Okay, what’s the deal with those cars that we see abandoned on the sides of highways? Are most of these just worthless junkers? That would be my immediate guess, except that many of them don’t look terribly antiquated.
How many of these tend to be cars that some kids took joyriding, and then abandoned? Or cars that were used to commit thefts?
And what about those chalk writing that we see scribbled into their windshields? I presume that these were made by some vigilant policeman, but what do these symbols mean? I’ve never gotten close enough to an abandoned vehicle to decipher their meaning.
I would bet most of the vehicles suffered some sort of mechanical breakdown and were left there while their owner got a ride from someone or wandered off to find a pay phone. The police will typically come by and leave a sticker or something on the window with a date and a warning to move the car. If it’s still there in a day or two, the police call to have it towed at your expense.
There’s probably other reasons to leave your car on the shoulder of I-294, but I can’t think of one.
It doesn’t have to be that old to be a “worthless junker.” If repair costs are higher than a comparable used car (e.g. if it needs a new engine) or if the owner cannot afford the repair cost, the car is a worthless junk. And it costs money to dispose of a car properly. Abandoned cars are a problem in Japan where, IIRC, it can cost over $400 to get a car towed and junked.
If somebody was going to abandon a car that was used in a criminal act, they probably dump it somewhere other than the side of the road, where it can plausibly go longer without being noticed. Like a long-term or corporate parking lot.
As observed, the cops investigate abandoned cars along the highway pretty quickly. On the other hand, the row I usually park in at a Sun corporate lot has a car in it that has been sitting there without a license plate and without moving for the last year. I use it as a sort of landmark, to note where I’m parked in relation to the abandoned Toyota Camry every day.
Part of my job involves code enforcement officer, among other things.
If it’s not along a highway (where the cops take care of it), I’ll tag an abandoned vehicle with a warning card, and take a photo. If it’s not removed in 72 hours, I call a towing service in to pull it. If the car moves to another spot, I still have it towed; our abandoned vehicle code has a clause that closes a loophole many municipalities face, where junk cars move from site to site to site. Abandoned cars are a code enforcement nightmare in lower income areas; some cars break down, but most are “project cars” that were moved off the property for some reason.
The Michigan highway cops stick a bright orange sticker to one of the car’s windows. The sticker has a date written on it with a sharpie, usually two or three days into the future. The car will be towed if it’s still there after that date.