Illegal to Keep Cars Running Unattended
As the temperatures outside drop this winter, we will unfortunately suffer the pain of getting into cold cars. Many drivers will be tempted to break the law and be “PUFFERS” (puffer n. an automobile left unattended and running in cold weather). 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”.
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. 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. By the time they 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 you can be issued a ticket if your car is left running unattended.