owner does not have the opportunity to pick up his property from the impound lot, he can ask another person to do this. He will be able to do this legally, provided that he has an official power of attorney and a driver’s license in his hands.

Documents of non-owners who can pick up the car

Often the car is entrusted to third parties to drive it. There are also cases when the owner personally cannot pick up his car from the parking lot. In this case, in addition to the main package you will need:

1. A power of attorney certified by a notary in the name of the person who will pick up the vehicle.
2. MTPL policy, which includes the person who will return the car.

At the moment, if you have a motor vehicle license, you can do without a power of attorney. If the car was purchased recently and the person did not have time to register and buy a policy, then it is enough to provide a purchase and sale agreement; this condition is valid only during the first 10 days after purchase.

If, as a result of an offense, the owner is deprived of his rights, then he can pick up and drive the car only by agreeing with another driver. In this case, this person will need to be included in the insurance.

Exception! If the OSAGO is extended (there are no restrictions on the number of drivers), then anyone can receive a confiscated car. In this case, a notarized power of attorney is required.

What to do if documents are left in the car

Often, the license remains in the evacuated vehicle, and therefore many drivers have the question of whether it is possible to pick up the car from the impound lot without insurance and documents. In this case, after the owner determines the location of his property, he needs to immediately go to the parking lot. There, the inspector draws up a report on the opening and removal of objects from the car. Then you can go to the department, pay the fine and return to the parking lot with permission to remove the car. The peculiarity of the procedure is its duration, since, as a rule, both places are far from each other.

What happens if you take a car without permission?

If a person takes a car from an impound lot without permission, then his actions will be regarded as arbitrariness in accordance with Article 330 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Arbitrariness is illegal actions, the legality of which is questioned by an organization or a citizen who has been harmed.

Sanctions for such an act: a fine of up to 80,000 rubles or wages for a period of up to 6 months, correctional labor for up to 24 months, arrest for up to six months, compulsory work for up to 240 hours.

How much will you have to pay

All drivers who are faced with the towing of their vehicle, the first thing they want to do is find out how much it costs to pick up the car from the impound lot. Currently, compared to last year, the cost of tow truck services and finding vehicles at the traffic police has not changed. As a rule, you will need to pay an average of 4,500 rubles for transportation and parking (after three days, payment for each day is 500-3,000 rubles), as well as 1,500 for the fact of violating traffic rules. Depending on the region and the severity of the situation, the price may vary.

Cost of tow truck services

A tow truck costs an average of 1,300 rubles. In some regions, his services are valued at 2500. Loading and transporting a car to the traffic police parking lot costs 2000 rubles.

Parking

The cost of being on the highway patrol site varies depending on the region. The table below provides current information for 2021 for Moscow.

What documents will be required in the event of the death of the owner?

The death of an owner as a result of an accident is not a rare situation. All powers of attorney previously issued on behalf of the owner will be canceled. A stranger will not be able to take the vehicle. The only way out in this case is to enter into the right of inheritance; the time limit for this is 6 months from the date of death of the testator. Only after this you need to prepare documents to receive the car. However, it will be possible to pick up the car only on a tow truck by presenting a certificate of ownership. Why is that? The difficulty is that the new owner will not be able to register the car in his name without compulsory motor liability insurance, and a policy cannot be issued without a diagnostic card.

Attention! Over the course of six months, the cost of special parking services can be quite high. In some situations, picking up a car will no longer be practical in terms of benefits.

Procedure in case of vehicle damage during evacuation

Often, after the evacuation of movable property, the owner notices scratches or dents on the car. But when he sends a complaint to the traffic police, they refuse to consider this issue. The same thing happens in an insurance company.

Therefore, you should remember a certain procedure in case of damage to a car during evacuation:

• Conduct an independent examination and take a copy of the document along with the complaint to the evacuation service;
• If the organization refuses consideration, you must submit an application to the administrative court.

At the meeting, the evacuation service returns the money in full not only for repairing the property, but also for moral damage. If you lose in court, you can challenge the decision or file an appeal.

In general, picking up a car from an impound lot under the new rules is not difficult. To do this, the owner should call the traffic police department, give the vehicle details and go to the specified address. To get transport, you need to confirm your rights to the property, as well as pay for the services of a tow truck and keeping the car in the parking lot.