The Albany Police Department is asking motorists not to leave their cars running unattended so that they don’t become a target of car thieves, particularly during the cold winter months.
Every 26 seconds a car is stolen in the United States. National statistics indicate that 25 to 30 percent of stolen cars had the keys left in the ignition and the car was left unattended. Based on those statistics the average comprehensive insurance rates rose 11.2 percent from 1999 to 2009.
Generally during the winter months the Albany Police Department has seen a rise in the number of motor vehicle thefts. Car owners tend to leave their cars running while going into a convenient store, at a gas station or double parked on the roadway. This presents what they call “a crime of opportunity” in which criminals look for cars that are left in this nature.
Under the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law it is a traffic violation to leave you car running and unattended.
P.O. Matthew Montesano
Albany Police Department
Community Services Unit
(518)447-7875
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