Las Cruces police remind drivers who warm up their vehicles to refrain from leaving them unattended as they can be stolen within seconds.
With cooler morning temperatures approaching, many drivers start their vehicles and leave them idling and unattended for extended periods of time to defrost windows or simply to warm the cabin.
Most modern vehicle engines require only a few seconds to ‘warm-up’ prior to driving. Most people who warm their vehicles for extended periods of time do so simply for personal comfort – to defrost the windshield or warm the cabin – and not for the good of the vehicle.
Some automobile owners also carry keys to their home, business or other vehicles on the same keychain, meaning stolen keys could give a thief access to other properties.
Tips:
- Refrain from leaving vehicles running and unattended.
- Manually scrape ice or frost from windows instead of relying on cabin heat which takes substantially longer to do so.
- Do not leave children or pets in an unattended vehicle.
- Do not leave a vehicle running, unattended, and with children inside it.
- Do not leave garage door remote openers in open view inside vehicles.
- Remove or conceal personal property such as purses, bags, tools and electronics.
- Close and lock windows and doors when leaving vehicles unattended.
- Immediately report suspicious persons or activity in your neighborhood.