Police Warn Of New Crime Known As ‘Frosting’
Friday, 31. December 2010
During the recent cold spell a new type of crime has emerged causing the police to issue a warning. They are advising motorists not to leave their cars unattended whilst they wait for the screens to defrost, following a spate of incidents whereby cars have been stolen whilst left unattended with the engines running. The latest case was a Vauxhall Corsa stolen from a drive in Merthyr Tydfil when the owner left the engine running whilst he went back into his house. In another incident in Thurrock, Essex a man was de-icing his Peugeot when a thief got in and drove it away. The thief crashed the car causing £500 of damage, then ran off. The police have warned that motorists that warm their cars up this way are making it easy for thieves. Known as ‘frosting’ this type of theft will also leave drivers potentially without insurance cover as insurance companies may argue that the driver was not taking reasonable care. Heated windscreens will help to cut the number of frosting incidents but for those who want to clear the frost the best way is with some de-icer rather than leaving the engine running. Do you leave your engine running whilst clearing the ice off the windscreen? By Graham Hill
Related articles
- Car owners warned against ‘frosting’ car crime (money.marksandspencer.com)
- Mother clings to steering wheel after thief steals car as she scrapes ice from windscreen (dailymail.co.uk)