Case Study Puts a Price Tag on Curbstoning
Posted on Tue, Dec 07, 2010
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Curbstoned cars are often cheap, but state and local governments pay a high price. A new case study from Stop Curbstoning reveals the true cost associated with a single curbstoner.
BIRMINGHAM, AL - December 7, 2010 - A recent California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) curbstoning investigation ended with a felony arrest on 12 counts of perjury and filing false documentation. But for StopCurbstoning.com, that was just the beginning.
The organization examined the financial impact of curbstoning, using this single real-life case as an example. It found that the cities in which the curbstoner operated lost over $56,000 in sales tax revenues alone, and the state of California lost $168,000. Other financial costs included lost license revenue, lost local business, and potentially increased emergency response burdens due to unsafe vehicles – all from just one curbstoner.
“Because there are so many curbstoners out there, even small things add up to a lot,” says Charles Redden, president of AutoTec, one of the companies behind the effort to stop curbstoning. “Take the annual state license fee for used car dealers. In California it’s $176 for the first year and $126 to renew. But for every thousand curbstoners, that’s over a quarter-million dollars every two years.”
“With local governments increasingly strapped for cash, enacting and enforcing anti-curbstoning laws can be a quick way to boost revenues and enhance their communities at the same time.”
The community enhancement and public safety aspects of enforcing anti-curbstoning laws are harder to quantify, but should not be underestimated, Redden says.
“Getting curbstoned vehicles off the streets frees up parking for local businesses, reduces obstacles to traffic, and eliminates eyesores,” Redden says. “It also eliminates a major source of unsafe vehicles – cars that look okay, but have major structural damage or missing safety equipment. How do you place a dollar value on all that? It’s priceless.”
For more information, see the full case study, How Much Can Just One Curbstoner Cost Your City? For further information about curbstoning and efforts to put a stop to this illegal practice, visit StopCurbstoning.com.
About Stop Curbstoning
Stop Curbstoning is a cause supported by a group of concerned corporations and organizations within the automotive industry. Its mission is to educate used car buyers, unite car dealers, and motivate municipalities to take action against this growing problem.
Stop Curbstoning was founded by AutoTec, LLC, a privately held company based in Birmingham, AL. AutoTec's flagship product, AuctionACCESS, is the automotive remarketing industry standard for managing dealer access to wholesale auto auctions.
Contact Information:
For more information, visit www.stopcurbstoning.com or contact:
AutoTec, LLC
Jordan Pittman (205) 414-2680
E-mail inquiries: jpittman@autotec.com