The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) published a new set of guidelines for towing operators and companies to abide by when providing their services to the OPP in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
The rules come as a result of the provincial government’s towing task force, which oversees the towing industry in Ontario, and outlines what tow truck drivers’ responsibilities are when responding to a towing request from the OPP. Police-requested towing can be either:
The OPP guidelines also state only one tow truck will be involved for every vehicle at a roadside pullover or collision scene unless the police request additional tow trucks. Any tow truck that stops or parks within 200 metres of a collision scene that is not needed will be ordered to leave the area immediately. Moreover, tow trucks are no allowed to park on ramps, highways, or prohibited areas along provincial highways.
When a tow truck operator responds to a service call for a vehicle owner (a non-legislated towing request), the OPP says operators must:
When responding to a legislated towing request, tow truck operators must:
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) supports the OPP’s new GTA guidelines, saying the rules provide a clear direction to tow truck drivers, towing companies, and Ontario’s motorists.
"IBC applauds the OPP for developing these guidelines for towing services," said Kim Donaldson, Vice-President, Ontario, IBC, in a press release. "These guidelines are another tool to help protect drivers and ensure that at the scene of a collision, the custody of the vehicle always rests with the insurer and vehicle owner."
Depending on your coverage, your car insurance policy may cover you for the cost of a tow.
For example, some insurance companies may provide roadside assistance to their customers. Or if you’re in a collision for which you are at fault, have collision or all-perils coverage on your policy, and you cannot drive the vehicle, your collision or all-perils coverage will pay for the tow. If you’re not at fault for the accident, it is the direct compensation-property damage (DCPD) portion of your policy that will cover the cost of towing.
Regardless of who is at fault for a car accident, when getting a tow, you have rights, including:
According to the Ontario government, 1,600 tow truck companies are registered with the Ministry of Transportation’s CVOR program. Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act contains rules related to the towing and storage of vehicles designed to protect consumers.