It can be painful to climb into a cold car on a frigid Minnesota morning, but law enforcement officials say leaving a car running might hurt even more if a thief sees it.
“There are people out there that are looking to get from point A to B, or you know get a little adrenaline rush, or something like that. You’re just setting yourself up to be a victim if your car is running, and it is not locked,” said Laura Landes, a Crime Prevention Specialist with the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office. “The right person has to come by and we all have the right to take chances, but you’re really putting yourself at risk.”
Landes says it happens most often at gas stations and convenience stores when someone runs in for a moment.
“I totally understand not wanting to shut it off because its chilly and cold in the state of Minnesota, and you’re just going to be in there for a second, but we see most [thefts] from gas station parking lots.”
But it can happen anywhere. A running car was stolen off the street in Andover while it was warming up at the end of January. This one was an older car that couldn’t be locked while running. Newer vehicles often come with a remote starter that requires you to lock the car first.
A car does need to warm up before you hit the highway on a cold day. Peter Vitale of Motor Works Auto Repair in Blaine says the closer you get it to operating temperature the better off you are, but it doesn’t need to idle long in the driveway.
“On a cold day, if you are going to drive your car I would say 2 to 5 minutes would be a good time to warm it up before you proceed down the road. Just enough time to let oil start flowing through the engine and build some heat up into the cylinder heads and the pistons,” said Vitale.
If you just want to start the car to re-charge your battery that would take longer, 15 to 20 minutes.
“The closer you get it to operating temperature the better off you are, now running your car in the driveway comes with risk so most likely I would stay with my vehicle and not leave it unattended,” said Vitale.
Landes says losing your car is one thing, but it could be worse.
“I see often people leaving kids or animals in cars with it running and they’re running in to pay for gas possibly or grabbing something they need out of the gas station. I always try to keep an eye on that vehicle because you could lose a dog or a child.”
Landes says it’s a crime of opportunity that only takes a moment. Leaving a car running unlocked and unattended is illegal in some cities.
