CAA launches ‘Towing Bill of Rights’ to help drivers
Posted Aug 22, 2018 08:35:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Research for the Canadian Automobile Association recently found that about half of Ontario drivers do not feel educated about what their rights are, when it comes to dealing with tow truck operators or roadside assistance.
This has prompted the CAA to write a 'towing bill of rights' to clear things up.
Assistant Vice-President of Government and Community Relations at CAA Teresa Di Felice told The Rick Gibbons Show on 1310 NEWS, the association came up with the eight-point document because consumers didn't seem to know what they could ask for when a tow truck operator appeared on the side of the road after their vehicle broke down or was in a crash.
“You can ask them if they have a rate card,” said Di Felice. “There is an expectation that the consumer should be able to ask the tow provider if they have a rate card to make sure that, if they are in a municipality that regulates those rates, that information is available to them.”
Listen to the full conversation with Teresa Di Felice:
Tow rates are regulated by 16 municipalities, so it is not uniform across Canada, but what is under consumer protections is the cost of your tow.
Di Felice said the cost of the tow cannot be more than 10% above what you were quoted.
Tow truck operators must also tell their customers if they get referral fees from the facilities or garages they want to take your car to.
In the City of Ottawa, it is illegal for a tow truck to show up at a crash scene unless the operator has been called by one of the drivers involved or has been dispatched by police.
The full list of consumer tow rights can be found at towrights.ca.
