Everyone has seen and ignored the signs in Iowa State parking lots prohibiting students from parking in most parking spaces on campus.

Sometimes students just need to run into a campus building for a minute, and they end up choosing the wrong choice by parking at a reserved space the the front door.

A ticket for this minor violation from the Department of Public Safety can cost a student up to $15.

But students may be taking a bigger risk than they think. Many times, unknowingly, they may face the risk of being towed.

Mark Hansen, manager of Butch’s Amoco, is the person the university calls to tow illegally parked cars.

He said more than 250 cars are towed from campus each month during the academic year.

Hansen said this large number does not account for the majority of Butch’s Amoco towing.

However, “it definitely ranks up there with other places we are contracted to tow for.”

Although the towing cost is more than an average ticket, students get a deal compared to regular tows.

The cost for a tow from campus is $24 compared to the normal “typical cash tow call” which is $34, and the illegal parks which are $60, Hansen said.

Illegal parks cost more than the normal call because they usually include more effort to get the vehicle moved, he said.

Hansen said he hasn’t seen any illegal parked vehicle at ISU that was “terribly unique,” but he has seen a couple of circumstances where the cars weren’t parked in “the most ideal places.”

Hansen said Butch’s Amoco isn’t out to get people by patrolling, they simply answer the calls from Iowa State’s Department of Public Safety officials.

“We don’t enjoy towing people’s cars, but if we didn’t do it, someone else would,” he said.

For those who do get towed, many students may believe an American Automobile Association membership will save them from the towing cost.

But that just won’t work, said Tracy Nutty, manager of travel services at AAA.

“We will only pay for the tow if the car is disabled,” she said. “We won’t pay for illegal parking.”

However, Nutty said there are benefits to having AAA coverage.

Under the basic coverage of $59.95 per year, a member can expect lock-out service, towing of disabled cars and will have no extra charge for mileage within three miles of the service center, she said.

A student’s best bet to avoid towing is obviously to avoid parking illegally.

But if they do get towed, the car is in good care until it is retrieved by its owner, Hansen said.

Butch’s Amoco has a privately owned storage lot that is lighted and secured.

Hansen also said some people are very unpleasant to deal with when they pick up their vehicles after they have been towed.

However, despite an occassional ticked off student, Hansen said most students do not generally blame the workers at Butch’s Amoco.

“ISU students are generally pleasant and understanding about it,” he said.