Drive cold – thieves like warmed up cars

The long spell of cold weather had car thieves stealing idling automobiles like they were picking ripe fruit.

Victims of such crimes sometimes lie about how cars were stolen because their insurance companies won’t pay if the cars were left running to warm up.

And that can get the victims arrested, officer Jim Schriever warned today at a meeting of the Broadway Westport Council.

Thieves have been harvesting idling cars throughout the metropolitan area, he said. It is especially a problem in Midtown because many older homes do not have attached garages.

Victims can also get a ticket for leaving a car running, unless they use a proper remote starter system.

Such systems require keys to drive the vehicle away, but only starter systems that do not disengage the transmission system are legal, he said.

So these days, even warming up a car properly requires research and electronic equipment.