A state law signed right before John Engler left office gives drivers a mere 18 hours to get vehicles off the shoulder of state highways and freeways, a reduction from the previously allowed 48 hours.

State Rep. Jack Minore said he felt that reducing the limit to 18 hours was just too restrictive, especially for low-income people who might have to make arrangements to pay for towing. Advocates of the law said that abandoned vehicles can cause traffic slowdowns, impede emergency vehicles and complicate snow removal.

In 1999, Michigan motorists hit nearly 21,000 cars parked on road shoulders. The crashes caused 12 deaths and nearly 1,400 injuries, according to a study by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). Once police tag a vehicle, a tow truck typically isn’t called until another officer happens across the vehicle and finds the time expired. Tow companies cannot take a vehicle without a police order. A SEMCOG study showed many of cars left on the roadside are abandoned for good — in the first six months of 2000 and 2001, owners reclaimed only one third of the abandoned vehicles. Most were released to towing companies and sold for scrap or parts.