Towing Issues: Towing - Rules about towing cars with people in the car during the tow, tow truck insurance, tow truck drivers

Question
New York is where this question originates. Is there any rule or law prohibiting towing a vehicle while people are in the vehicle being towed? Is it allowed on a flat bed tow vehicle?

Answer
well believe it or not, there is "NO HARD AND FAST RULE - LAW" regarding this issue (except in California) on riding in a towed vehicle...

That being said, it is also a bit more of a major safety issue than it seems to be...

I have had people ride before in towed vehicles due to reasons such as no rides in the middle of nowhere, weather conditions, a few health issues - reasons...  

BUT, the law also says that you can only have as many people in the vehicle as there are seatbelts for...  Are there tow trucks which can carry more than 3 total people, yes, you have crew cabs which can carry up to 6 total people, but not every company buys one.

When you break down, you can always call a friend to come get you and the passengers, or call a taxi to get where you need to go...

More and more insurance companies (tow truck insurance has a lot of restrictions) are now spelling out how many people (if any) can ride with the tow truck driver when in tow...

But the original question of is it allowed?   

Morally - no
Safely  - no
Has it been done   - yes
will it be done still  - yes  

It's kind of a case by case issue, and until people get more education (tow truck drivers included) it will happen..