Now that the cold weather season is back, more and more of us are inclined to let our vehicles warm up for a little while before going for a drive.

While that seems logical during December, January, and February in a state like South Dakota, oftentimes, it's not the smartest thing we can do. Here's why, car thieves are out in full force during the winter months looking for vehicles that are unattended.

A perfect example of that happened on Friday, December 13th in Sioux Falls.

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Protect Your Vehicle: Avoid Leaving It Unattended And Running

Six Sioux Falls residents had a Friday the 13th they won't soon forget after their vehicles were stolen between the hours of midnight and 10:30 AM.

Dakota News Now reports that the various car thefts occurred all over the city, and were not concentrated to one specific area. There was one common denominator in each case, all the vehicles taken were left running unattended.

Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department told Dakota News Now, “It’s pretty easy for anybody to walk along to know that the car is running. Obviously, when it’s cold out, you see the exhaust. A potential car thief knows that nobody is there. It’s just too good of an opportunity and they hop in and take off with the car."

According to Dakota News Now, these types of car theft cases don't just happen as a result of cold weather, the PD has seen several car thefts tied to motorists leaving their running vehicles unattended while they pick up a child from daycare or a driver that leaves a car running while they go inside a convenience store for a couple of minutes.

The bottom line is that car thieves are always on the prowl looking for an opportunity to snatch a car.

How can you ensure your car will not be stolen while letting it warm up?

Clemens recommends that drivers keep a close eye on their vehicle or use a remote start if possible. He also suggests using a second set of keys to keep the vehicle locked while it’s running.

It might be wise to heed his suggestions, Dakota News Now reports that none of the six vehicles stolen last Friday have been recovered at this time.

Source: Dakota News Now

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We made a list of some of the worst parking lots in the Sioux Falls Metro. Be extra careful while guiding your vehicle in these tricky lots.

Is the parking lot you dread driving in the most on this list? Take a look and find out.

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