This Is How They Tow a Car in Barcelona

Finding a parking spot is difficult, to say the least. You will often witness people driving around the block several times. And even when you seem to have found a spot, it's not a good idea to stop in a residential area.

Locals have special permits displayed on the windshield. Without it, you can stop and drop somebody off, of course, but if you park where you're not supposed to, the car could be towed away within minutes.

That's what's happening here. Even though the silver MINI seems parked in a perfectly adequate, marked spot, it doesn't have the permit. But what's interesting here is the equipment they use... or don't use.

A hydraulic crane is pretty much the golden standard of towing a car all over the world. It allows you to lift cars vertically without damaging them or the ones that are parked adjacently. However, Barcelona has something that looks like a child's toy set.

First, they photograph the MINI. After that, they jack up the rear wheels with the aim of getting the back of the car away from the curb. However, we can see the men in yellow jackets hitting that white SEAT without a care in the world. Who do you even sue in a case like this?

Following a similar procedure, the front wheels are pulled away from the road as well then they are muzzled to a cross-shaped extension of the tow truck. Towards the end of the video, you can see a blue sticker being placed on the ground. That's to let the owner know that his car has been towed, not stolen. Overall, it's not the worst job we've ever seen, but still a little sloppy.