Unattended Vehicles
As the temperatures continue to plummet and I continue to freeze my Traffic Sergeant Keister off walking my dog in the morning, I have seen a returning trend rearing its ugly head. Folks are leaving their vehicle running unattended. Sometimes this is in front of their house, but more often it is the folks that want to run in for a cup of coffee and come back out to a toasty vehicle. While a nice, warm car sounds good, the risk certainly isn’t worth the reward. Each year in Harford County several people have their vehicle stolen by an opportunistic criminal just waiting for someone to walk away from a running automobile. For a crime to be committed, the criminal needs three things; the ability to commit the crime, the opportunity to commit the crime, and a desire to commit the crime. By leaving your car running you are basically giving the potential car thief two of the three pieces: ability and opportunity. What’s even worse, imagine having your car stolen and the responding Deputy, after taking the report, issues you a citation! Maryland transportation article 21. 1101 sub-section “a” says that “leaving the unattended vehicle without stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing key and setting the brake could lead to a fine of $ 70.00 and 1 point on your driving record. This is one of the few “non-driving” offenses that could lead to points on your license.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a cold car than to give a criminal my nice warm car any day!
As always, if you have a question or concern, please leave it in the comments below. Also, if you have a specific concern with unsafe driving in your area, such as speeding, drag racing, etc., give us a call, send an email, or reach out on social media. Until next week, slow down, pay attention, wear your seatbelt, and drive safely
HCSO Main Line – 410.838.6600
Northern Precinct – 410.692.7880
Southern Precinct – 410.612.1717
HCSO Traffic Unit – 443.409.3324
traffictiptuesday@harfordsheriff.org
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