Start Here to Get Your Car Out of Impound in Oregon
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- Category: Uncategorised
- Written by Doug Hartley
Cops got your car somewhere around Portland? Did you get caught driving with no insurance on your automobile? How about a ticket for driving while suspended? Yes, those are the typical kinds of Oregon traffic infractions that will get your car impounded.
So now you are standing on the side of the road in Hillsboro. Your car is getting hooked up to a tow truck. You are looking for a bus, a taxi, or are calling a friend to come and pick you up and take you home to Gresham. What's next?
You need to get your car out of the impound lot. Figure before you even get started that it is going to cost you anywhere from $500 to $1,000 to get it out. "Why so much?" you ask. Well if it was because you were caught without insurance, your first step is to buy the insurance. That could range anywhere from $100 to $500 for the down payment alone, depending on how old you are and how bad your driving record is. Of course, the auto insurance buyer must be licensed and be the owner of the vehicle.
A change of ownership and title transfer may have to take place in order to sell the insurance to someone who is licensed and the owner.
Then you've got to go find the station of the arresting law enforcement agency and pay for a release certificate. That could range anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on which city or county the citation was issued in. The police will only give out a release certificate if a driver with a valid license is present and you show them proof the car is insured. It doesn't make sense to turn around and let the driver that was just cited for operating the vehicle while suspended operate the vehicle again. They will then tell you where you can go pick up your vehicle.
Next you go to the tow company's office and pay for the towing fees and storage fees. Those fees can vary anywhere from $100 to $500 or more depending on how far they had to tow you and how long your car was stored. Some places charge as much as $40 or more per day to store your vehicle. Only a licensed driver will be allowed to drive the car away from the tow yard.
Sounds complicated doesn't it? And costly. Of course, we encourage all owners of a car to keep insurance on a vehicle. It's our public duty. But, we recognize that many cars are driven every day on Oregon highways without insurance and we are here to help through the learning process.