Remote Starting Your Car Is Convenient For You -- And For Thieves
MICHIGAN (CBS Detroit) - Sure, it's luxurious to get into a vehicle at your home or office that's already running smoothly with defrosted windows and an interior as warm or cool as you want it to be. If only it could also serve java, you'd sit in it all day.
But convenience comes at a cost, and the price could be safety.
Well, that and breaking the law in Michigan and many other states.
"Remote start's not bad, starting it and leaving your keys in the ignition is another story, that's a recipe to have your car stolen," said Ferndale Lt. Dennis Emmi.
A remote start in a closed garage can lead to issues beyond theft, like carbon monoxide, and incidents like this one in February in Royal Oak where a car started remotely and left running ended up burning the garage down to the ground.
Letting an unoccupied car idle so you can warm it up is illegal in one-fifth of the United States, according to hometownquotes.com, including Michigan. Fines range from $100 to $500.
"We all like a warm car with a defrosted windshield, but so do the car thieves," said National Insurance Crime Bureau President and CEO Joe Wehrle in a press release. "Leaving a car running and unlocked in the driveway or parking lot is an open invitation to them to drive off with a vehicle that they normally couldn't steal. Today's late model vehicles are very difficult to steal thanks for improved anti-theft technology, but unfortunately many of the cars and trucks that are taken today are left unlocked with the keys inside."
Out of 22 recent car thefts in Nashville, the NICB noted that 10 of the cars had the keys inside. St. Petersburg, Florida, Mayor Bill Foster also claims this scenario accounted for 60 percent of car thefts in his own city in 2013.
More than 50 cars were stolen in January in St. Louis while they were idling, according to one report.
Authorities warned people to not start their cars and then walk away -- ever.
"It's cold outside, but whatever you do, don't leave your car unattended," said Officer Harry Bond, a spokesman for Prince George's County police, to the Washington Post. "It only takes a few seconds for a thief to take your belongings inside the car or take your vehicle."
There's also this, according to patch.com: "Every 10 minutes your car runs, it releases one pound of carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. This greenhouse gas is the biggest contributor to global warming."
