PC Sheriff’s Office warns about leaving Vehicles Unattended

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office warns that when cold weather approaches, many individuals mistakenly leave their cars running unattended in an effort to warm up their vehicles before facing the day; however, we may want to rethink this plan. Thieves use the blistering cold weather to their advantage by looking for puffs of warm exhaust pouring from car tailpipes, and easily snatching the idling cars. Whether you are warming up your car before starting your day, quickly paying for your gas at the station, or running into Starbucks for a quick coffee to warm up, you are at risk of having your vehicle stolen. More than 700,000 vehicles are stolen in the United States each year, and up to half of the thefts can be blamed on driver error. So before deciding to put those key in the ignition, turn on the defrosters and heat, and run back into the house to finish getting ready, just remember, it is better to have a cold car than no car.