Gardaí have warned that insurance cover could be affected.
An Garda Síochána took to Twitter on Monday morning to warn Irish road users of the very real threat car owners are subjecting themselves to when simply defrosting the car.
Ireland has experienced many cold mornings as of late, with road users often opting to turn on their cars, prior to getting in, in an attempt to defrost windows and warm up the interior for the commute.
However, it appears that this act may do more harm than good.
Gardaí have reported instances of car theft following the defrosting of “a number of cars” using this method in Dublin, Meath and Kildare.
Gardaí are advising carowners not to leave their engines running as they de-ice their vehicles & leave the vehicle unattended. A number of cars have been stolen in this way including Dublin /Kildare & Meath areas. Insurance cover could be
effected! pic.twitter.com/BgFU7tqpMi— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) January 22, 2018
The tweet read: “Gardaí are advising carowners not to leave their engines running as they de-ice their vehicles & leave the vehicle unattended.
A number of cars have been stolen in this way including Dublin /Kildare & Meath areas. Insurance cover could be effected (sic)!”
As well as reporting the incidents, Gardaí warned motorists to remain in their vehicle while waiting for windscreens to defrost, or, alternatively, make use of an ice scraper.
AA Ireland has also issued a warning to road users following a wet weekend.
Due to flooding and excess surface water on some routes, AA Ireland issued a guideline for those travelling in flooded areas.
The guideline on the AA website read: “Remember if you come across standing water, don’t drive through it unless you’re sure it’s not too deep for your car.
“If you do drive through, do so slowly, in the centre of the road, in a low gear with your revs high.”
