Thread: Abandoned vehicles

Well not just abandoned vehicles. Here in W.A., we seem to have a nasty trend, which is getting worse every year.
Currently if you break down and leave your vehicle at the roadside, it will quickly turn into something belonging in a wreckers yard. Leaving a vehicle on the freeway verge seems to be the worst. Overnight the vehicle will be semi stripped, and windows broken. If left in this state for another night, it will likely be set alight.
The different shires and mainroads have different rules as to how long a vehicle is left alone, before being towed to a holding yard. No one checks VIN numbers or rego and attempts to contact the owner. The shires around us seem to wait 3 days before a licensed towie can remove the vehicle. I believe Main roads is 5 days. Apart from being an eyesore, the vehicles are an in your face reminder that there is no respect for other people's property anymore.
This was brought home vividly to me recently. We have a towie's holding yard behind my work premises. A Mazda 6, 3-4 years old was brought in with no wheels, and most windows broken. It looked like an abandoned joyrider. Apart from knobs and switches missing inside, the rest of the vehicle was intact. It was a neat tidy car, and now it is a writeoff. Once exposed to the weather the interior is very quickly wrecked. Who pays for this? We do. Our insurance goes up to cover the losses. I cannot understand why the vehicles cannot be towed to a Government holding yard after 24 hours, and a fee paid to redeem them. Surely it would be cost effective for Insurance companies to fund it. Interested in the scenario in other states, and how similar situations are dealt with.

I think the message here is clear ... IF you breakdown by the side of the road, AND you value your ride, DON'T leave the vehicle unattended. Get family or friends to bring you food, water and blankets (and maybe a 9mm plus a box of ammo ), and stay with the vehicle until it can be recovered ... or towed by a mate with a suitable vehicle ... At least to a more secure location.

Otherwise it's not going to end pretty.

I detest the lack of respect for other people's property, but that's how it is today.