What to do if you abandoned your vehicle on the road

Snow removal crews and emergency personnel reported motorists leaving their vehicles behind during the snowstorm, abandoning them on the side — or sometimes in the middle — of the road.

That made jobs more difficult for plow drivers, as they not only had to deal with near-record snowfalls, but do it while evading the vehicles left behind.

Police realize the snowy conditions may leave some drivers with no other choice, but Illinois State Police Trooper Claire Pftoenhauer said those who must abandon their cars should leave them in a safe place.

“Meaning not in the middle of the roadway,” she said.

Pftoenhauer warns that state law only allows motorists to abandon their cars on state roads for a maximum of two hours.

Drivers who leave their cars longer won’t face a ticket or fine, but could end up paying $165 in towing fees. There’s no charge for the first day a vehicle is left at the impound after being towed, but there is a $25 fee for each subsequent day a vehicle remains in the tow yard.

Snow plows have little choice when they encounter an abadondoned car.

“We drive around them,” Hoffman Estates acting Public Works Director Joseph Nebel said.

Arlington Heights officials reported 70 calls overnight on Tuesday for disabled vehicles. The village towed only a few, as most of the owners made their own towing arrangments. In Elk Grove Village, officials reported dozens of stranded vehicles on Busse Road.

If motorists leave their car on a state road and return to find it towed, call state police at (847) 294-4400. Make sure to have the license plate number, as well as the vehicle identification number.

• Staff writer Deborah Donovan contributed to this report