A tow truck pulls into the lot at Advance Towing in Arlington, which has been the subject of many complaints. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Residents of Fairfax County face unscrupulous tow operators and have little support from the county.

No one enjoys having his or her automobile towed, but there is a difference between ignoring parking signs and being caught by misleading or hidden signs.

Although towing is regulated by the commonwealth, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors can further defines ordinances around towing and can help. The following changes in 2017 would help cement protections from predatory towing companies:

• Define “clearly visible” in the county ordinance on parking signs as being on the right side of the road and clearly visible through a windshield of an automobile;

• Require pre-tow photos to include all sides of the automobile being towed;

• Require tow operators to use dollies instead of dragging the drive wheels during a tow or pay damages to the owner;

• Preclude tow operators from compensating management companies and their employees with gifts or money.

In my more than 43 years in Fairfax County, I have dealt with a half-dozen tow operators, and most provide a great service, clearly mark parking regulations and abide by county ordinances. They help when people need their services most.

However, some tow companies operate on a commission basis, rewarding employees based on the number of tows they perform. That can lead to predatory towing, including situations in which signs are posted behind foliage, are on the left side of entrances or just are not present. In 2007, one company dragged my SUV uphill from my own parking place at home because a flimsy lanyard fell off the rearview mirror onto the seat. My pregnant wife heard the screeching, popping and dragging noises and ran outside to stop the tow driver from further damaging our car. We contested, and, thankfully, the company refunded the towing fee when the county found that the company had illegally towed the car.

Since then, the county has tightened regulations regarding pre-tow photos to protect residents. Despite these new regulations, tow operators will remove cars without taking a full complement of photos and damage cars by dragging them. A single photo doesn’t comply with the ordinance, but the only recourse is to sue the towing company.

After parking regulations on streets near West Springfield High School were changed to prohibit student parking, signs were posted on the left side of the street behind foliage. Students could not see them. Dozens of cars were towed.

While one may think the issue lies only with tow operators, the fault also lies with the county for failing to develop guidelines about what constitutes a clearly visible sign or completeness of pre-tow photos.

My representative on the Board of Supervisors, Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), seems more focused on road improvements, a state function, than on county business such as tow ordinances.

Rewarding employees for towing cars encourages them to tow more cars and can lead to cutting corners around county ordinances. Many tow drivers I talked to expressed dislike for this type of incentive.

Montgomery County adressed its problems with predatory towing more than a year ago.

My hope for 2017 is for Fairfax County to once and for all take on the predatory towing operators and protect residents. The county can do that by enacting ordinances based on my four suggestions.