San Francisco drivers can now get texts earlier than being towed

The San Francisco Examiner reported Thursday that locals can now receive text messages warning them if their car is about to be impounded, making San Francisco the first city in the country with such a service.

The program, naturally called Text Before Tow, will send San Francisco drivers who opt in a text when their car may be towed for 72-hour parking, blocking driveways or parking in construction zones or temporary no-parking zones.

“It’s a very expensive city to live in, and it’s a tough city in many ways, so what’s a way we can make things a little easier in our town?” San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board director Manny Yekutiel told the Examiner.

The program still doesn’t stop drivers from getting ticketed for these offenses but will cut down costs drastically. After all, getting towed is expensive — with fees for towing a vehicle reaching upwards of $500 with only minimal cuts for low-income people.

The aforementioned offenses, Yekutiel told the Examiner, are relatively harmless but constituted 27% of all cars towed in 2020.

“It makes sense to start in these categories to give people a little more grace,” he said.