Jack Frost does more than freeze over our gardens and make the path from the house to the car a perilous journey. He also proves a cover for a new wave of car crime which cashes in on motorists while they defrost their cars.
Heavy Frost and icy windscreens means many of us have to spend time in the mornings warming up our cars before being able to drive to work. This has led to a opportunistic crime known as ‘Frosting’ whereby car thieves steal cars which have been temporarily left unattended while the owner nips back into their house after turning on the engine to warm up the car.
Last year 66,000 motorists reported falling victim to this crime, which is often unexpected in quiet residential areas. Unsurprisingly insurance companies are not showing much sympathy for victims of this crime. If a motorist has decided to leave their vehicle unlocked with the engine running while they return inside, the insurance company will often deem there to have been a failure in duty of care to look after the vehicle properly. Any claim made on these grounds will most likely be rejected and the driver will be left to fork out the cash to buy a new car.
Car thieves have been witnessed stalking the streets on frosty mornings looking for someone to leave their car unattended with the engine running. So make sure that you do not fall victim to this crime by using alternative methods of de-icing your windscreen. Some people advocate pouring boiling hot water onto the windscreen but you should be cautious in using this method as it could cause the windscreen to crack due to the extreme change in temperature. This could lead to another expensive insurance claim if you entire windscreen needs to be replaced, and often warming up the car via the engine is a more effective way of doing the job. Just remember to avoid leaving the car unattended when the engine is running and use an ice scraper to further clear your field of vision.
Do make sure that you can see fully before driving your car. Statistics say that you are more likely to cause any accident on the roads, if you only have a small spot to peer through on the windscreen. And if you do decided to drive in this situation and cause an accident you may find again that your insurer accuses you of breach of duty of care and being guilty of dangerous driving. If this is found to be true your insurer may not pay any for any claim relating to you or your vehicle. Third party victims will always be covered in this event but you may forfeit your right to be insured yourself.
So if you look out of your bedroom window in the morning and it is clear that Jack Frost has visited once again, please ensure that you keep your car safe as well as yourself and others.
Danielle is an author of several articles pertaining to Car Insurance. He is known for his expertise on the subject and on other Business and Finance related articles.