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03 Feb 2012
As temperatures plunge below zero Cheshire
Police are reminding car owners not to be tempted
to leave their cars
unattended while they are waiting for them to
defrost.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Roberts said
Opportunist criminals seize the opportunity of the cold weather
to steal cars. The arrival of frost- filled mornings normally
brings a series of de-frosting type thefts. Thieves target cars
which have been left with their engines running to defrost the
windscreens.
- DCI Brian Roberts, Cheshire Police
The message from Cheshire Police is simple - Never leave
keys in the ignition and doors unlocked when your car is
unattended, even if it is only for a couple of minutes and the
vehicle is sitting on your own driveway or on the road outside your
house. Similarly, we urge drivers to be sensible and
defrost their screens before moving off, because driving
with only a few inches of the windscreen clear is dangerous.
The consequences of losing your car in this way could be more far
reaching than most people realise.
The sensible approach is to allow an extra few minutes to
defrost and stay with the vehicle while it warms up. Alternatively,
use a de-icer spray and windscreen scraper to
clear your windows. When making an insurance claim in a situation
where a driver has left a vehicle unattended,
insurers may argue that reasonable care
has not been taken. This invalidates the
claim. Victims are then faced with the loss of their
vehicle with no means of replacement, even though they are fully
insured.
- DCI Brian Roberts, Cheshire Police
