If you’re wondering what to do with all that spare windscreen space now that the tax disc is no more, how about getting a high-tech sticker that could save your illegally-parked car from being towed away?

In a bid to save drivers the cost and inconvenience of having their cars impounded, inventors in Germany have devised TowStop, a device that attaches to the windscreen and allows police or traffic wardens to contact the car’s owner to alert them of their parking offence.

Instead of calling a tow-truck to remove the car, officers can touch the sticker and a message will be sent to a pre-programmed mobile number. The owner can then reply with a message stating how long they will be, and the message appears on the sticker, giving you time to return to the car before it can be towed away.

Check out the video above to find out more.

According to the TowStop team, German law states: “An officer has to choose the most efficient and inexpensive way for the car owner to remove the vehicle.”

It’s a lot cheaper for German authorities to call the driver than to remove the car.

Frankfurt-based IT consultant Daniel Kalliontzis is the man behind TowStop. When his car was towed he was inspired to think of an alternative solution.

“I asked myself: Is that really necessary? To me, a freelancing IT consultant and passionate nerd, the answer to that question was a real challenge. There had to be a technical solution to that problem,” he said.

TowStop is currently looking for funding on Indiegogo, with an early bird price of €54 (£43). It is expected to ship in June 2015.

At the time of writing the team had secured €3,000 (£2,300) of their €50,000 target (£39,000). Find out more on the Indiegogo TowStop page.

TowStop is an interesting idea, although its success depends on the traffic laws in each country. Certainly it seems like an efficient, hassle-free system for drivers to avoid hefty fines and a lot of hassle.

Video credit: Vimoe, TowStop