To tow cars with parking brakes on, Traffic Police should use wheel dollies at the rear to minimize damage to towed car
In big cities, parking is a hassle and Police need to enforce traffic laws to keep the flowing traffic in check. People often resort to parking their cars in No-Parking zones. These vehicles will be restrained with parking boots and fined. Often, they’re towed to the nearest police station to clear the area. But here’s an example of how not to tow a car.
India is witnessing a major uproar in vehicle sales. With the economy booming, many individuals invest in personal transportation of their choice. However, this increasing rise in vehicle sales is prominent in big cities, giving rise to congestion. This way, there are hot spots for vehicle sales centralisation and Delhi is best known for this.
Maruti Baleno Towed With Handbrake Engaged
As shared by automotive enthusiast Nitish, a previous generation Maruti Suzuki Baleno was towed from its parking spot by a tow truck. This incident happened in Saket, Delhi near Anupam PVR. In the video, we can see a tow truck carrying multiple motorcycles and towing the Baleno in question.
The idiocy of this towing team is clearly visible in the video as the car’s parking brake was still engaged. We can also see multiple other vehicles parked in the same No-Parking zone, but only this Baleno was an unlucky car and was made an example of. This is a very unethical practice and will damage the vehicle being towed.
This is a standard Baleno and not Baleno RS. So, it has drum brakes in the rear that are connected to car’s handbrake. Many users use handbrake while parking their vehicle, locking rear wheels. When towed, the drum brakes will be damaged owing to the friction and heat generated. There will be an uneven flat patch in the tyre too, because of forced abrasion.
How to tow a car?
In the video, we can see the rear left drum brake locked and being dragged idiotically, creating a flat patch in the tyre because of wear. We can also see the right rear wheel moving freely, indicating brake damage on that side. In many Western countries, Police use mobile cranes to lift cars into a flatbed or pull the car gently onto a flatbed and then relocate it.
There are more inexpensive ways to tow vehicles like this with minimal damage. Police should have used wheel dollies (a.k.a. rolling crates or rolling dollies) on rear wheels of this Baleno to tow it without causing damage. Traffic Police should use dedicated and homologated tow trucks with additional equipment like wheel dollies to tow vehicles.
Many State Government Police Departments have demonstrated towing an illegally parked vehicle for the media. They use Government-owned specially designed and homologated tow trucks with wheel dollies or flat beds, operated by trained experts. But while practising it in real life, Police Departments usually contract third-party towing service providers. These third-party operators usually have no disregard for civilian properties and are more interested in raking up the number of vehicles towed or lifted at minimum operating costs. They almost always employ untrained staff for this job too. This leads to property damage that car owners have to bear on their own.
