Tomataheeed Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 It is technically illegal to leave a vehicle running unattended on the public highway. It is also unadvisable, I have had 3 vans stolen from my business because lazy ex drivers left them running and the insurers aren't so keen on paying out either. I have also had my car stolen when I left it running in a private yard to charge the battery up. Luckily or ironically depending how you look at it, the thieves stalled the car and couldn't get it going again about a mile away. Spot on. A friend of mine had a new BMW stolen whilst he left it unattended....by standing 3 feet away from it. A thief jumped in and hit the gas. He didn't get it back and the insurance company didn't pay out. He went to court and lost. About £35k for the car plus legal costs. Even the police said he should have lied and said that the keys were snatched out of his hand. I can't understand why someone would want to risk leaving a car engine running whilst its unattended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppins Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I can't understand why someone would want to risk leaving a car engine running whilst its unattended. And why not ? we should be able to do whatever we want, I've yet to hear of someone sealing a car because the engines running unless you live on the Manor I suppose...I start mine from the Supermarket check out quite a distance away, chances are slim it will be missing...really slim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 If you've got remote start they are slim yes, that's not the same as leaving it running with the keys in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbees Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 And why not ? we should be able to do whatever we want, I've yet to hear of someone sealing a car because the engines running unless you live on the Manor I suppose...I start mine from the Supermarket check out quite a distance away, chances are slim it will be missing...really slim!You would have heard about it a few posts higher up. You may be surprised how quickly opportunist car thieves can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomataheeed Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 And why not ? we should be able to do whatever we want, I've yet to hear of someone sealing a car because the engines running unless you live on the Manor I suppose...I start mine from the Supermarket check out quite a distance away, chances are slim it will be missing...really slim! Manor? nearly...Ranmoor. Chances might be slim but my friend hasn't done it since. He wasn't all that popular with his wife as you can imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arama Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 When people get used to leaving their car running because they are in such a hurry and don’t feel it necessary to properly secure a vehicle, negligence sets in and potential injuries can result. A man, with his 3 children in the back seat unaware they would witness a very traumatic event, was in such a rush to get his Chinese take-out, after he stopped his vehicle, he didn’t even take a moment to put the car in park and turn off the ignition, before he jumped out of his car into the restaurant. I was standing facing the backend of my SUV, clearly visible in the late afternoon on a very clear day, removing a sticker from the back window about 10 feet from the stopped car. I was smashed between the vehicles as his car automatically mobilized with enough force that I thought I felt I was paralyzed from the waist down as i could not move my legs at all. The resulting pain from the deep bruises, sciatica and lumbar nerve root area dislocated me and my young daughter from our second floor apartment for many days, and I have still not returned to normal sitting and walking activities due to continuous pain throughout my hips, thighs, nerves behind my knees, calves, and feet even several weeks later. I think it is worth the extra 15 seconds it takes to think about what you are doing when you are in control of such a massive object so that you take the time to secure it safely, especially if leaving it unattended to avoid any potential accidents from occurring. If I were a young child I could have been killed, and I am grateful I am not permanently paralyzed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengeek Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Holy thread resurrection Batman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eater Sundae Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Holy thread resurrection Batman! A good point though. If it makes someone re-think their own behaviour, it might stop other incidents like the one that happened to arama - or even worse. I used to stop at a newsagents, most mornings, to buy a paper, at around 7 am. (The double fronted one on the brow of the hill at Crookes, with parking bays outside - I can't remember its name). I regularly used to see cars left unattended and running while the driver also nipped in for a paper. And by regularly, I mean most days, not just every so often. And I was only there for a couple of minutes. If I wanted to steal a car, this would be by far the easiest way. Stand around idly looking in the shop window for a few minutes, and you'd be sure to get the opportunity. As others have said, the insurance companies would not be keen on paying out in these circumstances. Edit: Oops, I'd forgotten that this was in the General section, so "Crookes" may be meaningless to some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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