Richard Yarrow’s opinion for www.startrescue.co.uk, providing low cost Breakdown Assistance cover.
I was walking past my village shop yesterday morning and witnessed something I’ve not seen for a very long time. A driver had parked and gone inside but left the keys in the ignition and the engine running. I reckon it’s got to be 20 years since I last saw that.
Admittedly it’s a fairly quiet village, but there’s enough passing traffic and pedestrians as people head to work and school for it to present a risk.
Clearly the owner of the vehicle hadn’t read this week’s Auto Express magazine, which features my myth-busting article on vehicle security, as mentioned in this blog on 11 January. The easiest way to steal a car these days is with the keys, and burglaries where they are the only thing taken are increasingly common. But there are still other ways of committing vehicle crime, and a very scary one came to light as part of my research into this article.
It seems the latest scam the crooks have come up with involves using a remote control from an automatic garage door or electronic security gates. They use it to block the signal from your car’s remote central locking key fob. The two devices work on the same frequency and the criminals are waiting in a busy parking area with lots of traffic coming and going. A motorway service station is ideal. With a garage remote set to send out a constant signal – which just involves keeping a finger on the button – they hope rushing drivers won’t notice if the car doesn’t lock as they walk away. Once the owner is out of sight, they can raid the cabin and boot for valuables. The sad thing is insurance cover won’t pay out because the car has been left unlocked.
The only way to be safe from this is to pull the door handle to make sure the vehicle is secure. The experts advice is do it yourself and tell your friends.
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