Hundreds of Vehicles Stolen While Left Running Unattended
As seasonal temperatures are dropping, drivers are increasingly tempted to "warm" their vehicles letting them idle in place for several minutes or more while they ready themselves inside their homes. These vehicles left unattended while running are called
"puffers". Last year hundreds of people had their vehicles’
stolen while they were left running unattended. The Denver Police Department is strongly encouraging the citizens of
Denver not to become “Puffers”.
Motorists believe that just because they lock the doors while they’re away from their vehicle that they are not at risk of having their car stolen. That’s a bad assumption.
It doesn’t matter if you lock the doors while the car warms-up you are still a “Puffer”.
Puffers contribute to a large number of auto thefts. By the time a person could get out of the house or the store a thief can break the window and be gone. It only takes
a matter of seconds, not minutes! Remember, this activity is against the law and you can be issued a ticket if your car is left running unattended.