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While you are free to tow your car when it has issues or it is involved in an accident, there are some things you cannot do also. For instance, it is considered illegal or kidnapping in some states to tow a vehicle with no functioning brake.
Due to this, many car owners do research on how they want to tow their vehicle and they do not know if it is illegal. One of the popular questions on this is whether a car with no brakes can be towed.
In most parts of the world, especially in the United States, it is illegal to either drive or tow a vehicle without a functioning braking system. Nevertheless, you can tow your vehicle when the brake is not functioning but it is not advisable.
There are some conditions and precautions that you must follow if you want to do this. Keep reading this article for more information.
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How to tow a car without brakes
The towing of a car without a brake is not advisable and it is illegal. However, if there is no alternative, you can tow the car but you must be careful. The following are some of the things you can do when you want to tow a car with no brake.
Use the electric parking brake
The electric parking brake is a feature that comes with most modern and sophisticated cars. This feature serves as an emergency brake for cars that are equipped with the feature. If your car is equipped with this feature, you can tow the car even when the brake is not functioning.
If you are not sure if your car is equipped with this feature, you can check the manual for more information or search online. If your car is equipped with this feature and you want to tow it with no brakes, all you have to do is to turn it on.
Use of tow trucks
To avoid the hassles on the road or when your car is not equipped with an electric parking brake, you can use a tow truck to take your vehicle wherever you are taking it. All you need to do is to get a tow truck that can move your vehicle.
The car will be at the flatbed of the towing truck. You are safe this way because none of the tires of your vehicle is rolling on the floor. If you need a tow truck for your car, you can ask for recommendations or search for nearby ones online.
Factors that could make towing a car go wrong
While towing a car to a mechanic workshop when it breaks down is good and safer than driving the car in that condition, there are, however, some things that could make the experience go wrong. Below are some of the factors that could make you have a bad experience when you are towing a car.
Towing equipment
There are many items used by people, especially those who are not professionals when they want to tow a car. The truth is that the weight and model of the car potentially determine the type of towing material that you will use.
This is usually common when the car owner has called on a member of the family or friend for help.
In a situation like this, the use of the wrong towing rope or strap could make you have a bad experience when you are towing your car. If the rope cannot move much weight, there is a high chance that the rope will get loosened or cut while you are on the way.
Visibility
A clear vision is needed when you are towing a car. If the driver is unable to see clearly, the towing could go wrong. Some of the things that could affect visibility are the eyes of the driver, obstruction on the way, weather, time of the day, and many more.
Once the driver of the towing vehicle is unable to see the road clearly, you will likely have issues before you get to your destination.
Maneuvering
This is one of the areas where towing could go wrong, especially when you are doing this for the first time. When a car is attached to a towing vehicle, bending in such a situation requires expertise. This is because the towing vehicle is not the only one bending.
While you are free to maneuver and continue your journey if you are driving alone, you cannot do this when you are towing another car.
The type of vehicle
You should know that the weight of each vehicle differs. You can check the manual of your car if you do not know the weight. This implies that the towing capacity of each vehicle also differs. You cannot use a vehicle of 1,000 lbs to tow a vehicle of higher weight.
You can have a wrong towing experience when you use the wrong vehicle to tow your car. This is one of the reasons why professional towing companies ask you questions about your car, model, and the year before they bring a towing truck to your location.
Braking system
It has been stated earlier that it is illegal and risky to tow a car with no brake. This also implies that the towing vehicle must have a functioning brake. In a situation where you are towing a car with no brake or the brake of the towing vehicle is not effective, you are likely going to have a wrong towing experience.
Risk of blowout
When you are towing a vehicle, there is additional pressure on the towing vehicle due to the weight of what it is moving. The pressure on the vehicle at times could affect the tires, especially when there is an existing issue with the tire. In most situations, you will likely experience a sudden blowout from any of the tires.
How to choose a towing company
There are several organizations and towing companies that offer roadside assistance and towing services to people.
Due to the abundance of these companies, you have to be diligent when you want to choose one to avoid the loss of valuables being defrauded. Below are some of the ways and things you can do when you want to choose a towing company.
Register with an association
Doing this is relatively one of the best ways you can get roadside assistance when you need it. However, some people do not believe in registering with an organization due to some stringent policies.
The truth is you could be a member of an organization and you will be denied the assistance when you need it. For instance, some organizations will not agree to tow your car if you are not with the membership card.
Ask for recommendations
If you have a friend, colleague, family member, or close associate that has hired a towing truck in the past, you can ask for recommendations. The person should be able to recommend, provided the services rendered by the company are satisfactory to the person.
Go online
If none of your close associates are willing to recommend or you are unable to make use of the recommended company for whatever reason, you can go online to search for towing companies that are close to you. However, you must be careful when you do this to avoid being defrauded.
Read feedback from previous clients
A satisfied client of a towing company will have positive things to say about the company. Before you call any of the companies, you should endeavor to read the feedback from previous clients. Though this might not be reliable, it will help you have a list of some of the companies you can consider for the task.
Make inquiries
Once you have a list of some of the companies with positive reviews and you are convinced that the company can tow your vehicle, you can start calling them for more information.
Some of the things you should consider while talking to the company are the license and other paperwork, the fee and charges for other services, the duration it will take the towing truck before it gets to your place, and many more.
While doing this, you should be prepared to answer some questions also. The towing company will likely ask for the model of your car if it is registered, the present condition of the car, if you have contacted your insurance company in case of an accident, and other questions.
Get prepared
Before the arrival of the towing vehicle, you should get yourself prepared. If you are calling from an accident scene, you should take pictures of the car from different angles with your camera, take testimonies from eyewitnesses, and remove your valuables from the car.
Validate the information
Before you allow any truck to tow your car away, you should first validate the information you have gotten via phone. You should ask for a copy of the license, the ID of the driver, and the name of the company. Just be sure that you are entrusting your car in the right hand.