As the mercury plummets, the temptation to leave a vehicle running to keep it warm or reduce the risk it might not re-start in the extreme cold is really attractive…but police are reminding motorists today that giving in could ultimately come at quite a cost.

Vulnerable to theft

It happens every year.  Instead of keeping their tootsies warm, 175 vehicle owners were left cooling their heels this past January instead.  Winnipeg Police report that of those stolen vehicles, 71 had been left running with the keys inside, making them an incredibly easy target.  Twenty-nine had the keys left somewhere inside the vehicle.  The consequences can go beyond the inconvenience of losing a primary mode of transportation to be life altering when the valuables in the car include children, other vulnerable people or pets. 

It isn’t needed

Vehicles are much better at cold starts than they used to be, and some sources say even on the coldest days, modern fuel-injection engines don’t need more than a minute or so to warm up.  Using a block heater to warm the engine and its lubricants will help it reach its proper operating temperature faster.

It wastes expensive fuel and pollutes the planet

Anytime they are running, gas-powered engines are spewing pollutants into the air, and with the price of gas, they’re doing it a very measurable cost.  All those engine outputs add up.

© News4.ca 2022