Dear Homeowners,
The cold has recently found its way into Charleston and it looks as if it may hang around for a little while. I ran across some preventive measures published by the local authorities. Please review this educational information and remember to always be safe and vigilant.
Charleston neighborhood presidents, complex managers, residents and merchants,
With the long cold-snap we are predicted to have the next week or two, and through the winter, many people will feel a need to "warm-up" their car in the mornings. Some do it to make it more comfortable for children or themselves; some to get the ice off the windshield; some just to make the car run right.
We highly recommend against leaving a vehicle running and unattended, as this opens an opportunity for the car to be stolen, even in a "safe" neighborhood. On city streets it is unlawful to do it for more than a few minutes, just for this reason.
Who steals cars this way? Consider the middle school kids at the corner tired of waiting in the cold for their bus, or the worker who can't be late again to the jobsite, or the teen runaway looking for a way out, or any other number of scenarios, not to mention professional car thieves.
If you still decide to pre-heat your vehicle (again, we discourage this), please remember that you need to also take steps to keep it from being stolen.
Lock the doors, keep visual observation
Use a CLUB or similar steering-wheel lock (separate the keys)
Block the vehicle in with another car.
Maybe now is the time to clean out that garage and keep the car inside…
People also often feel a need to leave the car running to keep the heater on when they're "just running in for a second". These include school and day-care drop-offs, delivering or picking up take-out food or dry-cleaning, convenience store stops, etc. Cars are stolen this way constantly, occasionally with small children left inside.
Please TURN the CAR OFF, Lock It, and Take The Keys (AND your purse, ladies). The couple of minutes you turn the car off will not make I the car significantly colder. You'll save yourself the misery of waiting in the cold to file the stolen car report and everything else associated with having your car stolen.
EVERYONE HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Aaron Hettesheimer
Community Manager
Community Management Group
