Rental car parking tickets unpaid in Seattle

SEATTLE — Most of the unpaid parking tickets in Seattle are owed by rental car companies.

But state law says rental car companies are the only registered vehicle owners in Washington who do not have to pay parking infractions directly.

A KING-TV investigation found that rental car companies had nearly 2,200 unpaid tickets in the months after the city boosted its parking rates in the summer of 2011.

Rental car companies say they identify the drivers who owe for tickets. But Seattle Municipal Court spokesman Gary Ireland said that system is not working.

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