HI HB405

Requires towing companies to provide a written and itemized estimate of all costs before attaching a disabled vehicle to the tow truck when the owner or operator is present at an accident scene.

Written estimate must include the towing company's name, address, telephone number, motor carrier permit number, tow truck license plate, and the names of personnel involved.

Estimate must clearly state the tow truck is not police-dispatched and itemize all charges including labor, equipment, mileage, accident scene cleanup, and storage fees expressed as a twenty-four-hour rate.

Estimate must include a comparison showing the difference between the towing company's rates and either the county's police-dispatched tow contract rate or, if no contract exists, the rates specified in Hawaii Revised Statutes section 290-11(b).

Exempts towing companies operating under contracts with police departments or automobile clubs from these requirements; takes effect July 1, 3000.