One lazy habit makes it much easier for thieves to steal your car. Police officers beg drivers to stop this!
Police officers have heard it a million times. People say that their car was stolen while they ran inside their home, a store, or a gas station for only a minute. But a thief makes the decision to steal a vehicle in about half a second and one driver mistake makes it extremely easy.
1 mistake that lets helps thieves steal your car
For some reason, people just love leaving their cars running. They exit their vehicle and go into their apartments, the gas station, or a store while their keys are in the ignition.
This allows thieves to simply jump behind the wheel and take off. Then the drivers tell police officers that they were only inside for a minute.
Sometimes they say they’ve left their car running to enter a business multiple times before it was stolen. But when their vehicle wasn’t stolen, they got lucky.
But that minute gives potential criminals more time than they need to get away. Police officers advise people to turn their cars off. Also to take their keys with them, and lock their car doors before entering a building.
This is the best way to deter thieves who are always waiting and watching for the potential opportunity to score.
In fact, leaving a car idling while unattended might be illegal in your city or state depending on local laws. It could result in fines or tickets but typically isn’t considered a violation. California is one example of where it’s illegal to leave your car running.
I know it’s cold out there, and you would rather keep the engine on to keep blasting the heat and whatnot, but that comes with a risk.
