Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Jingle all the way…It’s the most wonderful time of the year. You and your best friends have JUST gotten your licenses and can go shopping alone. You’ve been on the phone all night planning out your day of shopping. First, Hamilton Towne Center. Next, Castleton Square Mall, and finally, Greenwood Park Mall to end the excursion.
Fast forward to the end of the night. After a wonderful day of shopping, you and your friends share a cheerful meal at Main Street Grille before heading home. Walking through the parking lot, you notice your car isn’t where you parked it. Looking left and right, your car is nowhere in sight. You instantly panic because not only is your car gone, all of the gifts you all just bought for your friends and family were in the trunk!
Your parents warned you to pay attention to parking signs, but you didn’t listen and now realize you’ve parked illegally. What looked to be a lucky parking spot was actually blue striped pavement indicating no parking. What do you do next? Do you try to handle it yourself? Do you call your parents for a rescue? Here are just a few things you should do once you’ve been towed:
- Stay calm and be aware of your surroundings. Look around the area where you parked your car for parking signs or tow truck signs. Usually, if it’s a tow zone, there’s a sign with a tow truck, maybe containing the company’s name and a phone number. If there is no sign, the city may have towed it.
- Find someplace safe to be out of the way of traffic until you can figure out your next move.
- Call your parent or guardian. Either send them your location from your cell phone or give them the two main cross streets where you’re located.
- Next, you’re going to want to try to locate your vehicle. Luckily, Indianapolis and surrounding Central Areas have a number to a dispatcher that can help you find your car. Simply dial Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484. If the company does not have the vehicle, they can help you locate who does.
These next steps are when things become a little tricky. Your parents have yet to arrive, and the dispatcher has asked you to provide a ton of information. You’re a relatively new driver, your car’s been towed, and you didn’t have a clue how to answer the dispatcher. These few tips below may help the situation:
Always have a valid driver’s license and registration. Your registration will provide the car’s make, model, color, and VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It will also contain the registrant’s name, address, and year of registration. You’ll need both documents when going to the tow yard to retrieve your car.
- Find your valid physical insurance cards. We tend to have a lot of electronic documents and apps that contain this information. To avoid further delay and potential problems, it’s best to ensure that your valid physical insurance card is in your car or wallet.
- Pay for your parking tickets. The city could have towed your car if you have outstanding parking tickets associated with the car’s license plate.
- Once you’ve located your car, ask the towing company their hours of operation. The last thing you want to do is take a trip to a closed tow yard. Be prepared to pay once you get there. If your parents cannot come, now may be the time to use that credit card they gave you for emergencies only.
Whew! What a day, right? Shopping alone with friends proved to be some feat. This one will forever go down in the book of memories. The good news is that you could get your car back and the only thing your parents said about the whole ordeal was…I towed you.
