Have you ever woken up on a cold winters morning, having slept through your alarm clock, realised you've got 20 minutes until you're due at work, and looked out the window to see a lovely layer of frost on your car?
Most people, when faced with this situation, would go outside, start their car, and leave it to warm up while they get ready inside. This also rings true if - like me - you've got an older car that won't run properly when it's cold.
With so many people leaving the engines running while their car is unattended, car thieves are in heaven during winter. All it takes is for you to be away from a window for a minute and somebody could be off in your car which you've so considerately warmed up for them.
Naturally, this bumps up your car insurance. Even worse, if your car does happen to get stolen whilst warming up, your company may not pay out as it will be seen as your own fault for leaving your car unattended.
If you must warm your car up in this way, there are a couple of things you can do to deter theft.
Have a spare set of keys, leave one in the ignition and lock the car up with the other set. At least this will make it more difficult for a potential thief to get into your car. You can also have things like steering wheel locks fitted, which will prevent a thief from driving your car away. Having your VIN number etched onto your windows is a deterrent for most thieves, because they make it harder to sell a car afterwards. However, this may not stop the opportunist thief who just wants to drive around in your car for a while.Fitting a device like a tracker will not only deter thieves, but will also help you get cheap car insurance.
Insurance can also be higher in winter due to the increase of accidents occuring because of icy roads, so make sure you always drive with caution if you suspect the roads may be hazardous. If you have younger, less experienced drivers named on your motor insurance, consider becoming a taxi service to avoid them having to face hazardous conditions which they may not be confident with. What you use in fuel you could save on your premiums!
J Tillotson is an author based in the UK. Her specialist subjects are energy and efficiency, and insurance.
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