RIYADH, 26 April 2008 — The first thing that would come to a person’s mind when his car breaks down in the middle of the road is to call a tow-truck service to take the car to the nearest car repair shop.
Knowing fully well the essential nature of their work, the tow-truck operators have been known to compete for custom, and this sometimes lands them in a spot. In a rush to earn money, many tow-truck drivers fail to verify if people who call for towing assistance are in fact the owners of the vehicles they want towed. In some cases car thieves are using tow services to steal cars.
Muhammad Al-Henaki, a resident in Riyadh and an owner of a car showroom in Al-Shefa neighborhood, has been a victim of ignorant (or possibly compliant) tow-truck drivers. Al-Henaki said that he had a minibus stolen in this manner. “I called police to report my missing car,” he said. An investigation by police found that a tow-truck driver had taken the minibus to a scrap yard in south Riyadh. Police discovered that the minibus was sold for SR5,000 and the vehicle was stripped. “Police managed to trace the thief and arrested him along with the tow-truck driver,” said Al-Henaki, who estimated the value of his minibus at SR50,000.
Abdullah, a 27-year-old tow-truck driver of Syrian nationality, has worked in the business for two years in the Riyadh area. He said he doesn’t check the identities of the people who ask for his service.
“This is not my job to ask for it,” he said. “If I asked for the car license then the man might simply find someone else and I would end up losing money. I will assume that the man in front of me is not lying and that he’s telling the truth.”
Another tow-truck driver said that there are indirect ways of knowing whether the man needing assistance is the owner of the car or not. He said he ensures the person who calls for his service is in possession of the keys to the vehicle, and that he has a valid driver’s license.
Eshfaq Gul, an Asian tow-truck driver, said that the traffic law is very clear regarding this issue. “Most of the people in our business do not follow the rules and regulations and end up putting themselves in trouble if caught,” he said.
“We must confirm the identity of the driver with the car license to make sure it matches. We cannot tow a car that has been involved in an accident without a permit from the traffic department. In case of towing cars outside Riyadh, we must hold the car license and the driver’s identification with a written letter from the owner permitting us to transport the car. No one is allowed to pass the checkpoint without these documents.”
