General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Poor People Stay Poor [View all]MineralMan
(147,082 posts)That's why prey animals have eyes that are on the sides of their heads, so they can watch for predators with a wider perspective. So, if you cannot do without your vehicle and since tow companies act as predators, you do have to keep that in mind at all times. That's not a good thing, but it's a reality.
After every heavy snow in my city of St. Paul, there's television coverage of all the vehicles that get towed, and interviews with people who can't get their car out of hock. Every time. Every heavy snow causes people to lose their cars. The city tries to get the word out about snow emergencies, and everyone knows that if there's more than 3" of snow, the city will plow. Ahead of the plows go the tow trucks, looking for cars parked where the plows will come through.
Why? Because every car on the street leaves about a 40' stretch of unplowed street. Over time, streets get narrower and narrower if the cars are there. So, the city has contracts with tow companies to get cars off the streets in snow emergencies, as they call them. They need to plow the entire street from curb to curb or streets get so narrow that emergency vehicles often can't pass down the street.
Parking in cities is tough. Lots of residential housing has limited or no off-street parking. That's especially true for low-income people, who don't have a driveway or garage. It's a royal pain in the butt to comply with winter parking rules. It truly is. There's also a lack of parking in business districts, where people go to work. Parking is expensive. And towing goes on all year to remove illegally parked cars.
There's no good solution, really, so anyone who cannot survive without a vehicle have to be very, very careful. The predators are always looking for ways to prey on people. Defensive avoidance is essential.