MORGAN PARK — Warming up your car in the winter is a good way to get it stolen, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Police in the Morgan Park District looked at motor vehicle thefts throughout 2016 and found such thefts peaked in the coldest months — namely January, February and March.
Sgt. Mike Egan of the Morgan Park District declined to provide specific numbers of vehicle thefts each month, but attributed the surge to people warming up their cars and trucks as temperatures plunge.
To that end, Egan said nearly 44 percent of the vehicles stolen in January and February had the keys in the ignition at the time of the theft — and in most of those cases the engines were running.
"It's a crime of opportunity," Egan said Thursday.
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Despite the December cold streak, he said vehicle thefts are comparatively low this month. However, he said it's always good to remind folks to avoid the risky behavior — which is also illegal.
"Its illegal to leave a car running unattended," said Egan, adding that the tickets for the offense require a mandatory court appearance.
Rick Cyplik owns Mr. Transmission at 2517 W. 111th St. in Morgan Park and said warming up most modern vehicles for more than a couple minutes isn't commonly recommended.
"Now, everything is computerized. It's all electronic," Cyplik said Thursday.
He said most drivers warming up their cars do so not to make their engines run more smoothly, but to preheat the vehicle's interior. And while this may make driving more comfortable, the practice is certainly a waste of gasoline, Cyplik said.
He said newer vehicles that offer a remote start allow drivers to warm them up without having the key in the ignition, allowing them to be locked while running.
Many of the vehicles with factory-installed remote starts also have a timer that restricts warm-ups to 5 or 10 minutes, said Cyplik, adding that he doesn't expect folks with older vehicles to stop the risky practice anytime soon.
"It's habit. It's something that you have always done, and it's hard to break," he said.
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